Someone Else Not Me

[Connor Harrison]

Aurum
Outer Rim​

​

"Damn!"

A hiss of steam burst from a rear vent of the Red Sparrow. The asteroid had left a nice little area of damage to the craft, and it wouldn't have made it to Azure anytime soon.

So, Illeana Croft had touched down on the closest planet passing through the Outer Rim. Luckily for her, she had picked up a settlement and city not far across the hemisphere, and so with a nice trail of smoke spewing from the rear port engine, the Sparrow had just about made it down in one piece.

Standing with hands on hips, her gloves clamped between her teeth, Illeana sighed and backed away from the steam that hissed out.

Now what?

She yanked the gloves out and tucked them into her belt and looked around. Her hand pressed against her brow for a second. She had no idea where she was. She didn't even know who held the strings to this world, but she wasn't going to hang around long to find out. With a certain cargo on board she didn't want to fall into the wrong hands, time was short.

The place seemed...peaceful. It was lush with colour and she was sure she could hear crashing waves. Was she on a cliff-face? Was she meters up above the sea? She didn't know. She did however have to find the settlement she had picked up, and also find out where she was.

Leaving the gleaming ship - gleaming and damaged ship - was what she would have to do. Illeana picked up her satchel containing the few pieces she never let out of her sight, tossed it over her shoulder, and started off in the way she had near crash-landed to see what she could find.

This was probably a backwards planet with hermits running around the place. If she couldn't find anyone to help her....Force knows how much trouble she would be in.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

The view from her workshop was far from absolute, yet even she was able to see the trail of smoke breaking through the atmosphere and hurtling toward the ground. It was a strange sight, Aurum was not the busiest of planets much less one which could have caused a ship to plummet. Were there enemy ships overhead? Had someone been purposefully shot down?

I doubt it. Akro would have sent out some sort of warning.

The old Anzat was forever monitoring the skies for any sign of a threat. With that in mind she rose from the station she had been sat at and called her sonic servo into her hand from across the room. Once the device had found its usual place upon her belt Kyra rubbed her hands together and pulled a jacket over her shoulders. It wasn't particularly cold out, but there were bugs and a tropical storm could brew at any moment sending down showers of rain.

She didn't much enjoy it when the mosquitoes and the like had free access to her skin.

"What appears to be a downed ship has entered atmosphere. Heading over to check for survivors, and monitor the state of the vessel. Send backup."

Voiced to the aforementioned Temple Master of Akar Kesh, after all Akro oversaw the majority of security on this world, Kyra stepped over to one of the speeders parked in the vehicle bay just off the side of the workshop and kicked it into action.

Within no time at all the jungles of Aurum were flying past her vision, onward toward the trail of smoke which was growing closer with each passing second. Soon she couldn't see it at all, yet scans had already picked up on the ship so it wouldn't be too difficult to get to it regardless.

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

She wasn’t sure where she was walking, but she was just walking…well, forwards. Away from the smoking shell. Illeana looked back at the ship and paused. Maybe she should wait with the craft after all. There was cargo on board she couldn’t afford to lose, as well as her pay, and she could signal for help in the safety of her cockpit.

The red-head sighed and started back. There was little to gain venturing out into a strange place on your own. Force knows what was over the – listen!

Illeana snapped her head back to the woodlands ahead at the sound of an engine, sounding like the whine of a small one-man swoop. A scout? A Stormtrooper? Illeana ran like the wind back to the Sparrow and signalled for the loading ramp to open. The cold metal hadn’t even touched the soil before her brown boots clanked up into the ship, into safety and away from the engine getting louder.

It all came flooding back – the First Order assault on her home world.

The sound of walkers crushing through the peaceful mountain cities. The screech of TIE Fighters whining in the air and passing through the once quiet skies.

​

Gunships rolling down the streets. Sounds of heavy feet marching, distorted voices barking orders and blaster fire ending the lives of her friends…and family.

Illeana crouched low in the main hold, hugging the near wall by the ramp, peeking to the planet below. The small snub blaster she kept on her hip was pressed into her palm. The engine was idle outside the ship, and her heart beat like a jackhammer as she peered ever so carefully to catch a glimpse of who had found her.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

As she entered the clearing which had been torn open by the fallen vessel, Kyra slowed the speeder to a halt and promptly leaped down from it. The ground was soft beneath her feet, the product of a tropical rain season which had ended just a week or so before yet had left the soil waterlogged; as such she made hardly a noise as she approached the ship.

"At least it's mostly in one piece," she remarked, gaze following the trail of smoke billowing from the hull of the vessel, "Hopefully that means there's survivors."

Reaching for one of her faithful blasters, just in case something went awry, she glanced around the clearing and noticed a set of footprints that came from the ship before doubling back. Had they heard her approach?

"My name is Kyra Sol, I'm with the planetary government," she said, and while it wasn't completely true it wasn't necessarily false either. The Je'daii had been tasked with the protection of this world in the absence of its monarch, who led by proxy these days, and as a member of the Order that did give her some sway over such things as felled vessels and potentially hostile individuals. "I'm just here to check for survivors... Is everyone alright in there?"

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Well, at least this one didn’t sound like a….

Stormtrooper maybe not, but what government? First Order? The Empire? Sith? Jedi?

Illeana’s brown knotted and her position remained still by the loading ramp. She just see the shadow of the woman outside the ship.

"What government?" Croft called out.

Bit of a dumb question, but hopefully there and then she would know who she was dealing with, and what sort of stance to take. As in, blast and run and flee in a broken ship, or come out, tentative but willing to ask for help.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Silence.

Kyra took one light step forward, feet cushioned by the moss underfoot, before glancing around herself. No signs of anyone. She took a moment to focus, truly focus, on her surroundings, and was surprised to discover a very faint presence emanating from within the vessel. It was impossible for her to pinpoint exactly where, the Force was far from Kyra's forte, but it was living and breathing and that was good enough for her.

A few moments later a voice finally called out.

"Oh, you know, just this planet's monarchy. Nothing quite so fancy as the big fella's out near the Core. Though I suppose I don't work directly for the Crown, not that it matters... Come out of there, now, ain't nothing to be worried about. In these parts we don't harm folks just for crash landing. I reckon we can help you get back on your feet. Smells to me like you're having major engine issues, damn thing seems fried."

She wouldn't be surprised if the woman inside didn't trust her, this was the Outer Rim after all and in these parts there were all kinds of unlawful folk looking for a way to make a quick buck.

Not Kyra, though, credits she had.

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Sounded like this girl knew her stuff, or at least the sights and smells of ships. There was no need to look for an issue – she couldn’t feel one. Her gut told her it was ok, and she should follow her gut instinct.

Illeana kept the snub blaster in her hand, and turned out from her hiding place to stand at the top of the loading ramp. Looking down at this representative, she looked more like a scavenger or a greaser. Yet, if she had come out on a swoop and could identify the issue from sight and smell of a smoking craft, she must be a scavenging greaser.

"Hi there," Illeana said, walking down. "Sorry about that, just have to be safe, you know?"

Her soft voice and clear diction didn’t help to convince others of her authoritative words. She tucked the small blaster in her belt line and folded her arms.

"If you can, I would really appreciate your help. I’m only passing through the system, so don’t mean to intrude. If there is anything you can do, I’ll help, and then I’ll be on my way. I’ll give you what I can, of course." There wasn’t much TOO give, but the girl didn’t need to know that just yet. "You said Crown, is there some established royalty here?"

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Just one individual stepped forth from the ship, which only partially surprised Kai.

She looked hesitant, and her words spoke of her concerns. Kyra couldn't blame her what so ever, how many times had she ended up in a dire state on backwater planets such as this? Most civilizations out this far were less than welcoming to strangers, having lived harder lives when compared to those in the Core.

"Don't sweat it, I understand. Is it just you in there?"

Naturally she had to ask such questions, no matter how obvious the answer might have seemed. She was no medic, no way she'd be able to help anyone inside if there were injured passengers, but even so it had to go into her report and she had already sent for backup. Usually such came with a medic anyway.

When the stranger put away her weapon Kyra removed her hand from her own as a sign of good faith.

"What's your name, stranger?" Her gaze drifted away from the outlander to glance over the ship itself before shrugging.

"I can help; I must warn you, I did call for backup so others may arrive soon. Just a precaution I'm sure you understand. And aye, there's royalty. A Queen, to be specific. But she's mostly preoccupied, my folks tend to be the ones who do the day to day running of things around here. With her blessing, of course."

Stepping toward the woman she waited for some sort of confirmation of permission for her to make her way onboard. "Mind showing me to your engine room?"

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Illeana wasn't hot on mechanics and the workings of a ship. She had learnt to fix a few things now and then, and where to look if things played up, but fixing them wasn't on her list of skills. Nice that this girl seemed to want to help. With that, she held out her hand and led the mechanic up the loading ramp into her ship.

"Yeah, sure. This way." They entered, and Illena stepped through a sliding door to the rear right of the room that would take them to the engines. "I don't know what happened. It just sort of made a bang, a shake, and then I lost power gradually. Had enough to bring her down to the closest planet, which was this, and so here I am."

In the engine room, a bank of lights was flashing and tendrils of thin smoke wafted in from the vents outside. She crunched her brow and turned to the girl.

"Anything you can do, I will be very much appreciative. We've all got busy days ahead I am sure so I don't want to keep you."

Of course! Her name. How rude.

"My name is Croft. Illena Croft. A pleasure to meet you, miss...?"

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Kyra" was the only response she gave as she was led through the vessel and into the engine room, not even caring that she'd had to repeat her name.

It was apparent to her almost immediately, what was wrong with the vessel. Honestly it would be an easy fix and she was grateful she had brought her sonic servo with her to make light work of the task. Her gaze fell over the rest of the room to ensure there wasn't anything more major she was overlooking, before she shrugged and pulled the duster from her back. It was hot in the room, after all, with most of the engine's residual heat bearing heavily down upon the air.

The poor oxygen scrubbers were likely working overtime. It was a wonder they weren't choking.

"Simple fix," she said, as she stepped toward one of the panels which various tubes and pipes fed into on the wall, "You have a burst exhaust valve, engine's overheating because of it. Nothing I haven't seen before."

Reaching down to her belt she removed the sonic servo, a nifty little hand held device that had countless mechanical applications, and glanced over her shoulder toward the woman.

"What are you doing all the way out here? Alone no less... That's a lonely existence, believe me I've lived it."

Turning back to the task at hand she began to adjust the bolts holding the panel in place so as to expose more of the internal workings of the ship. She knew the cause now she just had to pinpoint exactly where the leak was coming from.

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Illeana shook her head and pulled a face.

"Kyra. Kyra Sol was it? Sorry, you said that didn't you. I didn't really listen the first time." How embarrassing. She perched on a small crate outside the engine room, giving Kyra space. "Thought you were some First Order trooper or an Imperial spy or something. My senses were all over the place, like I could see you and hear you, but I had to drown everything out to focus on you, sort of thing. Stupid, huh."

She drummed her fingers gently on the crate, listening and trying to care what Kyra said was wrong with the ship. She just wanted it fixed so she could be gone and out of here. And then she started poking her nose into why she WAS here. Illena crinkled her nose and looked away into the room, eyeing up the two boxes covered with loose tarp.

"Just passing through, that's all. Going to meet some people about work. I won't be here long, don't worry. I appreciate you taking a look, though, I do."

Waiting was hard to do when you were unsure of how long you had to wait at all.

"So what do you do here? I mean, do you work for these royals or something, or are you your own boss?"

Anything to divert attention from the weapons tucked away in her ship.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Her eyes fell over the network of pipes within the specific panel, though she shielded them seconds later when hot air began to burst from the aforementioned leaky valve.

As she began to work on rectifying it she listened to what the woman had to say and couldn't help but feel curious about her mention of senses. What were the odds that the Force had flung a sensitive individual into her path, here of all places? Slim. While it may seem in recent years as though there was an influx of Force Users to the Galaxy they were still an extreme minority where Galactic Population was concerned.

"I work for an Order known as the Je'daii. As a mechanic, funnily enough."

With the servo she first loosened the bolts around the affected area before readjusting them so that they could be properly tightened. Small hisses could be heard in that moment, though they didn't seem to phase her. Nor did the heat it produced.

"And before you ask no... Not the Republic type of Jedi. Though..."

She looked over her shoulder, to where the girl sat upon a crate, and tried to deduce how much of a threat she would be if she knew the truth. Some people despised Forcies.

"We do use the Force like they do. You know, from what you've said so far I have a theory that you may be Sensitive. Have you ever been tested?"

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Illeana flinched a little as Kyra released the hot air, nearly falling off the crate. She was on edge – what if she blew them both up? It wouldn’t take much. So she watched like a hawk and only half-listened.

Eventually Kyra seemed to have a hold on things, but turned out she was more than what she seemed. She knew it. She KNEW there was something about his greaser.

"A Jedi? What sort of Jedi then?"

She hadn’t been tested, but she knew she had something in her. If she wanted it or not, she had it.

"I’ve not, no. But my sister had been. She was with the New Jedi Order or something. Long story short, she was killed. First Order Ren just…boom. Done."

It was a lifetime ago.

"No offence, but I don’t really care much for the Jedi or their codes. They just get people killed be sacrificing them to be slaughtered. I’ll stick to flying for now."

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Not JE-di" she said, with a slight huff as she finished replacing the bolt and started to heft up the wall panel so it too could be returned to its original position, "Je-DAII, it's different. Sounds similar, I know."

Surprisingly enough Kyra did not turn to look at the girl from this point on, she was pretty well invested in the repairs she was undertaking and figured that if she would do her any harm simply for being a Forcie then there was little she'd be able to do to stop it at any rate. The area was much too enclosed.

"We're neutral," she began to explain, "Don't concern ourselves with Galactic Wars or Politics, we don't fight for a government, we aren't soldiers shipped off to die. We're... Scholars, I believe that's what most refer to us as. We study the Force, and all of its possible applications, for our own betterment. None of this Lightside Crusade mumbo jumbo. Believe you me, I'm with you on the JE-di. Load of hypocritical extremist poodoo if you ask me. More like a cult than anything."

She shrugged, and finished attaching the panel. Then and only then did she bother to turn and look at the woman, wiping her hands of any grease onto her trousers.

"You're sensitive. I can tell that just by looking at you. All I'm going to say is, maybe you ought to learn how to use that... Before someone stronger than you discovers your potential and tries to force you down a path you don't agree with. I'd be willing to help, and... Well... You'd still be able to fly. We're a non-committal type of folk, free to do as you please so long as no trouble is brought to our doors. Anyway, you've probably heard enough of that nonsense for one day. Valve's fixed, though you may want it to get a full inspection before you travel anywhere too far. If you want we can bring her over to my shop for the night, I'll get her evaluated."

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

It seemed Kyra Sol really was more than meets the eye. On first meeting, so didn’t look like a…JeDAII or Jedi or whatever they were called, but she only had one memory to compare with, and it wasn’t a good one. She watched the girl work, half listening, before she seemed to be finished.

"Um, ok, well I can try fly her over if you have a location for me and a place big enough. Like I said, sooner I can get going the best for all really, but thank you for doing…" she waved her fingers towards the engine room, "…whatever you did!"

Illeana stood.

"And thanks, but I don’t have potential or want to be found by anyone because nobody is looking for me. I don’t do crusades or look for trouble, and if you Je-DAII are non-committal then there’s probably not much in this for me." She nodded to herself and stood to the side to let Kyra past. "I’m not a scholar, either, but thanks."

The last thing she wanted to be was part of some cult who preached and did little else. At least Jedi and Sith did things to shape the galaxy, good OR bad. Illena couldn’t afford to give up her smuggling to sit and be a scholar, not in this life time.

[member="Kyra Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Sounds good to me; there's a City just south of here, only real one of its kind on Aurum - pretty hard to miss. Your sensors should be able to pick it up without any problem."

Settling her sonic servo to her belt, Kyra beamed a smile over at the woman. It faltered ever so slightly as she continued to speak, however, because she heard so much of herself within the girl. How unexpected that was. With a shake of her head and a sigh as she passed her by, she turned on her heels to face her - not yet vacating the ship.

"Look, I don't usually do this. Impart advice, or whatever, because I hate it when people do it to me. But believe you me, if someone as untrained in the Force could sense your sensitivity, others will too. Plenty of folks out there would be more than happy to add another mindless servant to their ranks, more than capable of forcing that fate on you too. All I'm saying is, maybe learning a thing or two to defend yourself might not be a bad thing. Boost your mind, or something."

With a loose shrug she glanced around the hallway.

"I was like you. Am like you. Free spirited, bound to my ship. Can't tell you how many times Forcies tried to make me succumb to their ways. I got hacked up real bad by one of them, barely left with my life. Decided then and there that I wasn't going to let them walk all over me. So I came here, to Aurum, to study. Don't get me wrong when I say non-committal. We're a real group, a family so to speak, but unlike others out there we won't stop you from doing other things. You wanna fly your ship? You can. Want to go off and help the Galaxy? That's fine with us. We give you the tools, teach you a better way of living, moderation and all that, living within your means, what you do with it is up to you."

Stepping back toward the ramp which would take her outside, it wasn't until a final thought crossed her mind that she halted.

"You know, if you ever wanted to just learn something informally, to defend yourself with more than just a blaster, just hit me up. I'll give you a comm frequency when we get to my shop."

[member="Illeana Croft"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

There was something…pure about this Sol girl. She couldn’t detect any nefarious intent or bad-will in her tone of voice. There had been little else except something wanting to help fix a ship, show some communal support and send her on the way out. It had been a long time since she had met someone selfless like that.

She didn’t know what to say, so just stood, hands on hips, and listened. Her interest was being pricked. This “family” so to speak – what were they like? Could they help her come to terms with what happened to her own? Did they have the tools to give back Illeana some independence?

The smuggler found herself sucking in her cheek and swaying, mulling over Kyra’s words before she edged out, leaving the door open to still show an interest.

"Right, er…ok, I’ll head over there…" she said a little absent minded.

Kyra stepped out as cool as air and left Illeana to it. The hold was rather quiet now. Lonely. She hadn’t had decent company who spoke to her with respect for a while. Turning to the cockpit passageway, she walked over, glancing back at the loading ramp before raising it at the flick of a switch on the wall.

The Red Sparrow would limp into life, giving Illeana the right amount of power and confidence to head south of her position to the first city she found and find Miss Sol’s workshop.

[member="Kyra Sol"]