Private Senseless Proportion (Bernard of Arca)

[Velok Brokentusk]

(source)​

SAK SGURRH
TEMORZHAI RIDGE

Sak Sgurrh, a Whiphid village on a cliff at the very edge of the mountain range, had the only starship landing pad and refueling facilities in the Temorzhai region. There was usually at least one Whiphid Raider light frigate landed at Sak Sgurrh. Today was no exception.

The village represented an offworlder's best bet for finding a Whiphid guide willing to take him into the mountains, or just point his suicidal shebs toward Velok the Youngest.

Bernard of Arca

 

[Bernard of Arca]

The X-Wing shook slightly as it touched down at the lonely landing area. Small ice crystals had begun forming on the edges of its canopy. With a hiss, frigid air rushed into the cockpit as it depressurized. Bernard immediately felt more at home as the cold passed over him. The hint of a smirk formed at the corner of his mouth. Of course Velok’s base was located on an ice world.

The arkanian climbed out of the X-Wing to retrieve some light cold-weather gear from its storage unit. He was quite acclimatized to the cold; however, maintaining focus to keep up his internal temperature with the Force on a foreign world with the potential of whiphid pirates around every corner would prove exceptionally difficult, he thought. He left behind the elaborate robes he usually wore, making sure to keep the vambraces with him, however. The thick jacket felt a little awkward with them tied around his forearms, but safety went over comfort.

A visible breath faded out before him as he sighed, setting his hands to his hips as he overlooked the village. While his expectations for a peaceful resolution weren't high, he was set on giving diplomacy a chance, at least. Who knew, maybe this was just a cultural misunderstanding? Aside from extortion, the whiphids hadn't actually harmed anyone. He couldn't help but snort as the thoughts crossed his mind. He resigned himself to a half-formed smile. No, he had a bad feeling today wouldn't end in any manner that could be described as civil.

A quick check of his equipment later and he locked the X-Wing down, ready to depart on his hunt for the whiphid pirate who’d ransomed away a billion credits.

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

Bernard of Arca

A ship coming down on the village plateau wasn't an uncommon thing, and the X-Wing got no particular notice. Most of Sak Sgurrh's inhabitants - Whiphids and a few Aqualish - were indoors, inside heavy-duty prefab shelters buried in dense drifts.

An Aqualish in a parka and heavy mitts came out to meet the Jedi. He gave the snubfighter an admiring glance, befitting the newest, shiniest ship on the huge mountainside plateau. The rest were shuttles or light freighters, except for the light frigate that served as a colossal windbreak.

<You need fuel, Arkanian?> he said in Huttese, probably the galaxy's most common trade language apart from Basic. <Room and board, warm clothes?>

 

[Bernard of Arca]

He waited patiently as the unexpectedly aqualish attendant trudged through the light coat of snow on the landing platform. Part of him was relieved that the first person he’d meet on the ice ball wasn’t a whiphid, but another sensed the tension of impending confrontation continuing to build.

“That won’t be necessary.” he replied in an accented version of the same language. His particular dialect had the edge of refinement associated with the Core worlds; he’d yet to find the time to shake that particular identifier from his speech.

“Do you know where I can find the owners of that ship?” he asked, nodding his head in the direction of the only ship large enough to stand out immediately.

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

<The Icefall? Aye, you'd be looking for the little one, then.> The Aqualish chuckled to himself. <Velok the Youngest, he's called. Named for his grandsire and great-grandsire, and aren't they the stuff of a story or two. The Youngest went into the high Temorzhai this morning.>

He gestured at the gigantic mountain range.

<This village is Sak Sgurrh, only decent place you can land in the Temorzhai Ridge. The mountains are hell on any kind of travel. If Velok's the man you're after, friend, you've got three choices as I see it: rent a bunk, rent a guide, or come back later.>

Bernard of Arca

 

[Atlas Kane]

whoops, wrong character.

 

[Bernard of Arca]

The arkanian shook his head.

"I don't have the time to come back or to wait. A guide would be preferred. Do you know if this Velok the Youngest is receptive to visitors?"

He didn't want to make the trek up the mountain range just to be turned away. Fighting his way through what he assumed to be a camp of whiphid pirates didn't seem like a very appealing way to spend the last moments of his life.

A guide seemed like the best option. Though he trusted his ability to navigate the mountains based entirely on his experiences during Jedi training on Arkania, this range was entirely foreign territory and could harbour any number of difficulties he had yet to encounter.

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

<Depends on your business, friend. He's a sociable sort for a nine-hundred-pound boar. He was in a great mood last night, I'll say that much.>

A bitter wind howled in. The Aqualish winced and hunkered a little farther into his parka.

<Four hundred wupiupi and I'll get you a guide you can trust. Only a Whiphid can take you into the mountains. You'll want a professional with supplies.>

Bernard of Arca

 

[Bernard of Arca]

"Four hundred?" he asked, a small amount of incredulity in his tone.

He began to run some numbers in his head. The last time he'd been involved in busting a pirate gang in the Outer Rim he'd "confiscated" one and a half dozen trugut.

"And if I provide my own supplies? I'm not new to climbing frozen mountain ranges. I mostly require their knowledge. Would two hundred and forty do?"

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

The Aqualish studied Bernard of Arca for a long moment. Not too long, though. It was, after all, fething subzero out.

<I'd be cutting my own throat - but if you're providing your own supplies, I suppose two-forty will do. Come on in and I'll get you that guide.>

He headed for the frosty door of the nearest snowed-in prefab. When he opened it, fragrant steam rolled out, a mix of wet fur and roasting meat. A dozen sapients, all Whiphids and Aqualish, clustered around a fire. A modified astromech rolled past with steaming cups of...something. The harbormaster broke away from Bernard and went to speak with one of the Whiphids.

<This fellow needs to catch up with Velok the Youngest,> the Aqualish said. <I've said I'd hire him a guide. Can you take care of him for one-fifty?"

He and the Whiphid haggled at length, lying furiously about every possible claim. In the end the Whiphid grudgingly agreed to one-seventy out of two-forty.

At which point both looked to Bernard for the two-forty in question.

 

[Bernard of Arca]

Bernard was thankful for the quality of the cold-weather gear the Jedi had received as he waited for the aqualish's answer. He took a moment to retrieve the money from the fighter's storage unit. Despite the temperatures, he felt almost comfortable. Almost.

Not comfortable enough to spend his time outside the prefab, despite the reservations he held against heading into the den. He didn't wish to offend the aqualish by refusing his hospitality either.

He followed the man in, keeping to the room's edges while negotiations were conducted. When the astromech was close enough he pushed off the wall to grab one of the cups, leaving several wupiupi in its place, only to regret it a few moments later. Whatever the locals had grown accustomed to drinking it all but overwhelmed the arkanian's comparatively sensitive palate.

The discussion that ensued was quite intense, he noted, all the while slowly nursing his drink. He'd managed to get two-thirds through his ordeal when a price was agreed upon. From the whpihid's reaction, the aqualish seemed to be quite savvy when it came down to holding onto every wupiupi.

"Pleasure doing business with you." he offered the aqualish in thanks. "Can we depart immediately?"

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

The Whiphid grunted and stood up. He was one of the larger boars present, eight or nine hundred pounds, maybe nine feet tall - big but not exceptional. When he smiled re: the transfer of shiny Huttese currency, he revealed that both his tusks had broken off and been capped in some equally shiny metal.

"You want to leave now?" he said in thick Basic. "We can do that. I'll get my team hooked to the sled." He shrugged into a mastmot-fur coat and slung a backpack over his shoulders.

A door led into a noisy room full of sleds and trained tuggles. A dozen of the big furry otterdogs swarmed at the Whiphid's whistle and let themselves be hooked to the lines of a sled. He strapped in his pack and glanced at Bernard of Arca as he opened a door to the outside.

"You'll want to get in."

 

[Atlas Kane]

Again?!

 

[Bernard of Arca]

The padawan nodded, forcing the remaining liquid down as quickly as he could. His face tensed up in disgust as the liquid warmed his insides. He set down the cup on a nearby table and made his way to where the whiphid was preparing their sledge.

The cold wind broke through the opened door, enveloping the arkanian. The frigid air carried comfort. Each breath brought a familiar sharpness that crawled through his nose and throat. For the moment, as he climbed aboard the whiphid's sledge, he felt a little at home.

He wasn't a very talkative man. Under different circumstances, he would have been content with letting the plain scenery be his sole company on their trip, but preparation was the difference between an abandoned X-Wing on a frigid backwater and a Jedi padawan returning to the Order alive.

"What do you know of Velok the Youngest? I hear there were others who carried his name."

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

Bernard of Arca

The guide nodded genially and adjusted the straps of the sled. "Aye, his grandfather lives up in the Temorzhai, at the place of red rocks. That's Velok the Younger. Jedi killed Velok the Elder. The Youngest, Brokentusk - he's not like them."

He stepped up onto the runners. The massive sled crunched deeply into the snow. The team of tuggles strained against the cords and yanked the whole package - Bernard, the guide, and the sled - into the teeth of the wind.

 

[Bernard of Arca]

He pulled the brim of his hood tighter, the artificial fur brushing against his face. Catching one of the loose straps, he made sure to tie himself to the sledge, just in case.

If the youngest Velok was already inclined to view the Jedi as his enemies, then he really was in over his head. Nothing in the pirate's brief exchange with the Knight Arenais had indicated a particular distaste for their kind beyond the usual antagonism of standing on opposing sides of a conflict. It didn't hurt to make sure, however.

"This Brokentusk, he's different in what way?" he attempted to overpower the wind's howl. The guide had seemed amiable enough so far, he hoped to get at least a few more words out of him before the cold got unbearable. Then again, he wasn't sure if whiphids even felt the cold to the same degree that arkanians did.

Velok Brokentusk

 

[Velok Brokentusk]

Bernard of Arca

The wind whipped Bernard's voice back to the Whiphid on the runners. A booming laugh overpowered the noise of the wind.

"He's bigger!"

The team of tuggles surged over a drift and down a mountainside path at a breakneck pace. The sled and a thousand pounds of sapient cargo screamed along behind them. Assistive repulsors hummed in the sled's undercarriage, a necessary element of modernity considering the guide's bulk. The path twisted along the side of a cliff, overlooking an ice-choked chasm.

After perhaps twenty minutes' hard travel, the sled came to a halt at a precipice. The big Whiphid guide stepped off the runners and looked down over the edge. He turned and smiled, revealing those blunt, silver-capped tusks. The Dark Side blossomed around him, but not in an especially threatening way, more like a comfortable stretch after putting down a burden.

"So, Jedi. You have something to tell me?"