Private The Wrong Train At The Wrong Time

[Calyx Sundrift]

Calyx Sundrift stared at the spiraling rock formations of Cato Neimoidia as they shot past. He'd scored a window seat, a rare marvel in the crowded wagon of the continental train. Twice now, he'd thought about sneaking into the rear-end cars where wealthier passengers lounged in private cabins. But there was no point. He’d never be able to stay there the whole ride, and no one wanted to return to this hell after tasting freedom.

Sighing, Calyx shifted in his seat. There was a dining car up ahead. He'd caught a glimpse of it earlier. His odds were better there. Worst-case scenario, he'd have to pay for his drinks, but then again, he would have still enjoyed a drink or two, which made the possible downsides seem irrelevant.

He mulled it over for a moment, then nodded to himself, a quiet resolve settling in. Drinks it was.

Muttering apologies, he pushed and weaved his way through the crowded passenger car toward the front gangway. The train wagons were connected by flexible grates with railings and caution signs. Calyx gripped the railings as the train shuddered over its tracks. He'd expected smoother rails on a planet like Cato Neimoidia. Then again, this was the countryside.

With a quick twist, he yanked open the handle of the next door and stepped into the second passenger car. All the seats were taken, of course, but at least no one was standing in the aisles here. Keeping to himself and putting on a bored expression, Calyx crossed this car too.

After the third and fourth cars, he began to wonder if he'd gotten it wrong, and the dining car didn’t even exist. But he found it at the end of the fifth car - blocked by a Neimoidian conductor whose expression said, Don’t even try it.

Of course, that wasn’t going to stop him.

"Sir? There's a fight in wagon six," he said, pointing back toward where he’d come and feigning worry. "Please, you have to stop them!" The Neimoidian eyed him intently, and for a moment, Calyx thought he saw through the ruse. But the conductor sighed, muttering something in his own language.

"Fine. Stay here," the Neimoidian snapped, reaching for the comlink on his chest. He began rattling off codes as he brushed past Calyx, who couldn’t help but smile at the conductor's back.

It was time for a drink and some relaxation. Then quickly disappear into the masses again, before they found out.

Gavin Restur

 

[Gavin Restur]

How he wishes he could've just flown his ship to where he needed to go...
​

"Sir, are you alright?"

With a sudden voice, followed by a gentle shake, Gavin woke up. His eyes shooting open as he took a brief inhale, glancing around. He had fallen asleep in his seat in the dining car, all of the stress from recent events having been quite the headache. It was starting to become less and less common that he'd find many hours to sleep, with how much he's had to travel across the galaxy. And here he was, on another journey.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine... apologies." Rubbing his eyes as he spoke to the attendant who had checked up on him. To which, the attendant gave him a slow nod. "Well, just so you are aware, sleeping is not permitted within the dining car."

"Now, have you decided on your order?" To which, the answer is that he most certainly had not. With a brief flicker of his eyes back down towards his menu, he chose the first option that at least sounded appetizing. "I'll take the... shrimp stew, please. With a beer, not too picky on what kind."

With that, the attendant took his menu on the table, and walked off. With his time alone having returned, he rubbed his gloved hand across his face. Letting it fall on his lap afterwards, as he directed his gaze to look out of the window next to him. Why did he even spend the extra credits for a seat in the dining car, anyway? It's not like he was that hungry to begin with. Not to mention the fact that he was already pissed he couldn't carry his usual gear with him while on the train, and had to give them up for the duration of the ride.

On the bright side, seeing how the spaces in the dining car were communal, it was a surprise that no one had sat at his table yet. He was hoping it'd stay that way.

Calyx Sundrift

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

The dining car was nicer than Calyx expected. Unlike the other wagons, this one had been decorated by the Neimoidians. The walls were paneled with dark wood, and oddly curved chandeliers swayed gently with the train’s motion. Straight tables lined the car, each covered with crisp white cloths.

A glance told him every table held at least one person. From the mismatched company scattered throughout, he guessed the wagon was communal. A fortunate detail. The Neimoidian guard would have a harder time spotting him if they had to scan every passenger at every table.

To make capture even less likely, Calyx slipped out of his dark poncho, revealing a lighter shirt beneath. Color was the best camouflage. People searched for a blond man in black. Not one who no longer fit the description.

Subtly, he slid into a couch-like seat beside a table where only one man sat. He waved down the server and flashed his best smile.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked. “Name’s Calyx Sundrift. Pleasure to share a table with you.” That was another trick he hoped would have result. Talk and appear acquainted. The Neimoidian would search the cart for one person alone. He'd likely exclude duos and groups immediately. "Say, did you order yet?" He shot one glance at the menu card. "I've yet to spot something that looks, well, normal. Any suggestions?"

Gavin Restur

 

[Gavin Restur]

He just had to think it.

While resting his face against the palm of his hand, he saw someone approaching from the corner of his eye. Watching as the other slid himself into the seat at his table. Now he was really regretting paying extra for this.

["Is this seat taken?"]

"It ain't. Go right ahead."

["Name's Calyx Sundrift. Pleasure to share a table with you."]

Oh great, he's even making conversation. He spent a moment adjusting his wide-brimmed hat, letting out a sigh. "...Gavin. Same goes for you."

["Say, did you order yet? I've yet to spot something that looks, well, normal. Any suggestions?"]

"Uhhhhhh..." He would've went to check his menu, but he just remembered that the attendant took his. "Already did order, I personally got the shrimp stew, seemed the most 'normal' to me. Some of their sandwiches look fine, too."

To which, right on time, the attendant had returned. Setting down a glass of beer in front of Gavin. "Here you are, sir." Getting a nod of appreciation from the man, as he went to take a sip from the glass. While that happened, the attendant turned to look towards Calyx. "Greetings, sir. Can I get you something?" Resting their hands in front of themselves, as they waited for the man to answer.

Calyx Sundrift

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

“Gavin,” Calyx repeated, as if weighing the word. He nodded and flashed a practiced smile. “That’s a fantastic name.”

It sounded casual. Familiar, even. But he’d never heard it before. Outer Rim? Deep Core? He settled on somewhere in between. “Born in the Colonies?” he guessed. He loved that game. Names revealed plenty. Reactions to insistent questions revealed more. Nobody ever answered him coolly. Certainly not with enthusiasm.

“Shrimp stew, eh?” Calyx flipped the menu open again, this time actually studying the options. “Yeah, the sandwiches don’t look too bad.” Cost-efficient too. Not that he worried about credits anymore - fast hands kept his purse well stocked.

He looked up as the attendant returned with Gavin’s order, then turned expectantly to him. “Greetings, sir. Can I get you something?”

Calyx grinned. “Yeah, I’ll have the uhhh- how do I pronounce this?” He pointed to an item outside the stew or sandwich section, flashing Gavin an apologetic smile.

The attendant leaned closer, then said smoothly in perfect Neimoidian: “Natõrako. A local delicacy, sir.”

“Great. I’ll have some of that.” He shrugged at Gavin. “Gotta test the weird stuff. You only live once, right?”

Not eager to test the man’s patience over food suggestions, Calyx leaned in slightly and changed tack. “So, what brings you out to Neimoidia? You don’t strike me as very tourist-y.”

Gavin Restur

 

[Gavin Restur]

["That's a fantastic name. Born in the Colonies?"]

"Inner Rim." Not giving the planet itself, however. He was still seemingly disinterested with talking with Calyx Sundrift . Taking another sip from his beer while the other was putting in his order, resting his chin on his palm, propping his arm up on the table.

Watching Calyx ask how to pronounce something, bored.

["Great. I'll have some of that. Gotta test the weird stuff. You only live once, right?"]

For some reason, he was starting to get an...odd feeling, about the other. Watching how he was moving, the apologetic smile and shrug he gave him. How he spoke. He didn't know what it was, but there was something weird about it. Just a feeling he didn't understand, but one he understood enough to the point that it put him on edge. Like a warning, maybe? Hell if he knew.

He watched Calyx lean in closer, which caused him to squint somewhat towards the other. What game is he playing, here?

["So, what brings you out to Neimoidia? You don't strike me as very tourist-y."]

That feeling is telling him that this conversation the other making wasn't out of genuine interest, or even to simply make conversation. Some kind of ulterior motive, most likely. But he doesn't get the feeling it has anything to do with Gavin himself. Weird.

"Simply business. If it was up to me, I would've taken my ship to where I have to go. Not the case, unfortunately." With a like shrug, after.

"What about yourself?"

Calyx Sundrift

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

Inner Rim. He’d been off by uncountable parsecs. Still, he counted the answer as a win. Better than Wild Space or the Unknown Regions. Unless you hit a bullseye, a dart at the galactic map would’ve done no better.

Gavin’s reserved expression didn’t shift much. If anything, there was suspicion behind those eyes. And yet he’d bothered to ask back. Another win.

“Well, same as you, really.” Calyx leaned into the casual tone, though he lacked the man’s luxury of owning a ship. “Got business with a Neimoidian named Alle Kaath. Weird fellow. Keeps to the mist towns. Y’know, the last stop before the train dives underground.”

He nodded toward the glowing route map over their heads. The mistbanks draped Cato Neimoidia’s jungles, and below that lay the deep habitats and factories. Whole cities hidden beneath the crust of the planet. The mist towns, of course, could've still been accessible by spacecraft. But the funding to construct landing zones there had never come through. The region was simply too poor and the reliance on the train network seemingly suited them just fine.

“Kaath’s an information broker. Knows what moves where, if you get what I mean.” Calyx studied the man across from him. Gavin’s appearance screamed scoundrel. But outlaw or lawman? So, he'd thrown out the line. Now he had to check if the man would bite.

He let the silence stretch before adding almost idly “Trouble is, I don’t trust Neimoidians. Not on sensitive or illicit matters. And especially not with credits. That’s why I’m here. Harder to cheat someone face-to-face.”

Then he flashed a grin, as if he hadn’t just tested the waters. “That satisfy your curiosity?”

Gavin Restur

 

[Gavin Restur]

His gaze had trailed up as Calyx nodded towards the glowing map above their heads. Asides from just knowing where he needed to go, the actual infrastructure and layout of the planet and its cities were pretty unknown to him. Pretty cool, though. His gaze returned over, after.

["Kaath's an information broker. Knows what moves where, if you get what I mean. Trouble is, I don't trust Neimoidians. Not on sensitive or illicit matters. And especially not with credits. That's why I'm here. Harder to cheat someone face-to-face."]

There had been a bit of an eyebrow raise, at that. Knows what moves where, huh. However, the more he thought on it, he started to figure that there was a good chance that the other man was trying to play him. To throw something out that sounds very suspicious as if it was nothing was more likely a setup as opposed to anything meaningful.

["That satisfy your curiosity?"]

A moment was spent adjusting his hat, as he leaned back in his seat. Crossing his arms over his chest, as there was a brief moment spent looking off to the side. "I suppose it does." Returning his gaze back to the man, after. "Whatever business it is that you have with Kaath, I wish you the best." Sounding and appearing rather disinterested, which was done on purpose. While there is always the possibility that it can be something, it's often better to not jump on every possible situation that presents itself.

Calyx Sundrift

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

Gavin didn’t bite. A shame. Calyx had been hoping to peel back another layer. The man had a story, no doubt, but he wasn’t giving it up. Yet there was some information in his response. There was no flicker of surprise and no tension as he spoke. Criminal networks weren’t new to him, that much was clear. But he’d taken it all in without a territorial glare or a sense of rivalry. Not a criminal, then. And not an authority figure, because there was no reprimand, no lecture. Just a man who knew the world and didn’t much care.

Mercenary? Assassin? Bounty hunter? Likely something in that vein.

“Thank you.” Calyx said after a moment of thought. He considered pressing further, but the man’s curtness was answer enough. Besides, his own meal had yet to arrive. “Enjoy.” He nodded at Gavin’s plate. “Hope mine shows up soon.”

He turned to the window. The sun hung low already, its light swallowed by the boggy swamps and cloud-choked jungles of Cato Neimoidia. The hover train had already descended too, its tracks skimming just beneath the mist, as if rolling on the fog itself.

It was beautiful.

The train banked, and the sun slipped from view. Calyx’s gaze drifted over the monochrome blur. Tree crowns, the jagged tip of a mountain... Then, his eyes found a flash. A sharp glint, there and gone, swallowed by the fog.

He shot a look at Gavin. “Did you see that?” Not that he expected confirmation. “Someone’s out there.” His eyebrows climbed. “I think.”

The server came back, holding a curved plate where a square block of what struck him as tofu drifted in broth. Before she could herald the meal, Calyx spoke. “I saw somebody out there in the mist. Is that normal? A sport, or something?”

Overwhelmed for but a moment, the Neimoidian woman looked at him. “In the mists?”

Calyx nodded eagerly.

“No.” Her voice was firm now. “Too dangerous. No one leaves the mist towns. Not by anything other than hovertrain.”

Calyx cocked his head to the side. “So there’s another track? For returns?”

She shook hers. “No sir. This is the only line on this side of the planet.” Done with his questions, the woman placed the plate before him and launched into an explanation of the meal. Calyx heard none of it. His head was elsewhere.

When she left, he stared at Gavin. “I swear there was somebody out there, Gav. Willing to bet a good amount of credits on it too.”

Gavin Restur