Private Trace the Footsteps

[Veshok Rook]

Trace the Footsteps
On Tatooine to meet with Vren Rook ​

The very corner of the bar was dark and connected to the wall on the far end of the cantina. A good spot for a Mandalorian wanting to be left on their own. Vesh had been there for hours, slowly drinking away on water and the occasional cup of tea whilst watching the place grow increasingly busy. A rough but friendly Aqualish barkeep finally approached once more as he found a bit of time - a brief window to recuperate from the constant orders. "It's time for something with a bit of kick 'ma boy! The others are having beers while you're sipping tea" he spoke with a jovial chuckle, his basic heavily slurred and accented.

A mellow smile lingered on the young man's lips as he looked to the seasoned barkeep "I like to keep my mind sharp." The tone, while far from stale and unfriendly, was low and subdued. He took another sip.

Ever persistent, the man continued with unbridled candor "Ahhh, what happened to your kind. You've never been ones to say no to a drink". Not even the innocent shrug he received in response tempered it "Don't you worry, hah, I'll go put on another kettle for ya."

Vesh failed holding back a chuckle. He quickly turned his head away before looking back at the alien with regained composure. "Thanks, I mean it. You make some good tea"

The barkeep waved the praise away with amused eyes "You should thank Eisley AgroCorp, I just boil the water."

For a few moments, the young warrior just offered an equally amused smirk in defeat as he watched the older man move towards the boiler "Hold on"

An interested frown formed on the barkeep's face "What, you done waiting now?"

A delayed and possibly empty nod was sent in response. "Yeah, I'm done waiting." Vesh finished the remainder of the cup in one fell swoop and placed it down onto the table with a small sense of determination followed by a few credits to pay. "I enjoyed talking to you"

"Anytime 'ma boy! I was glad to have ya. Come by tomorrow and I'll let you try the tea from the Hubba Heights"

Another nod - then, Vesh took his helmet on, hiding his youth and expressive features behind the dark t-visor. His eyes lingered on the friendly Aqualish for a few moments before standing up and letting gaze sweep across room once more, noticing a few sets of eyes on him now that they noticed the helmet. "I've got a job to do" he said, his voice now filtered through the helmet and his tone professional - just like how his people were used to hearing him. Without further ado, he placed hand on the handle of the blaster which hung by his belt and moved to leave.

 

[Vren Rook]

GUILDMASTER
MOS EISLY | TATOOINE
TAG: Veshok Rook
GEAR: In Bio

SOUL OF A MAN​

The boy continued to surprise Vren.

The old Karjr stood in the door for a heartbeat, watching. Vren had arrived ahead of the original agreed upon time in order to gather whatever intelligence he needed regarding the criminal activity that had taken root once more in his town. He had just stepped inside the door when he noticed that Veshok was there already, talking to Boon.

The rare smile on the young man's face actually surprised the old Mando'ad. Once more, he regretted not having been aware about his existence until he showed up on Kestri with another clan. He regretted to not have seen the lad grow up, to not have seen that face transform into joy as a child. Ever since meeting his son, that face only resembled his own - stoic in most situations unless dealing with certain individuals.

Veshok deserved better parents than he got.

Vren was shaken from his thoughts as the boy got to his feet and donned his helmet. Fixing his face into an emotionless mask, the Guildmaster sighed before stepping further into the bar, just in time to catch the final line.

"I've got a job to do"

"You're three hours early, Lad. You should check your watch." he quipped dryly as he went. Then his face changed into a smirk not dissimilar to Veshok's as he looked at the old barkeep. "Boon!" he greeted.
"If it ain't Vren Rook in the flesh!" the Aqualish cried, his dark eyes crinkling in delight. "Long time, no see, Marshall."
"That it has." Vren said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Listen, friend. What can you tell me about the situation in the Ravine?" he asked, flipping a credit toward Boon who expertly caught it.
"It's been getting worse. They're increasing their raiding distances now. Caravans to and from here are getting attacked almost daily now. We need some Karjr presence here again, man." his old friend said.
"That's why me and the boy are here now. I'll sort it out, Boon, don't worry. 'Sides, my ranch is that way too." Vren said.
"Ha! That droid of yours has been keeping them well at bay, don't ya fret."
"Good. He's doing what he should then. Anyway, seeing as I didn't have time to recon before this guy got here, we'll get going. Have a cold one ready for when we're done." Vren said, transferring his helmet to his head.
"You betcha."

Vren motioned with his helmeted head for Veshok to follow him outside to where Nag was waiting. Everyone except the locals regarded her with wide eyes as they passed. A particular visitor to the town, however, was cowering in fear as the basilisk's turrets were inches away from his face. Vren gave a chuckle behind his helmet.
"Don't harass the newcomers, Girl. You'll scar them for life." he said.
Nag gave a snort into the fearful face. ://: Maybe he'll think twice before unzipping in front of an idle basilisk. ://: she said before straightening up and looking at the two Mandalorians. ://: You're early, Kid. That anxious to get to work? ://:

Vren snorted before waving her away and looking at Veshok.

"Now that you're here already - got everything you need? We can take Nag. I'll explain on the way."

 

[Veshok Rook]

Trace the Footsteps
Meeting with Vren Rook ​

Spending time on Kestri meant many things. His people could train with other Mandalorians than themselves, they could trade stories, find new techniques at the forge and become part of a broader community. They could also learn of their history, about their leaders and where they came from. While Vesh was too proud to ask about his father outright, he had always listened extra carefully when it came up in conversations. "Greetings" he spoke with a formal tone, albeit omitting the title which he had included in the past. The young warrior continued in a monotone yet not unfriendly voice "This planet had me curious, I wanted to see the sites."

Vesh' gaze darted from his father's familiar smirk to the barkeep as the two revealed their familiarity with each other. For the most part, his face remained emotionless, just like his visor. He was clearly processing quite a few thoughts as the two others spoke. A slight smile flashed by behind the visor when Vren spoke of 'me and the boy' but was soon replaced by a forced grimace and a serious glint in his eyes.

For a few moments, his eyes lingered on his father as he told the barkeep, Boon, to keep a couple of drinks ready for them. Behind the visor, his mouth opened to speak up. But no words would escape him as he finally decided against it. Instead, he simply turned towards the exit.

Outside stood the mighty basilisk whom the Guildmaster had visited him and his people on. It was easily giving some local the fright of a lifetime. Two amused brows rose on the young warrior as he approached the stranger. With Vren telling Nag off, Vesh placed a heavy hand onto the local's shoulder, startling him enough to make him shudder "Scram"

After watching the poor man make his escape, Vesh' attention turned back to the others. "Yes." he spoke matter-of-factly in a short sentence but elaborated further without too much of a delay "It's always better to push than to risk becoming stagnant."

Without bothering to do another check of whether he had forgotten anything, Vesh nodded "Everything's in order, let's go." he moved with a decent pace but stopped upon closing the distance to the droid. Looking up at it with a small degree of confusion he let out a low "We didn't have these at home." A few more moments would pass before he finally made an attempt to mount the droid.

 

[Vren Rook]

GUILDMASTER
MOS EISLY | TATOOINE
TAG: Veshok Rook
GEAR: In Bio

SOUL OF A MAN​

How did he turn out like this?

Vren wondered for the slightest heartbeat how the kid had turned out with such a straight back with little to no influence from either of his parents. The old Karjr couldn't help but be proud of the young man standing in front of him now, foreign as it was to feel like that.
"Good. Let's get going then." he said flatly, however, not wanting to reveal any of his deeply hidden feelings.

"We didn't have these at home."

A small smile tugged at Vren's mouth behind his visor at the soft mumble and ever so subtly, he tapped Nag to bend down even more to ease Veshok's clamber into the cockpit. The Guildmaster, on the other hand, just gave a little thrust of his jump boots to get into the pit.

Inside, he quickly typed in some coordinates for the Jundland Chasm.
"We're going to be scanning the entire area on the way to the Ravine." he said as Nag straightened up and jumped into the air before her ions fired up with a howl. "I received quite a few reports of an increase in criminal raiders around that area that keep harassing locals. Not Tuskens, mind you. Sounds like a syndicate in the root stages. If they're not stopped, they could unseat even the Hutts, which won't be good business for anyone." he went on to explain. "I want to see what we're up against first. If we can take them between the three of us, then we'll do that. Otherwise we'll have to wait for more backup."
A rumble sounded inside the cockpit. ://: Like I ever need backup. ://: Nag said as she dipped slightly lower to fly closer to the ground.
"We are trying to leave the environment intact as far as possible, Girl. Turning the Sea into glass will be counterproductive." he explained with a bit of a chuckle.
://: Hm. For you, maybe. ://: Vren didn't know it was possible, but she almost sounded like she was pouting. Did Shai Maji know she designed a droid that continues to evolve the older it gets? If only she was alive that he could tell her.

So many friends that he had lost.

Vren shook himself from that thought and looked over at Veshok.
"It will most probably turn into a heavy fight if we engage. How good is your combat skills?" he asked before looking out the side of the viewport again to see if anything was out of place on the sands.

He had to know how much he should worry about the boy when things go south.

 

[Veshok Rook]

Trace the Footsteps
Travelling with Vren Rook ​

Usually, Vesh was the one doing the briefings. Still, he was far from unfamiliar with them and remained silent throughout. Far from passive, however, he listened intently with slightly skeptical brows rising upon hearing that they weren't fighting the planet's local warrior tribes. For the most part, however, his gaze was not set on his father, instead, his eyes had honed in on the basilisk's displays or the dunes outside.

It was the droid's show of defiance which had him react somewhat more overtly as his head shifted to the sound panel before his eyes shot towards Vren. For a few long moments, he scrutinized the man, watching for a reaction against what had happened before finally letting out a low "You should trust his judgement" before slowly leaning back onto the seat once more.

Just as Vren finished asking the question, Vesh was already responding to the previous statement "As we should" he spoke with a tempered eagerness and hunger for battle. When he continued, his demeanour grew increasingly professional. "If we aren't fighting the Tuskens, I sure hope we can get a good fight out of these raiders. I could've learned something from the natives but these people... I don't know, I think a hard fight might be all that they're good for. We'll see - let's get a proper feel for their numbers and a good attack vector. You spoke of glassing dunes, I'm assuming they're not in the canyons then? If all they've got are huts and tents, we might be able to take some of them out from a distance. Maybe have Nag take care of reinforcements for us." Vesh might've been interested in who they'd be fighting but it was the leader of the Onderonian Hardhorns who showed restraint and started strategizing.

As if having forgotten about the question posed, he suddenly spoke up after a brief pause, still professional and analytical "I lack the experience and skill of the seasoned warriors of Kestri. I survived against one of those jedi - or Sith - on Kiffu but that's about it. I've faced a couple of your warriors in the battle circle. Jenn and Mevia. It went well."

Allowing for a small pause and letting his head to return to a resting, forward facing position, it might have seemed as if the young warrior was done. Suddenly, his eyes flashed up in realisation and his brows furrowed. His body tensed up as his head jerked towards his father. A voice, tense and filled with subdued emotion, a far cry from the, usually, cold ways of Veshok Rook: "I don't need no babysitter. I've managed without one sin-.. for more years than I care to count. If things get messy, I'll sort it out."