Private The Scavenger's Comet

[Samatharis]

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The Arid Moon of Cato Laio
Neutral Space

Cato Laio's only moon was a hot, arid world filled with high yellow deserts and rolling white savannas. Punctuated ever so often by the spindly brown alien forest or an ancient dry riverbed ravine. The elevation was varied and pitted. As if comet and meteor strikes were more common than not. However, the gravity was lighter and the air was surprisingly pleasant to breath. Especially nearer the coastline of the moon's only larger northern ocean. Fauna was mostly beetles, bugs, and large savanna herbivores. Nothing too wildly nasty to speak of. At least, that's what the public charter out of Cato Prima had said.

Actually, Samantharis had picked up this job just outside Cato Nemodia. Somewhere G-South of Silver Space. It was a simple bounty hunting gig, really. Some wealthy man's daughter had run off with a dashing pirate and returned home probably later than year with a broken heart and listless sob story of broken promises a mile long. So now that wealthy man wanted somebody to run out to the pirate scoundrel's base on Cato Laio and pick him up. Bring him back to Cato Nemodia to face justice. Or something.

"It doesn't really matter." Sam shrugged, "I'm just here for the money."

At least the job paid extravagantly. That was something.

Alas. Sam's ship was in the shop for repairs back in Cato Prima and she needed to hitch a ride with another bounty hunter out to colonial space. A short trip sure. But this old light freighter they were flying was a rental and, kinda, a piece of junk too.

"That said. According to our lost Nemodian princess. We're looking for a crashed Sith space station just off the coast of the moon's northern most ocean. Right around here. This arid region. Should be some air traffic or pirate comms we can home in on. I doubt it will take us long to find the place. No biggie. I suppose our lost lover-boy used the old station for a base. Kinda clever if you asked me. But still, it should make for an easy extraction. One Sith hanger bay is mostly like any other."

The handsome woman pulled away from the floating blue map at the center of the room. Shrugging to herself. Then turned to Taru Cadera ,

"So. Since the other two hunters decided to bail on us back on Prima? I guess it's just you and me now."

The human brunette tugged on her soft shearling coat and kicked her tall armored boots against the bulkhead for good measure. She seemed the fighterly sort and youthful too. If, a bit too pretty and city-girl'ish for the job. Well. By human standards anyway. But hey. At least the Lightsaber she kept on her belt meant business. Those Space Wizard types always did.

"Any thoughts on how you'd like to do this? We might run into some of his pirate friends along the way? Ya never know."

The urban woman took a seat by the hallway door. Started drinking some coffee. They were about to land on the moon any minute.

 

[Taru Cadera]

The job would pay fairly well, he was sure of it. But seriously, did they have to fly in a piece of junk?

Taru sighed quietly, clenched his hand into a small fist, and continued to listen absentmindedly to the girl in front of the holographic map of Cato Laio's moon. His armor was not on him at that moment, instead it was in a large bag which fit into the sizable storage compartment upon which he leaned against.

The teen shifted around when she mentioned that it would "make for an easy extraction", moving his leg back to where he could feel his buy'ce and its armored horns. Or at least the armored portion that would go around his horns. Him having pushed against the bag caused a horn to rip through the material, with the sharpened tip just beginning to bulge out. This was going to be fun.

"So. Since the other two hunters decided to bail on us back on Prima? I guess it's just you and me now." Taru perked up when he realized that she was referring to him, and looked up at her. "Oh, uh yea, dunno why they would do that, it's just one pirate" he blurted out, thinking as he did that he was a complete di'kut. Why did he have to stammer like that, was it the recent gene therapy still working its way through his body, or something else? She didn't fully look the part of a merc or bounty hunter, it must have been that. But his eyes quickly found themselves staring at the thing on her hip. It looked like a lightsaber.

Taru wasn't hallucinating, it was a lightsaber. And within the millisecond that his brain comprehended that thought Taru could feel the adrenaline begin to pump through his body. Lightsabers meant Force Users, and if they didn't then they were usually used as expensive toys by the galaxy's elite. The galaxy's elite did not go hunting down pirates, especially not for others. So that left only one option. Jedi/Sith/Something else. He wasn't scared of them though. Just wary.

He knelt down to pull the bag effortlessly out in front of him and began to open it. "I never told you my full name. It's Cadera. Taru Cadera" He said to Samatharis as he unzipped the bag and began to remove the beskar'kandr inside of it.

He sat down on the ground and began to put on the armor onto of his ori'kute bodyglove as the rental started to land, letting out an unnecessarily wretched bump as it came into contact with the surface of the moon.

 

[Samatharis]

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Taru introduced himself and began getting dressed. Baskar'kandr. The mark of a clanner. Interesting.

"Nice to meet you Cadera. You can call me Sam." She turned from her coffee to view him fully, "And, if you don't mind me saying. Is there a reason I can't read you as being alive at all?"

She smiled and shrugged. Clanners usually knew about Force Adepts. Especially, the experienced ones. And it was no secret that she wasn't trying to hide her birthright nor her sword. It was a benefit in her eyes. Made her employable as a hunter. Competitive. Resourceful. That sorta thing. Alas. She wasn't used to running into people who could hide their thoughts from a Jedi as easily as Taru. In fact... He was hiding everything from her without even trying. She couldn't even sense his heartbeat. No, it was like... Well. It was like he wasn't even there at all. Weird.

She pointed to his armor, "I'm an empath. So I guess you could say I'm used to being able to read people. Feel how they are feeling. That sort of thing. However, you? Well. It's not your species. No. Your special somehow. You're not even connected to the web at all."

The pretty lass seemed puzzled. Sipping her coffee with ease and a few raised eyebrows.

Then the ship landed and a brown rusty ol' Astromech droid spun out from the cockpit. Emitting a rather lackluster voice modulator,

~ "We have arrived at Cato Laio. Normal time shows mid-afternoon with twenty hours of sunlight remaining. Temperatures are warm but within the operational range. Flora and fauna is currently responding normally and without any danger spikes. All sensors are green. You are free to depart when ready. Good hunting hunters." ~

Sam pursed her lips and turned her coffee to the robot,

"Any sign of that pirate base?"

~ "Pirate radio traffic suggests a large travel station is just nearby. I've placed us as close to the source as possible without risking any defense guns. However, this vessel is quite large. No doubt they noticed our arrival into their territory." ~

"Fair enough. We'll take the speeder bikes in storage."

Sam motioned for Taru to follow her down the hall towards freight,

"So. You good to drive one of these things? I grew up with em'. No biggie. Should help us get close to the base without having to hike the whole afternoon."

She put down her coffee and grabbed an old A-Wing helm. It fit her hair surprisingly nicely as she slipped it on. Then she hit the ramp button and the door began to slowly drop down into the arid sands. Whirling so loudly that Sam had to shout,.

"Okay! The droid will watch the ship! Lets move up and get line of sight on that Sith Station! Let's see what we're working with!"

She began to board one of the speeder bikes with ease.

Time to hit the trail.

Taru Cadera