Private Road Trip: What now?

[Klar]

Deactivating a droid that likely couldn't care less what the fleshies in the other room got up to was perhaps a little overzealous, but Xuko had never been short on zeal. "Deal." Klar agreed readily, stifling a yawn.

---

The next morning brought with it some realities. A waiting report on the state of the ship, the aches and pains from all the injuries and exercises the day before, and a brain without painkillers in it. Even in the sealed shuttle and a closed room, the air was a little chilly - not chilly enough that Klar could see her breath, but chilly enough to keep her under the blankets with her Zabrak for a slow wakeup. At least until she was sure he was awake enough for planning beyond complaints about the temperature.

The Codru-Ji braved the cold long enough to get her datapad and painkillers - the latter of which she dry-swallowed to avoid having to run her bare bottom out into the galley for a water. Then it was back under the covers where it was safe and warm. "I have your status report, Captain Pagoi!" The blonde stated with a mock salute.

"First order of business. Life support is shot." Klar reported obviously. "Can't leave with that on the fritz. 9RS says we need a new condenser and fluids. Apparently that also means the heat doesn't go above 1.5c.." The blond complained reproachfully. "And it probably can't manage breathable air in space, so... fix that first."

"Second order." She continued. "Landing gear is screwed. 9RS says we can probably fix that with some cheap metal, we just need tools - I can probably talk to mister Perkins about that." Klar mused, glancing at Xuko.

"Third thing, the hyperdrive got a bit... fried? That can't be the technical term." Klar complained mildly. "That's why it was in the maintenance hangar. It needs a full rebuild. 9RS says it'll still work, but only if we take it slow, which means.... might be days or weeks before we make it back to the core." She sighed. "Which of course also means we'll need to figure out clothes and provisions. Since we've got the clothes on our back and basically naught else."

Klar offered Xuko the datapad. "Your thoughts?"

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

One benefit that Xuko discovered about the Pathfinder was that, as an exploration ship, its water-recycling systems were top notch, They had to be, since those usually using the ship for its intended purpose might go weeks without the possibility of restocking. And while the life support systems were barely hanging on, the water heating systems were mercifully running at full capacity.

The ensuing long, hot shower- even before considering the company- felt good.

---

Xuko had been awake for a little while before he felt Klar stir next to him. He'd wanted to let her rest as well as to use the time to process himself the whirlwind events of yesterday... which already felt something like a bad dream. But he'd only needed to glance over at Klar to see the awful wounds she had sustained- not to mention listen to his own body protesting- in order to be reminded of their ordeal.

He also wanted to examine his reasons for accepting Klar's invitation the previous night. Part of it, he realized, was cultural. Iridonians often engaged in a sort of post-battle aftercare not unlike what he and Klar had done last night; scrubbing away the dirt of battle and showing physical gentleness to a partner. It was an important reminder that while others could cause great pain, they could also be part of one's healing process. But even so Xuko had been surprised at how much he'd looked forward to caring for Klar in that manner, and that unlike with Doc Shelia earlier in the day how comfortable he was being vulnerable in return. She'd now seen all of his current scars, and as he collected more, would probably see those, too. He could bare himself before her- in his mind more metaphorically than physically- and that brought Xuko a comfort he hadn't realized he was missing. Hopefully, Klar had experienced the same.

Now she was awake and bravely leaving the cocoon of warmth they'd build together. Xuko welcomed her back a few moments later, touching his forehead to hers and running a hand through the blond hair that he'd washed last night. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at the 'Captain Pagoi' moniker, and he accepted the datapad which listed 9R's damage report.

"It is good to see you awake, Zor'rek" he said, looking over the droid's notes in conjunction with Klar's commentary. The landing gear was the least of his worries; judging by the way 9RS flew they'd just break it again, although he admitted that if it was to be a slow return that they'd likely damage the ship further without proper landing gear in place. Their long shower yesterday had given him an idea, though. If the Pathfinder was designed for monthslong excursions into space, then it stood to reason that there were other basic necessities that would be stocked on this ship- like the provisions and clothes Klar mentioned.

"We will have to wait until we meet with the man Jed mentioned to try to fix the life support" he said, agreeing with Klar in terms or priorities. "But we have not explored this ship very much, and there may be resources we can use." His suggestion meant leaving the warmth of the bed, but Xuko was curious what he and Klar could find. "I think I saw an auto-chef system yesterday."

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar smirked and set the datapad aside, taking the moment to enjoy warm skin and fingers through her hair. "We'd best not use it for anything more ambitious than caff or tea this morning." She warned cheerfully. "We promised Miriam we'd have breakfast before we set out today."

Last night had been... nice. Wonderful, even. She and Xuko had different expectations, of course, but they'd talked that over on the beach a little. The universal language of warmth, care, and contact remained as applicable as ever, though. It'd been a big step for the both of them. One that Klar had been wholly prepared to take, granted, but a big step nonetheless. In her romantic life, emotional and physical intimacy had always gone hand-in-hand with each other. Xuko had been a bit of an adjustment.

She no longer had doubts that their relationship had progressed past 'friends', though. Especially after she'd looked up some of the pet names he was using for her. She'd adjust how she introduced him in the future accordingly.

Klar didn't want to leave the warm. She had a perfect spot half-draped across Xuko that kept all the pressure off of her braced arm.And yet - they had things to do. Sore, wounded, and tormented by a long list of things she needed to get done. "Once we get into town, we can find a long-distance comms to check in with the NJO." Klar added as she pushed herself upright and slithered reluctantly out of bed. She pulled on her borrowed clothes from yesterday, still talking. "I'll check out the galley and see about getting us going with a cuppa while you take stock of the ship?" The Codru-Ji suggested brightly, dressing quickly to get out of the chill. "9RS doesn't care about clothes, food, and the like so he probably didn't count them."

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

"That sounds like a plan" Xuko responded, mirroring Klar as he also left the comfort and warmth of the bed and quickly dressed. He hadn't thought about the possibility of using someone else's equipment to make contact with the Jedi Order, but it made sense. Even if the Order couldn't spare the resources to send a ship all the way to Devar-Tat Whai to pick them up, at least someone would know they were alive.

Xuko decided not to reactivate 9RS just yet, partly out of spite and partly because there wasn't anything for the droid to do just yet. Besides, exploring the Pathfinder would be easier without an astromech underfoot. And there was plenty of ship to explore, he quickly realized; Klar would most definitely finish their hot drinks before he returned from his task.

The berth he and Klar had shared was near the base of the Pathfinder's neck, and conveniently adjacent to the 'fresher. Across the hallway was another berth, as well as a holocomm station. Xuko gave a cursory glance over the readouts, but quickly surmised that the long-range communication tech had been another casualty of their happy landing... or perhaps their happy takeoff under Sith naval fire. From there, the main level widened out into a central communal area, including the auto-chef (concerningly dark) and caf machine (happily functional), as well as a few smaller berths; along with several doors lining the outside.

The Zabrak decided to turn left and explore clockwise around the circle with respect to the cockpit behind him. All he found, besides a pair of turbrolifts at three and nine o'clock, were either empty cargo bays or rooms dedicated to the storage and maintenance of the varied probes that the Pathfinder was capable of launching. It wasn't until he returned almost back to where he'd started- adjacent to the holocomm room- that things started getting interesting.

Xuko's nose wrinkled as the unmistakable scent of sanitizer assailed his senses, but his spirits soared nonetheless. Here was a small medbay, which appeared to be combined with a science station for studying soils, liquids, and other findings. There was no medical droid, which might've made their search for first aid yesterday redundant, but there was a terminal that even a technologically-challenged Zabrak could use; and a quick glance told Xuko that the medbay was fully-stocked with bandages, basic medicines, and painkillers.

He emerged several minutes later, having made several small care packages for the coming days; pain meds in predetermined dosages for both him and Klar, fresh bandages, and a lecture from the terminal about how to care for a broken arm still spinning in his head. There was still much of the ship to explore; namely, the lower level which would include the escape pod and larger cargo bays from the looks of things, but for now he needed something warm to ward against the pervasive chill of the ship. And so, he set off in search of Klar.

Klar

 

[Klar]

There was something nice and domestic about setting out for a morning of quiet readiness followed by a day of work with a partner, Klar decided.

She'd had flings, but never anything that she could have called a meaningful relationship. Not somebody that she'd have wanted to keep around if she weren't intimate with them, anyway - mostly just folk she'd met on Zinder. She and Xuko had a slightly different cadence to their relationship, and she didn't mind that. She just liked spending time with him, partner or no. That felt like a healthy sort of foundation for something meaningful.

Considering their relationship while trying to throw together a decent cup of tea felt a bit twee, though it kept her mind off of Coruscant. Anything that kept her from thinking about Coruscant was a plus.

She was REALLY going to need to process Coruscant at some point.

But not before tea.

The Galley, Klar disovered, was not well stocked - which made sense. The ship had been in for maintenance, which meant that a fridge full of good things wasn't exactly needed. A few freeze-dried ration bars were banging around in a cabinet, a sealed pack of instant noodles (Karkan ribene flavor!), and the agricorp's own brand of black tea. The auto-chef wasn't working, and neither was the reheater - which meant that any meals they prepared would have to be done the old-fashioned way, on a tiny little induction stove using one of two tiny little cooking pots that dubiously doubled as pans if needed. Sure, they could get the auto-chef fixed... but it was so far down the list of priorities that they'd probably be turning the ship over to the NJO before it was repaired. Unfortunately, Xuko was about to learn how poorly she could cook.

The blonde stifled a yawn as the water heated, wincing as she attempted to tie her hair up and found that her arm was still broken. So many little things wanted that arm. Annoying.

She could hear Xuko coming. The kettle whistled. Tea poured. Tea for her and caf for her boy. Pills for her and her boy. Then a nod towards the lower levels to have a look at the cargo bay together.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

It was odd, Xuko reflected, how someone's mere presence could make even a cold starship feel warmer; Klar could add Xuko to the list of things which wanted her broken arm. The Zabrak gratefully accepted a mug of hot caf from Klar, voicing his thanks before showing her what he'd found. Medicines and bandages didn't seem like the kind of thing to surprise a partner with, even if they were useful; it made sense that Klar should know in the event she needed them for herself or for him at any point.

The Zabrak sent up silent thanks out to the galaxy for whomever decided to design the medbay with a separate power source than the other systems, and also that it'd been stocked where the galley had clearly not been. Food could theoretically be found more easily than some of the medicines in the other room that he couldn't pronounce. Xuko made a mental note to check later to see if the terminal could synthesize any of the enzyme tablets he'd come to rely on offworld, but for now, his Codru-Ji was waiting.

Xuko led the way to the starboard turbrolift, giving a quick summary of what he'd found thus far- essentially, storage space and probes they'd never use, although the latter might have some retail value. The lower level consisted of the escape pod, an airlock, and larger cargo bays- mostly empty, from the looks of things, until Xuko opened up the final one to reveal a true game-changer for the Jedi; a pair of Aratech 270-C speeder bikes. Although he wasn't certain if either were up to date on maintenance, having two of them meant that with 9R's help they could likely get at least one of them airborne.

Klar

 

[Klar]

A couple of tools, and a couple of VERY nice little bikes. Klar was relatively sure that two could ride on one of them, but if nothing else they'd make getting into town for parts a little easier - though Jed might be a little sad he didn't get to give them a ride. She wasn't sure if 'taking a slow ride into town while getting talked at to make an old man happy' would persuade Zuko very much, though. The Codru-Ji was quick to check the speeder bikes regardless.

To her delight? Practically pristine. Likely kept in the Pathfinder for auxiliary use, but never fielded. 9RS hadn't mentioned them on his report because there was nothing wrong with them.

"I mean, it makes a sort of sense." Klar chirped as she closed the engine access panel. "Most of the time, shuttles are going to diplomatic meetings or between stations and starports. I bet a speeder bike barely gets used, let alone two." She explained cheerfully. "The 270-C is a great model, according to what I've heard! Nice and zippy, perfect for short hops around. I was thinking about getting one a few weeks ago. Did you know they sell a model where the plating is entirely transparent? Isn't that neat? You can see all the internal pieces working in perfect harmony. It'd be a little distracting, though. For me, anyway."

Klar pushed one of the bikes out of the cargo bay and up to the loading ramp... but it refused to open. Right. The ship was half-buried in mud. They'd need to drop the bikes out of the airlock to get them to the ground if they wanted to use them. Not impossible, but a bit tricky.

It WOULD be nice to not have to walk to the Perkins farmhouse for breakfast when it was so cold and snowy out, though. Clar cradled her chin in thought, hands on her hips as she considered the airlock - the only way on or off the ship - and the roughly 2.5 meter drop from it to the ground. It was a pain getting in and out of on foot, but with a speeder bike...

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Although the nimble, sleek 270-C's would be of no help when it came to hauling parts back to the ship, seeing the look on Klar's face when she spotted them warmed Xuko more than any mug of caf could. Xuko listened patiently as she talked about the bikes its presence on the ship, and even a unique model she'd found during her search for a speeder of her own. The Zabrak had to agree that the transparent model wouldn't be his choice, either, albeit for different reasons; watching the machinery work was likely to just give him a headache.

Watching Klar work though a problem never got old, though. The loading ramp to this cargo bay was nonfunctional, given their current status of being stuck in the mud, and he quickly put two and two together as she began pushing one of the 270-C's toward the airlock, once again impressed with Klar. Creative, resourceful, and cute.

Xuko helped push the speeder bike until it was in the airlock, then voiced his understanding of Klar's idea. "First we turn on the speeder bike." Hopefully it would start- there was no telling how long it had been idle. "Then, we open the airlock." A big red button behind a safety cover would accomplish that task. "Finally, one of us drives the bike off the edge and uses their piloting skill along with the speeder's repulsorlifts to fall almost three meters to the ground." Realistically, there was only one choice as to who did that part.

"I know that you can do this, and I hope that you will forgive me for worrying nonetheless."

Klar

 

[Klar]

"It'll be fine - promise." Klar laughed. "Worst case scenario, we break the bike and have a second one to try again with."

Really, though. It sounded doomed when she said it out loud like that.

Before she could analyze the metanarrative implications of such a foolish statement, Klar climbed onto the bike and walked it to the airlock, flashing Xuko a thumbs up. If she fired the engine up before falling, the repulsors would raise her head into the ceiling of the ship - if the safety features let it turn on at all. So she'd need to start it before she hit the ground. And it'd need to start in one attempt, as well. They'd just need to be lucky, which wasn't really a safe bet considering how the past forty-eight hours had gone.

The airlock door whooshed open. Klar took a breath, then pushed off over the edge - holding the handlebars tightly while hammering the ignition. The speeder bike thrummed to life with a fierce, occilating hum the moment before Klar hit the ground, and the repulsors kicking in pushed her back up with enough force to knock the Codru-Ji off of the bike entirely and send her into a snowbank while the speeder puttered a few meters away without a rider.

She hadn't landed on anything injured. Klar was back up in a heartbeat with a shocked gasp and a shriek. "Cold! Why is it so cold?!" The blonde complained sharply, laughing at herself as she brushed snow off. "Xuko! Don't you dare laugh!"

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

"I had not thought to" Xuko said, having jumped down as soon as he'd heard Klar shout, helping to pull her up and brush her off. The Codru-Ji didn't appear injured, thank the Force, but sometimes adrenaline could mask a more serious injury at first. Once satisfied that the snowbank had broken the worst of her fall, Xuko considered the white powder rapidly melting wherever it came in contact with his skin, shaking away the water droplets that gathered on his hands. "I do not know why snow is so cold, either."

The sun was higher in the sky than Xuko had anticipated, but it made sense; he and Klar had slept in after a late night, and the Perkins' seemed content to let them rest. That, and the work never stopped on a farm- the two of them likely had their own chores to do. Xuko glanced towards the homestead and sighed internally as he made out the form of Jed Perkins puttering his way over on his ancient speeder bike; his equally-aged blaster rifle still present, Xuko noted. He filed that information away for later; it could be that he'd just forgotten it from yesterday, or else there was a good reason to stay armed in this area.

"I shall return in a moment" Xuko said to Klar, going around to the main ramp and letting himself back into the ship. He could've used the Force to leap up into the airlock easily enough, but he didn't fully trust his injured leg to hold up to the landing; nor did he want to out himself as a Jedi to a stranger, even a hospitable one. Of course, it was entirely possible that Klar had shared that with the Perkins', but Xuko was inclined to keep his Force-sensitivity under wraps for the time being. After closing the airlock and grabbing the datapad with 9R's notes, Xuko returned to Klar just in time for Jed to pull up.

`

"Wut a pre'ey li'le spee'er y'all got there, ayuh" drawled Jed, taking in the 270-C. "Usn's'll hav' t' race back t' th' house!" The farmer's weathered face creased in a smile. "Hope y'all had a gud n't's rest, shore. Slep' lik' a log m'self, I did!. An'ways, missus sez brekkist is hot n' ready! I'd give y' a ride but I reckon y' c'n manage jus' fine y'selves!" And with that, he turned and began steering back towards the house.

`

Xuko gestured towards the 270-C, he always let Klar mount first, as the driver. "After you" he said.

Klar

 

[Klar]

"Wut a pre'ey li'le spee'er y'all got there, ayuh" drawled Jed, taking in the 270-C. "Usn's'll hav' t' race back t' th' house!"

"Well, thank you Mister Perkins!" Klar chirped amicably. "Say, I don't suppose you'd fancy a trade for yours, would you?" She asked sweetly. Of course he didn't - his defense was that it wouldn't be fair to rip her off. Klar got a laugh out of the old farmer by remarking with surprise that her cute little bike was worth anywhere near as much as his big ol' tractor.

She then let the old man win the race back to the farmhouse, mostly by puttering along next to him and chatting and then reacting with shock and surprise when he floored it for the last five meters like she'd known he would. It didn't hurt any to humor the old man, especially when they were still somewhat reliant on his hospitality and kindness. The warm fuzzies that he'd get from having a laugh with and helping out a couple of down-on-their-luck kids would, Klar imagined, be worth more to him than their paltry credits. Which was good, because they needed every credit they could get.

She also just didn't mind spending time with the Perkins'. Klar had never known her grandparents, but she'd have loved to think they were at least a little bit as kind and sweet as Jed and Miriam.

Speaking of, Miriam Perkins loaded the two up with more breakfast than they'd known what to do with - and she'd gone out of her way to prepare a meal that wouldn't offend Xuko's stomach, likely after the Doc warned her about Zabrak dietary needs last night. For her part, the combination of sweetly-syruped pancakes, savory sausage, and creamy eggs was almost enough to make Klar weep with gratitude. The quaint farm house, the sweet old couple, the small gestures of care and the home cooking? A taste of a life that'd never been hers. The sort of life she could find herself wishing to grow into someday.

It'd be nice, to have a small plot of land, and somebody to love and cultivate that land with. Maybe.

With full bellies, thermoses of caf, and bundled sandwiches for lunch, Klar and Xuko were off towards the small rural farmtown of Devar-Tet Whai. Nestled in a canyon, the town was built around a frozen riverbed that had been cleared of snow in places so that kids could skate on it. With less than a thousand people, there were maybe three businesses of note here - and no shortage of curious stares at the two strange non-humans making their way into town on a brand-new speeder bike.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

As they rode towards the homestead, Xuko let Klar do the talking. She had an way with people, he'd come to realize, and soon had the old farmer chortling about his "victory" in their speeder "race". Xuko realized that it was probably a good thing Klar had been driving, since the goodwill she had just earned with Jed would go a lot further than the lesson Xuko would've taught him about speed.

Once again, Jed and Miriam surprised him with their hospitality. He'd come from an upbringing of scarcity, where sharing resources was essential but there was rarely enough to go around. By contrast, the Perkins' had a lot to share and seemed to derive significant joy in encouraging the two Padawans to eat more. Miriam had even done her best to cook things that were more likely to agree with his stomach, which Xuko greatly appreciated.

After insisting on washing the dishes (and being soundly out-paced by Klar while doing so, whose extra arm meant that she dried dishes much faster than he could scrub them), Xuko tied their lunch bundles onto the back of the 270-C. Then it was off down the road and into what counted as the town of Devar-Tet Whai.

'Town' was a misnomer, Xuko decided. Devar-Tet Whai was a village; its "major" buildings consisting of a cantina, a junkyard/repair shop. and a general store. Devar-Tet Whai seemed to be primarily, if not exclusively, humanoid, so Xuko didn't mind the stares from the locals until a nagging feeling told him there was more nuance to their gaze than he'd thought. Klar, with her four arms and shiny new speeder bike, was gazed upon with curiosity. Xuko thought he detected suspicion- and even hostility- in some of the glances in his direction.

The reasoning for that became clearer as they reached the repair shop, picking past rusting parts to the storefront that had once been named "Sam's Spare Parts". A new sign, "Under New Management", sparked a rich contrast to the weathered, peeling paint on the rest of the building, and Xuko's nose warned him of trouble before he even saw the new proprietor emerge from the entrance to the shop; flanked by a Nitko and a Zabrak.

Spoiler: Owner

 

[Klar]

Klar had been expecting a few cagey looks. She wasn't well-travelled by any means, but she'd seen enough holofilms and ready enough reports to know that backwater rural communities tended to get a little...strange, over time. What she hadn't been expecting were two non-human thugs flanking probably the most pathetic Hutt she'd ever seen. Klar wasn't sure what grim fate had condemned this Hutt to a tiny little nowhere like Devar-Tet Whai, but she had a suspicion that he was going to make it THEIR problem.

Luckily, due to a childhood spent on a Hutt yacht, Klar was exceedingly comfortable with the language.

"By all the stars and some of the garters, Roppei - what've we got here?" The Nikto crooned, keeping his hand worryingly close to a vibroblade that Klar suspected he was itching for a reason to use. "Seems like a couple of holiday shoppers, out doing a little holiday shopping." The Zabrak replied evenly, his smirk infuriating. "I reckon I reckon they're the ones who went down up at the old Jenkins' farm yesternight." "Fancy bike like that. You don't imagine that such a wealthy couple would come before Homar the Scar without tribute. They look to be from somewhere nice, after all." The Zabrak grinned wickedly. "No, no. Surely they know much, much better than that."

They still, Klar noted, had provincial accents - just not nearly as thick as the Perkins'. Though Klar had to wonder if everyone outside of the core sounded like they were speaking rural Basic, given how she'd only really spoken to people who lived in the core. She could only guess that they were slightly less local muscle, recruited on the cheap because they had no strong familial or community ties to the people of Devar-Tet Whai that might stay their hands.

That aside, her lip almost curled with equal parts pity, amusement, and disgust. A Hutt holding claim over a small rural parts store, with two yutzes both trying to be his majordomo - AND he'd come out to meet them rather than having them brought to him. This was clearly a slug in crisis.

The Zabrak and the Hutt both had their eyes on Xuko, Klar noticed. Chances were they assumed he was in charge - possibly because he had a sharper, harder expression, because he was a Zabrak, or just old-fashioned misogyny. Rather than correct them by speaking up, she opted to let Xuko take the lead... if only because she was totally fine with him telling them off if he felt the need to. She'd been softening his edges around the Perkins for a day now, and he might need to vent.

"Go on." Klar prompted her partner, smirking. "I'll translate to Huttese if you like?"

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko hated bullies.

He sized up the three creatures across from him and Klar as the henchmen talked, starting with the Hutt. In the past he might've overlooked the sluglike species, dismissing them as noncombatants, but firsthand experience watching Jobbi Chantin demolish Flesh Raiders- not to mention her father's performance in the Galactic Kaggath- had taught him not to underestimate them. This one was smaller than Jobbi but still towered over their "bodyguards". Homar the Scar was clearly the leader, but beyond that Xuko was ignorant that they'd likely fallen upon hard times.

The Nikto was next, by virtue of having a very visible weapon and a clear desire to use it. Their tone oozed confidence, but it was the kind of confidence that indicated that they'd never fought a fair fight in their life. The ensuing overt banter between them and the Zabrak only served to confirm Xuko's suspicions; they preyed on others' fear and perceived threat when not in total control of the situation. The Nitko had probably made an entire, unsavory career out of victimizing those they perceived as less powerful than them, like the injured Codru-Ji he'd marked as his next target.

Xuko made note of that, too.

The Zabrak, Roppei, rounded out the trio; at least as far as Xuko and Klar could see. It was quite likely that there were more "employees" in and around the shop, since strength in numbers would be an easy way to keep the townsfolk from mounting a challenge. But since this was the unwelcoming committee at the moment, Xuko sized up his counterpart. A gap-toothed grin, an uneven gait, and a slight hunch to their back told Xuko that Roppei had lost a fight badly in the past. Perhaps even several, but they were still alive; a testament not only to their resiliency but also a hint as to their style. Unable to rely on speed or strength, they would resort to underhanded tactics to gain any possible advantage.

He sensed the permission in Klar's tone as she quietly bade him take the lead on this, and realized with an inward sigh that she was probably being practical. He had the attention of the Hutt and the Zabrak, who wrongly assumed that Xuko was the one in charge here. "That will not be necessary" he replied quietly to Klar's kind offer to translate. Few humanoids he'd met, Klar and Jobbi notwithstanding, knew Huttese, and it was a potential advantage in their negotiations should Homar slip into their native tongue. Besides, translation oftentimes took the weight out of a threat.

The only question was how to navigate this dynamic. Had it just been him and Klar, Xuko would've very gladly made an example of the two henchmen in front of the Hutt before demanding a fair deal. But then they'd mentioned the Perkins', and Xuko had come to appreciate the kindly couple. He couldn't risk putting them in danger by acting out here, as they would most likely be targeted in revenge as soon as Xuko and Klar left Devar-Tet Whai. An idea was forming in his head, but Xuko realized he couldn't let Klar in on it; and it was a risky one, at that. Better to fall back on Plan B only as a last resort.

Xuko did decide to call the henchmen's 'tribute' bluff, though, by just ignoring it. He gazed evenly at Homar. "We are told this is the best place to find ship components" he said, and then began rattling off the parts they needed; along with a few he made up on the spot, just to throw the Hutt and its cronies for a loop. "Do you have any of them? It would be a shame if we had to take our business elsewhere."

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar nearly burst into peals of laughter, tickled pink by Xuko's solution to a potentially tricky social situation - to approach with earnest forthrightness and clear communication. It was so quintessentially him to be so direct, and she so rarely got to see it in action like this.

"Grabba kanna-ga choogee wahno ta?" Homar the Scar asked, his thick tone roiling with sagacious amusement. Lo jhuno ko cho ranna. Rungar blasga runno basga... "Tha' spendiferous and powerful Homar the Scar would like to see the color of your coin before negotiations begin in earnest." The Nikto crooned, leaning on the side of a half-ruined speeder just far enough to the right that it was hard to keep him in peripheral vision while focusing on the Hutt. "A bad-faith customer aint a customer at all." The Zabrak agreed, matching the Nikto - but on the left. "Got anything to offer aside from a good time?" When the Nikto glared at him, he clarified. "In a threatenin'' way, I mean. As a threat."

Leaning her behind on the side of the speeder bike, Klar watched the ongoing negotiations from just behind Xuko - positioned in such a way that she was able to keep the more visibly armed of the two goons and the Hutt itself easily in her sights, taking a bit of the pressure off of Xuko. The Nikto, she decided, handled his vibrosword like somebody who would swing it like a baseball bat - not that it wouldn't hurt. He certainly had the muscle to put behind it. But it spoke to her of a workman's understanding of violence, and certainly not anything that she would have been overly concerned about if she and Xuko weren't heavily injured.

She did find it a little odd how little the goons poor translating conflicted with the Hutt's almost civil word choices. But then, she was probably thinking into it too much.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

The positioning of the Zabrak and the Nitko might've worried Xuko if he was by himself, as the two of them moved in an obviously-practiced manner which left it difficult to keep both within his focus. He was now more certain that an attack, if any, would come from the Zabrak; some kind of hold-out blaster or other easily-concealable weapon. The Nitko's vibroblade served as a distraction, meant to draw their target's eyes and attention, before a real trap was sprung.

But Xuko wasn't by himself; he had Klar to watch his back, and that made all the difference in the galaxy as far as Xuko was concerned. He trusted her more than anyone else, and so Xuko stayed facing the Hutt. However, he shifted his shoulders ever so slightly so that he could better keep the Zabrak in his point of view; in doing so subtly signaling to Klar to keep an eye on the Nikto.

"It will be easier if you tell me which currencies you accept" Xuko replied, unwilling to show coin in front of these likely muggers and still hoping to avoid a fight- if only for the Perkins' sake, "since we may need to pay with a few different ones." That wasn't a lie- 9RS's report said that the Pathfinder had a small cache of credits and currencies for a variety of systems.

"Besides" Xuko continued evenly, "it is too early to talk money. We will only provide payment in exchange for the parts. I do not see any before me. You do have them, yes?"

Klar

 

[Klar]

"And why should we jump to and start draggin' expensive parts out into the yard for a coupla you that hardly look like you can afford to breath our air?" The Zabrak crowed. "Sounds expensive!" The Nikto sneered at that, lifting his head in challenge as he glanced between Klar and Xuko. "They probably stole that bike. Be real community minded of us to take it in, make sure these out-of-towners aren't thieves." "Lurchi wango hoh chotto ga?" Homar asked languidly, glancing between his two zealous bodyguards. "Juh Roppei. Luh ganan bo konoto waga. Mo yugah no bucha ti."

Klar watched, somewhat mystified as the Zabrak reluctantly broke away to go fetch some of the parts Xuko had listed. The only Hutt she had much direct experience with - besides Jobbi - was the one who'd owned her for most of her childhood. And he'd have had both of these men turned into smoothies for talking over him half as much as they were. But then, he never would have been caught dead in a backwater like Devar-Tet Whai, personally managing a parts store.

As the Zabrak returned with a hoversled of parts, the Hutt quoted a price. The Nikto helpfully translated once more, adding about %20 to what Klar felt was already a pretty high number. She glanced anxiously at Xuko, hoping he knew more about this than she did.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko didn't know Huttese and in general found Hutts difficult to read, but the Nikto- and especially the Zabrak- were much less subtle with their words and body language. Again, he ignored their pointed barbs, trusting silence to be a shield against their thinly-veiled attempts at aggression. Although they were still subservient to Homar, Xuko detected no shortage of resentment as they were tasked with hauling out some of the parts he'd requested. Interesting.

As Roppei and the Nikto left to begin sourcing the parts, Xuko walked back towards their speeder bike, tugging Klar along and pretending to shake a rock out of his boot while speaking in a low voice. "What do you think?" Xuko asked his partner when he was comfortable they were able to have a quiet conversation without anyone else listening in. Klar was naturally perceptive, and her command of Huttese was an asset. Besides, he found himself wanting her opinion on the whole situation. "Those two henchmen are trying to start something, but I cannot get a read on the Hutt."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xuko would've been insulted if the trip hadn't included some haggling. For thugs like these it was a tool they used to rip off hapless customers. For Iridonians, it was a way of life; currency held little value in their extreme environment so bartering was a survival skill. He quickly dismissed their first offer, countering with one that was significantly lower than their original asking price; pointing out a few scratches and dents to drive home the secondhand nature of the equipment.

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar was all too happy to provide Xuko with support as he underwent his rock-clearing act. That he'd even bothered with a pretense was shockingly subtle of him and a little concerning, though she could admit to herself that that might be over-analysis on her own part. "Honestly? A hutt even being here is horribly strange." The Codru-Ji confided in a soft voice. "Finding a Hutt directly managing a small planetary supply store in a rural village is like..."

She struggled for a moment, furrowing her brow as she spun two of her hands trying to come up with a suitable analogy. "....well, like finding a Hutt directly managing a small planetary supply store in a rural village. It's just terribly strange." Klar confessed sheepishly.

Glancing slightly past her Zabrak at the one loading parts onto a sled inside the store, Klar continued. "Homar seems to be on the level, mostly. His word choice is polite. Sagacious, even. None of the hostility that his goons are giving off." She explained. "Which, they have to be doing a bit or something because why would he let them do that otherwise? A Hutt is normally very much in charge of everything around them, but especially of their own assets. This fellow seems more like a... professor or consultant or somesuch. Which, also, would be very weird jobs for a Hutt to have."

"Honestly, Xuko - you might be able to just haggle with him. he gave you a price, and his boy added twenty percent to it."

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko mentally adjusted his understanding of how Hutts typically appeared in the galaxy, guessing that by pure circumstance that the two he'd met in his life thus far - first Jobbi and now Homar- were two more than most people met... and also very much not representative of the species as a whole. If Klar was to be believed, and in Xuko's opinion she most definitely was, the two of them had stumbled upon the rare Hutt that didn't seem to be a crime lord.

Or at least, a major one.

The more Xuko thought on it, the more Klar's take seemed correct. According to her there was a clear disconnect between how Homar was doing business and what the two goons seemed to expect. But it raised more questions than answers in his mind: how had the Nikto and Roppei come to be (semi-)subservient to Homar? Why was there such a strange power dynamic between them? Did Homar not care that the Nikto had added 20% to their quote? How exactly did these three plan to make their money?

And, like Klar mentioned: what was a Hutt doing directly managing a small planetary supply store in a rural village?

All told, it was strange. Xuko didn't like strange, because it made him feel like there was an important piece of information that he was missing. And given their current circumstances, with their injuries and the wellbeing of the Perkins' possibly in the balance, he didn't feel like he could afford any mistakes. At least they'd managed to avoid a fight so far. Xuko wasn't certain how long the two goons' patience would last, but for now they appeared to be begrudgingly staying in line.

Being armed with knowledge of the Nikto's 20% price increase was helpful, though. "Squeeze my hand if he does it again" Xuko said, holding one of Klar's hands and strolling back over to negotiate further.

He probably could've come up with a different method of being informed, but he didn't mind an excuse to hold Klar's hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xuko's initial counteroffer was met with outrage from the Nikto, whose hand once again dropped to his virboblade as he flung curses in the Padawan's direction. The Zabrak, too, chimed in, but both were silenced by Homar; who submitted a new, lower price for translation. Xuko swiveled his eyes over to the Nikto, awaiting a translation. Seconds dragged by, and Homar repeated his offer; this time more directly to the Nikto, who eventually was cowed into translating.

Xuko felt Klar squeeze his hand again after the Nikto translated, and he squeezed back his thanks. Xuko submitted a counteroffer to Homar without missing a beat, then pointedly addressed the henchman. "And stop adding twenty percent."

Silence.

Then....

"HO... HO... HO... HO... HO... HO... HO...!" Homar's girth jiggled as the Hutt broke out into slow, booming laughter, but Xuko didn't know if that meant his gamble had paid off or not.

Klar