First Reply Something's Changed

[Colette]

There had been no messages on her device before she shut it off. At least nothing unusual beyond the usual noise. She had let out a content sigh at the isolation, and once the force-nullifying cuffs hissed to life she just knew that she had set herself up for a good long weekend in the wilds of Tython.

Of course, in accordance with wisdom and ancient sayings: this was rather far from the truth. Not because of anything that had happened to her during the trip but rather what hadn't. Many others were writhing in pain, licking wounds, and recuperating in the bitterness of defeat just a so-called stone's throw from here, around the star in the general vicinity of Coruscant.

A particularly loud silence echoed in the town Colette came back to. There was radio silence everywhere she turned. If she listened carefully she could hear the way each grain of dust dragged itself across the roads. This wasn't a matter of hiding from something that had come and gone, this was a matter of hiding from something that had yet to arrive.

Colette grabbed at the cuffs on her wrists to finally turn them off and the effect was immediate. Residual fear washed across her entire being like a hand that was dunked in and out of water. Something big had happened in her absence but she had no clue what that was yet, and given how there was no-one around to tell her what she was all out of luck on figuring out what.

It was just a matter of time before the empire showed up, but there was no telling when, only that it would.

Colette pulled out her datapad again and tried to get a signal. Still no luck. She cursed under her breath and sighed as she pushed forward in the direction of the spaceport.

 

[Trent Perris]

Everything was silent.

Like people had been plucked out of their daily lives before having a chance to clean up. Preparation thrown to the wind in the face of the brewing storm that threatened everything in the core now.

But this was the thing that Trent lived for.

Checking corners and living spaces for stragglers needing a way out. For people less able or well enough off to flee. His boots ground to a halt as he scanned around him.

Adjusting his glasses now to look around a final time.

"Waste of a planet really." A heavy sigh at what was no doubt to be a total deconstruction of the memories people had here.

Lingering for a while longer to refresh himself on the way of the galaxy as he kicked a rock and turned towards the Harpy to prepare to leave.

Colette​

​

 

[Colette]

Trent Perris

The urge to call out for a 'hello' was nearly irresistible but she knew better. In part because whatever had caused all of this was still unknown to her, and in part because her gut told her that she was mostly alone.

But that echo? Oh, it would have been something.

Stepping into the port she was surprised to find it just as quiet as the rest of the town. If anywhere was bound to have people it was here, but she supposed that was just her luck.

What was it even that had this place so… Deserted?

She threw her hands in the air as if to surrender to fate itself when the sound of footsteps caught her attention. She froze on the spot and quickly crouched down on one knee to make herself small. Colette pushed against a wall and sure enough the footsteps passed her by, and by the sound of it… Up something metal?

She peeked around the corner and raised her brows in surprise.

A pilot and a ship! What luck.

"Hhh-" She tried to call out but found her words caught in her dry throat. Colette cleared her throat. "Hey!" She tried again with greater success. "Where you goin'?"

Before the pilot stood a clearly dirty woman, someone who had just come back from either a really long trip without running water or a nexu ambush. It was up for debate, really. She ran her hand through her hair to push it out of her face and tugged at the pack on her shoulder.

"What's with the silence, where is everyone?"

 

[Trent Perris]

The Harpy​

Despite actively looking for holdouts–Trent had not been truly expecting to find someone.

Or rather, to be found.

"By fethin Ashla." His whole body jerked when Colette called out. Head ducked low as if someone had taken a pot shot at him and nearly diving for cover on instinct His eyes wide and scanning until he found the source and slowly straightened.

His heart thundering in his chest as he looked over the girl.

"Out of this sector. Anywhere but here before too long really. But probably Naboo since I haven't checked in for a while." Chewing on his lip as he wondered how to present his own question.

Her getup leaving him to wonder why she was still here despite all the commotion that had happened. Letting it stew for a little longer as he gave her the answer to her own.

"Evacuation. Oh what's it the uh... Empire. Galactic Empire is headed this way. Whole big battle and everything. Did–" Finally given a chance for his own question as a follow up despite how awkward it felt. "Did you get left here?"

The question hurt to even ask.

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Trent Perris

She had smirked for a brief moment as the man gor scared, but after that it was all straight to business and doubly so once he mentioned the Empire. And the questions he was asking were all valid. Evacuation? Left here? Technically, she had been, yeah, but that wasn't exactly recent.

"Hold on." She said, brows sinking deeper into thought as she approached the bottom of the ramp. "Empire? Battle?"

"I haven't been able to get a signal for a day or two, but I figured I was just out of reach from the comms thing up in orbit or something." Colette's eyes wandered to the sky almost as if she expected to find it right there above them. No such luck.

Her gaze fell back down to earth again. "Look, if you are leaving then I'm coming with you."

 

[Trent Perris]

The Harpy​

"Yeah. It's all over the holonet channels. You–" He had started up the ramp and into the Harpy when she mentioned having lost signal.

Pausing mid-stride for a second as the why she was here clicked into place.

"Ah." Almost content to move on with things until another realization dawned.

"Is that why it looks you got into scrap with a swamp monster?" Trying at a little humor with a chuckle to himself.

Turning his head as he stopped walking again to look at her.

"And yeah no. You are leaving this planet. You can hang out on Naboo for a bit and get yourself oriented, or I can run you wherever you have in mind. But–" At the top of the ramp, he made a dramatic sweeping gesture despite the atmosphere. Arms outstretched and partly blocking the ramp.

Voice kept to a respectful boom as he announced her ride.

"Welcome to the Harpy. Not the prettiest bird, but you'll be hard pressed ta find anythin' faster that ain't military." The smile fading for a moment as he pinched his nose.

Still posed in his grand sweeping gesture.

"An' refreshers and laundering units come free to use with the passenger cabins." His smirk returning with vengeance as he chuckled.

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Trent Perris

"Is that why it looks you got into scrap with a swamp monster?"

Colette gave a slow nod, for all intents and purpose she might just have been doing just that. She raised a brow at the man's faith in his ship but she supposed that given the alternatives she wasn't exactly left with much of a choice but to trust him on his word. At least as far as both captains and ships went.

"Thanks." She said and dropped her pack to the floor and began to root around for something else to wear, which really just meant whatever was the closest to clean at this moment. "Over there?" She asked and pointed in the direction the man had indicated. She could see the dang thing from here. "Right, thanks."

It didn't strike her as the wisest move to just blindly trust a man and his word based on little to no evidence to the truth, but given just about everything about this whole situation she was more willing to go with her gut than her brain.

If Trent had decided to look he would have found a lightsaber tucked into her packed gear, off to the side within her pack, as well as a bunch of New Jedi Order issue equipment and ration. If not, well, good for him. As for Colette there was a perfectly — or at least, hopefully, partially — functioning refresher somewhere on this ship. As far as she was concerned the rest of the galaxy would still be there even after a quick shower.

And quick it was. No use in wasting water, especially when it was far more finite in spaces such as this and especially if Naboo of all places was to be their eventual destination. Bad or not, the refresher did its job and Colette got herself at least mostly clean. Most of the rest of her clothes were in the washer but the rest, well, she had to wear something and this was the best she had. A white tank top stained with a dust imprint along her waist, a worn set of khaki pants that had most definitely seen extensive use beyond just the last week, and a pair of boots that would almost be even worse off than that.

"Thanks. Again. Mister…" She said and took a seat next to her pilot. "You never gave me your name."

 

[Trent Perris]

The Harpy​

"That's right." Still filled with humor as he waited the two seconds it took her to see the spot. "Not a problem."

His humor falling away once she was clearly occupied with cleaning up and out of site.

His hand reflexively settling over the blaster on his hip.

Relaxing his shoulders and looking across the city a final time. She didn't move or talk like an Imperial. And the stun cuffs around her wrists hinted at being something other than a normal person.

Her gear was right there, but his intuition told him he didn't want that problem.

Avoiding the temptation that had earned him more than a few choice words from his sisters in the past, and instead heading towards the cockpit to begin the start up sequence. Overly aware of every noise his ship made as the hiss of water pressure to the refresher quieted. His humor replacing the grim seriousness as he turned his head at her thanks.

And she remembered he was entirely a stranger to her.

"Trent. Trent Perris." An infectious smile once more appearing as he offered a hand to shake. "And who do I have the pleasure of transporting today if you don' mind my asking?"

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Trent Perris

Trent Perris. Colette nodded and committed the name to memory. He extended a hand, one of the more common ways of greeting, and one of the things Colette disliked the most about the galaxy at large. Great disease vector, good way to accept someone else's plague germs into your life but nonetheless something that had apparently worked for people for a while.

She grasped the man's hand with an uneasy shake. Single shake, nothing more.

"Colette." She said after careful consideration. Noble carried potentially unwanted connotations, made her seem more valuable than she'd ever be. "Just Colette."

"I was doing an exercise. Wayfinding, hiking, that kind of thing." She proceeded before he could ask. "Of course, if I'd known the Empire was about to attack I'd probably have held off."

Hold on a sec.

"Wait, actually, why were you there?" She said and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "You don't exactly look local."