Sand fox and memories

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen sighed softly as he stepped off his ship, his hood pulled over his face. It took a bit of effort to maintain a cooling aura with the force as the twin suns of Tatooine threatened to cook him alive under their relentless beams. And of course, his penchant for dark clothing didn't seem to help things. "Sir, is it really necessary for us to do business out here? It's a bit backwater isn't it?" The voice came from one of the two guards that been chosen to accompany him on the planet's surface, providing security for the Valde of of Veradune.

"Veradune is a giant ball of trees which was in ruin for decades. By the standards of some, that makes us more backwater than this historic dustball. In the end, the state of a planet does not lessen the importance of its people. Now let's move." It was no secret that Tatooine often served as a den for villainy, particularly the kind that slavers enjoyed partaking in. And slavery was exactly what brought Vulpesen to this planet. But not to partake in it, but rather to put another dent in its evil presence.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Anchorhead.

They say the Jawas always stop in Anchorhead. Not that Lilla was fond of the scavengers. She bore them no particular ill-feeling, but it was a sandcrawler that found her and handed her over to a moisture farmer that began her life as a slave.

She sat on an eopie and surveyed the area ahead of her. It held a wind-scoured settlement about twenty kilometres east of the famous Lars homestead. Anchorhead was a small community and trading post, with about a dozen stores and two cantinas.

One of the larger buildings was a power generator, which supplied energy to most of the area moisture farms. Like everywhere on this planet, it was hot. Not unbearably hot – Lilla had grown up here – but you never enjoyed the heat, just became accustomed to it.

Lilla spied Anchorhead's principal street in the distance and headed in that direction. In many ways, it was little more than a trading post frequented by the moisture farmers who made up the Great Chott salt flat community, or by merchants traveling between Mos Eisley and Wayfar, in the south. But Anchorhead had a resident population and had grown over the centuries.

Lilla wondered how such a small place could have been frequented by three of the most famous Jedi of all time – and which ones had drunk in Junix's Joint. The ancient sign still hung outside the Anchorhead bar, although Lilla suspected it had been replaced countless times over the millennia.

Junix, whoever he was, was long since gone and no doubt buried in the sands of Tatooine, if he even existed. But the bar still stood: a dimly lit dive where the cigarra smoke barely covered the stink of farmers who'd been in the desert all day. It was not somewhere Lilla would choose to frequent – unless it was necessary. And if the intelligence she’d received was accurate, she was here through obligation.

Apparently an off-worlder was visiting and chatter said slaving was what was bringing him here. Lilla knew that sometimes slaver gangs used sandcrawlers as a cover for transporting people and off-world traffic here was less well scrutinised than the main space ports.

So she gently encouraged her mount forward, closing on the settlement with every passing minute.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

A gust of sandy wind flapped Vulpesen's coat behind him, and glancing around, his golden eyes caught a few stares as people wondered the obvious, Why would a man in a black coat walk on Tatooine? Of course, he did have his reasons being that his coat could protect him from more than the impossibility of cold on Tatooine's treacherous surface.

Pulling out a small holoprofector from his coat, he clicked the button, bringing up the image of a quarren accompanied by the information of his target. Slossk had been running a few slaver operations on the outer rim for years, and for years he'd managed to avoid any major scrutiny from any authorities. Which meant that the Vitae had to strike now if they wanted to pull him out of the game. Failing here meant he could very well disappear again.

Glancing around, a swinging sign caught Vulpesen's eye. Looking over the old cantina before him, only a cursory glance was enough to tell that this was not a place for the most savory of folk. Perfect. Walking forward, he ducked into Junix's Joint, keeping his ears on alert as he searched and listened for anything that might give him a quick clue as to what he was looking for. As he found a seat in the corner,one side of his hood flicked a bit as his one remaining ear moved around to scan the room.

Of course, bringing his men to sit at his side might have drawn a bit too much attention, as it was, they made themselves scarce, finding an alleyway, and a seat on the other end of the bar, to keep eyes both inside and out of the establishment.



[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

The clientele of Junix’s joint weren’t fussy and had simple tastes. This made ordering easy for most visitors — you had a choice of beers, a few spirits and a variation on a stew and a chilli to eat. If you were the sort who felt inclined to ask what sort of stew and chilli it was before you ordered, you definitely didn’t have the nerve to eat it. They were best left with the simplest of descriptions.

Lilla closed in on the cantina and found somewhere to leave her eopie. Making sure he was fed and watered, she wandered into the bar, her Jedi cloak closed, so her robes and saber beneath were not visible.

Her years on Tatooine as something of a street rat meant she entered like a local and not like a Jedi. If you wanted to blend in, you either looked like one of the regulars, or you made an effort to stand out — as this meant you were probably bad news, and so eyes automatically averted from your general direction. Jedi tended to attract unwanted stares.

Lilla wandered over to the bar and ordered a beer. She was unlikely to drink it, but you couldn’t come to a cantina and order water. And besides, that commodity was significantly more pricey than the beer anyhow.

As she took the bottle, she glared around the bar area, via refections in the bottles behind the counter. Mostly farmers, the occasional scavenger and someone else. Someone who stuck out as either trouble — or extreme trouble.

Lilla was sure the stranger in the dark robe was the one she needed to keep an eye on, so she grabbed a table and sat back, seemingly in a world of her own as she closed her eyes and — to the casual onlooker — seemed to be napping. In truth she was using Force Sight to ascertain the lie of the land.

Which is when her eyes snapped open. The stranger was a Jedi. Or at least a Force user and did not seem to be a Sith. And if she recognised him for what he was, he surely knew what she was.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

With his golden eyes scanning the room, and his remaining ear flicking around to listen for clues, Vulpesen had for the most part assumed that he would find what he wanted via more mundane means. However, he shouldn't have been surprised when he found something with his less obvious means of surveillance. [member="Lilla Syrin"] lit up like a beacon, instantly attracting his attention. Hello... Rising up from his seat, Vulpesen made his way to the bar. "Whiskey, as nice as y'all've got." He twitched a bit as the amber liquid poured into a glass, its smell burning his nostrils. Apparently, as nice as they had wasn't that good. Still, he paid his credits and took the first sip of his drink.

Rather than make his way back to his seat, Vulpesen looked up, glancing to his guard who sat hunched in the corner. After a brief moment of eye contact, Vulpesen continued on toward the woman that had found him. As he approached, he reached out with the force, ascertaining her own nature within the cosmic power. Unless the sith had somehow managed to cloak themselves in light, he figured he was safe around her, assuming of course she wasn't a fanatic who thought that the neutral users of the force were as bad as the sith. "One of these things is not like the others." Noticeably not asking for any permissions, the Zorren took a seat opposite of Lilla, his tail moving to reveal itself as it moved into his lap.

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla was not entirely surprised when the man headed in her direction. And as he did, she checked out the fellow at the end of the bar that exchanged glances with the mystery Force user.

She stopped short of thinking of him as a Jedi. Many used the Force and either preferred not to be labelled — or did not follow the Code. And she was never going to judge. Using the dark side, that was a different matter, but doing good and using the light side? As far as Lilla was concerned, they could call themselves whatever they wanted.

As he sat down, she caught a glimpse of a tail. She’d seen a good many planets in her young life, but she could not place this particular visitor’s origins. If it came up in conversation, she’d enquire — but she could live in ignorance if need be.

“Of all the cantinas…” Lilla started, “But then, that’s a very old line. I had you pegged for someone I should be wary of. Are you?”

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

He grinned at her question and took another sip of the burning liquid, though his face did turn for a moment. Years of being pampered by the finest Veradune could offer seemed to have altered his tastes. "Not unless you start acting foolish. Otherwise, I think our goals might be aligned on this old dust ball. What brings a pure white flower into a fetid place like this?" He motioned around the bar. Certainly if ever the term 'wretched hive of scum and villainy' applied, it was here. And while Vulpesen had scoured a few horrible locales in his jedi days, he rarely did so for the giggles.

[member="Lilla Syrin"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla kept a straight face. She was used to older Jedi and their ways. If they weren't being inscrutable, they were lecturing the younger generation on how to act. Lilla might be accused of many things, but acting foolish was not one of them. At least, she didn't believe so.

And she was immune to the flattery - so took the man's words at face value. "My name is Lilla, and I'm here on an assignment. It's not strictly our jurisdiction, but I'm as close to a local as the Republic Remnant Jedi have. I was raised here. Or rather, I grew up here. I spent my entire youth either as a slave or a vagrant in one Tatooine spaceport or another. But I picked up an education on the way - which is another story - and feel I owe the planet something. I have a sense I need to give back."

"So I volunteered to check out the rumour that a big slave deal was going down in this very cantina. And you?"

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

A hand would clamp down on the shoulder of [member="Vulpesen"] in that moment. A large hand at that. Should he look up, he would see a man in a set of brown robes with a hood over his head staring down at him. Moving his hood a bit with his free hand, long blonde hair would flow down, as a familiar set of brimming brown eyes would peek out with a cheeky smile. A face that Vulp had seen before, though an older one than he might have remembered. More grizzled... More hair. But there was a difference now from when he had seen him last, and now... At the time, he was bitter, angry, strict, blunt and to the point... At the time a broken man.

Yet, he was not the same wild child of a Master from before that either. He was... Serene. Calm. As if much of him had found itself at peace and he had taken that mantle as the Master he always could have been.

All across the stars, he traveled. Whether for the Silver Jedi Order, or just his own interests... Josh was always looking out for taking down slavers. And having come to Tatooine to investigate a rumor, the two's attempts to scan the other through their senses in the Force had opened themselves up to be scanned. He had been able to tell who and what they were, and even get an idea of their intentions, just as the two could with one another. He had also been surprised to find a familiar face amongst the lot. He had listened a bit to the conversation then... The girl's statements confirmed his suspicions.

"I have a feeling that we may all be here for the same things" He spoke softly and quietly, as he looked from [member="Vulpesen"] to [member="Lilla Syrin"]. "Perhaps I might be of assistance?"

 

[Luther Lewis]

Happiness, Loss, Pain. Comfort, Scars, Chains. It was all circular, and Zai would have let out a bitter chuckle if his throat wasn't so dry. He was a slave again, and alone again. The new scars pulsed with a dull throb, just as they did seven years ago.

He was chained to the ceiling, had been for a while. His wrists chafed and bled, his muscles cried out from the strain. He didn't have the strength to lift his head, instead staring at the feet of his captors.

The fine black shoes belonged to Red, his one-time boss and now all-time 'owner'. The other pair were sand-stained boots that were much better equipped for the harsh environment. He knew he was somewhere on Tatooine, he'd seen the rise and fall of its massive dunes before he was knocked out.

The murmur from the two would indicate that one was a Quarren. He strained his neck to glance at the two. They stared down at him, a pair of turquoise eyes and a pair of blue eyes, both surveying him like he was a cut of meat from the butcher.

The Quarren look on coolly, shock collar in one hand and a blaster in the other. The other man had a face as ruddy as an apple (hence the name: 'Red') and wore a wry smile. "Awake are we, Avery?" he queried, mockingly.

[member="Vulpesen"] | [member="Lilla Syrin"] | [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]​

 

[Syn]

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Lilla Syrin"]

Hmm now that was interesting. The jedi master stopped and waited seing a small grouping and he sensed familiarity but what had brought him out was Vulpesen.... he hadn't felt him leave his kingdom in years it felt like. That brought his interest around as the jedi master was moving quickly and allowing the force itself to radiate off of himself. Short hair with small spikes, cleanly shaven and wearing the miraluka style sash that covered his eyeless face. A closed mouth grin on his face that was more knowing about it all. He could reach out with the force and hide himself but he wasn't one for being subtle in coming around to meet others.

THough once he stopped and spoke with his hands across his chest the jedi master shrugged inwardly. "Well never though you'd leave Varadune." The jedi master stood read and able bodied, pale skin exposing the small scars over his chest. His amulet on his chest holding a few things but he had it secured with a synthmesh chain that prevent it from being broken off. The force enhance pants and boots the only armor he really needed as he held his twin sabers on the belt with his thigh cracken field kit... and there was the small combat knife in case of problems in his bot. She didn't need much but generally fought sithspawn... dangerous sandworms and krayt dragons would be easy.

 

[Vulpesen]

The hand on his shoulder immediately brought Vulpesen's hand to face at the man behind him, only a split second from shooting a paralytic dart from his ever present bracers. Luckily, Vulpesen was smart enough to think before taking the shot. Sensing a familiar presence, Vulpesen allowed a slight grin to touch his features. Turning around, he took in the sight of one of his old friends, though he did remember that they hadn't left on good terms the last they had met.

Despite their past misgivings, he could see the look of calmness on [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]'s face and he wasn't the sort to hold a grudge. "So you're alive. Good to see I supp-" His ear flicked to the other man within the bar, @Syn. He'd heard of the man, seen him in action a few times, but other than that, he really hadn't had too much contract with the man. However, his mention of Veradune seemed to mean that someone had been keeping tabs. "It seems to me miss, I've accidentally brought you into an old republic reunion."

[member="Lilla Syrin"]
[member="Zai Avery"]

 

[Vulpesen]

...

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla was about to speak to the first Jedi, when a second arrived. And before she had a chance to take in the apparent coincidence, a third appeared.

She was caught in a quandary. Formalities dictated she bowed - for they were clearly Jedi and she judged each and every one of them to be Masters. But that would hardly keep their presence under cover.

A smile played across her lips. Given their collective attire, any hope of remaining incognito were rendered moot.

"That's fine," she said to the first comer, "But some introductions would be nice. I'm Lilla, by the way. Lilla Syrin - from the Jedi Order of the Republic Remnant."

[member="Vulpesen"] [member="Syn"] [member="Zai Avery"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

As the hand moved, Josh seemed able to sense the intent. To be fair, it didn't take a genius to know that "palm outstretched in front of your face" from a Force user usually meant "bad". But he already had a plan in mind if he did fire. Of course, Vulpesen apparently wasn't all that trigger happy anymore and would lower his hand, and the Jedi would smile in turn.

"Yeah. Settled down, had a family. Who knew that all you needed to calm yourself down and settle all your hangups was to get lai-"

Another familiar presence would come about, and Josh looked over when Vulpesen stopped as well.

"Hey! It's uh... Uhh... That guy!" Josh would respond as he looked toward @Syn. "You're Jack Harness, right?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he then held out a hand to [member="Lilla Syrin"] of the Republic. "My condolences" He responded. "Josh DragonsFlame. Battlemaster, Silver Jedi. A pleasure."

 

[Syn]

[member="Lilla Syrin"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Vulpesen"]

He looked at the two of them and if he had them.. he might have rolled his eyes. Looking younger then most but the eldest here he just waited for introductions to be had and bowed his head towards Lilla before turning back to the other two. "Don't be so surprised Vulpesen, a diligent jedi reads reports and you maintain a friendship with Master Ike. She likes making reports and detailing a new world, a new groups, a new method of using the force that she has been researching. New people that she has worked with." He said it less like a grand revelation and more like just what happens. The mundane of it all but he walked looking outwards over the dunes. "But it is good to hear the Republic has jedi aiding it." He acknowledged Joshua but he was not one for bait and reached out with his senses as he was searching the dune sea. "Hmmm there are some creatures moving, I'd say be careful with your movements."

 

[Vulpesen]

After watching the pair of elder jedi introduce themselves, Vulpesen turned to [member="Lilla Syrin"], offering a somewhat crooked grin. "A pleasure to meet you miss Lilla. Vulpesen Espadus Torrevaso, Valde of the Veradune and leader of the Vitae Security forces." He took his drink in hand and enjoyed another bit of it as he heard [member="Syn"]'s warning. "There's always something on this planet. Hopefully it doesn't get in the way of my mission." Returning his attention to Lilla, he motioned to the jedi masters. "As you might have guessed, I was once a jedi like those two. Not anymore though."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Lilla Syrin]

Lilla wondered what was greater her – the midi-chlorian count or the levels of testosterone. She hoped the former – she really hoped the former.

“Josh,” she said, and took his hand, “A pleasure to meet you.”

Then she heard mention of Master Ike – a Jedi she was due to work with very soon, presuming she survived this mission – although the odds of that increased exponentially with the arrival of every Jedi Master. She was rapidly becoming extraneous – but better to have too many Jedi than not enough, she figured.

Then she had to strike one Jedi from the roll call, but given his Force aura and the fact the other two weren’t rushing to arrest him, she figured he was on the right side and therefore most likely an ally.

“OK,” she said, when the banter subsided a little, “Shall we share plans. I presume we each have one?” She hoped so, as she would have to confess – if really pressed – that she didn’t. She tended to go with the flow most of the time, and had done for as long as she could remember.

@Vulpesen @Syn @Josh DragonsFlame [member="Zai Avery"]

 

[Syn]

[member="Lilla Syrin"] [member="Josh DragonsFlame"] [member="Vulpesen"]

Listening to the two of them presented a small idea but he was more here just because. In terms of his training and mission. "My mission is to hunt down dangerous creatures. This was a testing ground for several sith like Rave and Velok. The crusades as well, so I was going to hunt down the creatures and leave streaks on the sand." He didn't really say it to sound impressive or brag more it was a simple matter of fact that he hunted down and fought leviathans, terentreks and other sithspawn creatures. Getting into a fist fight with a sith warlord that was dangerous. He stayed crouched down turning his head to give the illusion he was addressing them.. in truth he usually didn't turn to face people. They liked to move sometimes and following got tiresome for the blind. "Whatever your mission Vulpesen, being this far out you'd face resistance with each step. The worms on the planet can feel movement fro a distance and are attracted to it."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Slavers" Josh responded curtly as he would take a seat with the rest of the lot, shrugging casually. "I've got my HK unit out asking around while I look for information in here. There's apparently a pretty big deal slaver operating here and is currently in the process of hoarding a ton of slaves in a camp somewhere nearby. Whether you lot wish to help me or not is up to you, of course, but I would appreciate any information that you could give me. Any help would be nice too. Company's always nice."

Granted, he wasn't expecting company, really. It would be nice, yes, but Josh had come into this expecting to be alone. It wouldn't surprise him if it stayed that way.

@Syn @Lilla Syrin [member="Vulpesen"]