Private Train Wrecks and Tribulations

[Rayne Lo'to]

Train Wrecks and Tribulations
Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

Rayne was a mess. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to change out of her home clothes. It all happened in an instant, an absolute tragedy. Jawas came at the crack of dawn, taking the ion capacitor out of her Walker and mobile home, the Rayne-Runner. She only had time to fumble her slippers onto her feet and run out in a frenzy to retrieve the part. And then it was all too late.

One instant, there, and the next gone, down into a hatch in the ground of the ruined city. In a fit of frustration, and incapable of screaming at the top of her lungs, Rayne threw a very unimpressive punch at the hatch, a decision she immediately regretted. Tears would begin streaming from her heterochromatic eyes, and the young woman would bring her knuckles up and put them in her mouth, like how a child may nurse their wound. In vain, of course. It still hurt.

The taller woman simply decided to sit there, staring down helplessly at the hatch mostly just to wallow in shame. She’d figure it out later. Her will to do anything else today had completely evaporated in an instant.

But at least it couldn’t get worse.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

Taris sucked.

The ancient ecumenopolis was nothing more than one planet-wide ruin, and it was a toxic pit of hell filled with ridiculous creatures that only existed to kill people. And yet, despite all logical sense dictating that the planet ought to be abandoned, there were genuine efforts to rebuild. Efforts doomed to fail, directed by either misguided fools or malicious folk looking only to serve their egos.

Then there were the scavengers: mostly good people who were only going to get themselves killed. They were what had brought Gatz to Taris, despite his genuine disdain for the planet. Several medical corps were stationed on the planet, trying to look out for the fools who came to try their luck at salvage. Good people, who put their lives on the line to help others, and didn't get nearly as much help or as many resources as they needed.

Now, Gatz was no doctor, but he did have a cargo bay perfectly suited to hauling much needed medical supplies. And that was, bar none, the only reason he was on this damn planet.

At least, it was until he turned a corner to find a very familiar walker, and a very familiar Twi'lek. Gatz watched as Rayne punched a metal hatch in the floor, which probably didn't work out the way she thought it was going to. And, judging by the way she tried to nurse the wound, it seemed that Gatz was right about that much.

"Hey Rayne!" His voice was cheery as he approached her from the side, "wanna tell me why you're punching durasteel?"

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"Hey Rayne!" His voice was cheery as he approached her from the side, "wanna tell me why you're punching durasteel?"

Rayne turned a bright red, hiding her injured hand behind her back before forcing a very embarrassed smile.

"Gatz. Hi," the vocoder on her, "Didn't punch. No durasteel. That's... stupid..."

The Twi'lek woman sighed silently, hanging her head.

"I got robbed," she explained. "Jawas yoinked a part..."

There was something so embarrassing about all of this. Before hand she had been able to display at least the illusion of competency back on Zygerria, or even when they first met, but now everything was completely on display for Gatz to see. He was, at the very least, kind of a cooler individual, and Rayne wasn't particularly social. It made the pressure for trying to not seem like a train wreck all the more higher.

So here she was. The young woman got to her feet, brushing off her knees and pouting to herself a little before turning her head back to the human.

"I think I sprained my fingers," Rayne admitted.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

Ah Jawas. Gatz understood that problem; had been on Rayne's end of that problem before.

"One of those little buggers, huh?" Gatz nodded, "I've been there. Made a stop on Lok once, and a gaggle of them stripped some of the plating off the exterior of my ship. I had to chase them through the desert in my pajamas to make them bring it back."

Rayne looked distraught. Upset over the part stolen from her walker? Or embarrassed that he'd caught her in the aftermath? Maybe both, but he didn't know, nor was it really his place to know. It also really didn't matter, in the end. The two most important things to do were to get her hand looked at, and then see what they could do about her stolen part.

Finally, Gatz had a chance to repay her for saving his life.

"Come on," Gatz gestured back the way he came, "there's a medical camp set up not far from here, we'll get you some ice for your hand. And then we'll figure out what we can do about getting that part for your walker back."

Maybe there was a way to find the Jawas that had stolen from her. Or maybe Gatz could just find a replacement part.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"...Okay."

She was getting help either way here. It made sense. Gatz had wanted to repay her before, and she had declined due to not liking debts. The young woman couldn't help but think of what that doctor lady Iris Arani had told her. She needed to find trustworthy people to lean on.

It just was hard to do that.

Rayne would relent at the very least. Gatz was a kind individual, and she couldn't really bring herself to protest and give a whole 'I need to stand on my own' talk. Maybe it was because she secretly wanted other people to lean on. After all, the young woman really wasn't a fighter in the slightest, and she was compensating for that amongst other things regularly. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to take the easy road for a change.

"How've you been?" she finally asked. They hadn't been able to catch up the last time they met. "No plasma wounds?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

He was glad Rayne accepted help so easily.

If Gatz had been in her shoes, and their positions reversed, he'd have fought against her tooth and nail. Pride and shame ruled him in that sense: he was always reliant on someone, and it was so rare for him to be able to solve his own problems. It was maddening, and it was demeaning, and Gatz Derrevar couldn't stand being so useless.

He was relieved that Rayne didn't get hung up on things the way he did. It only made life more difficult. Maybe one of these days, he could take after her in that regard.

"Things have been... things," Gatz answered, as honestly as he could really, "I haven't gotten myself shot yet, no. I've come close a few times, admittedly. But how about you? Outside of today, how have you been?"

It was refreshing, to just have a normal conversation with Rayne. The last few times they'd met, someone's life had hung in the balance. First his own, then that of all those slaves on Zygerria. It was so rare in his life, these days, to have time for a casual chat. He was usually too busy getting into trouble. And he supposed he still was: something told him that dealing with these Jawas wouldn't be a simple matter.

But it was better than life or death, so really, it was like a vacation.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"I've been okay," Rayne shrugged. "I'm... afraid I'm not really that interesting. I won't bore you with specifics."

She was far too simple of a person. Rayne liked sleeping in, tinkering, and listening to holonet dramas. The Twi'lek was, for all intensive purposes, a regular Galactic citizen. She had a tendency to run into far more interesting individuals, like Gatz, or Valery Noble , or Felix Faraday . Jedi, bounty hunters, spacefarers... the young woman just couldn't compare to people like that.

Rayne did give a soft smile though, averting her eyes ever so slightly.

"I'm glad you're not injured," she added. "That's good."

Rayne crossed her arms, rubbing awkwardly at her shoulder. This was weird. They hadn't really been able to interact like this before. There was always something far more dire hanging over their heads, like dying or slavery or whatever. It was nice to be able to interact in a different way, and set of circumstances for that matter.

"We can take my walker," the Twi'lek decided. "The part wasn't vital for functionality, at least in the basic manner. It was just the ion capacitor for the the AC. I'll, uh, just roll the windows down."

It was probably safer than walking. It wasn't too warm out at the very least.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

"Being interesting is more trouble than it's worth," Gatz shook his head, "trust me. Appreciate your chance at a simple life."

It was something Gatz himself wished he could have. But guilt prevented him from pursuing such a thing. He'd put a lot of bad into the galaxy, and it was going to catch up to him someday. Get him killed, probably. Before that day came, though, he wanted to put as much good into the galaxy as he could. Nothing could make up for all the blood on his hands, either spilled directly by his blaster or ship, or indirectly by the spice he delivered. There was no "redemption" for him.

But redemption wasn't the point. Never had been. All he wanted was to do better, until the day deserved death came knocking at the door.

That wasn't worth dwelling on now, though. Not when Rayne was in need of help, and he was finally in a position to offer it. The missing part was for her air conditioning unit, which sucked yeah, but at least the walker was still operational. Still, Gatz was determined to find her a suitable replacement, if not just retrieve the actual part from the Jawas himself.

"Sounds fine to me," he'd never actually ridden in her walker before, so that would be cool, "a little heatstroke never killed anyone."

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"trust me. Appreciate your chance at a simple life."

Rayne sighed, turning her head a little. It was true. She wasn't in danger all the time. But with all of these Jedi and spies and whoever the hell else, how was she supposed to compete? Interest in her always seemed destined to slip away. She had wound up alone in the first place for a reason after all.

She'd shake that idea out of her mind, using her mind to lower the ladder that hung under her walker. The Twi'lek would gesture for the human to follow, climbing up and making her way past a bead curtain into a very interesting cockpit. A sofa replaced the pilot's seat, strange dangling trinkets littered the cabin, and the bobblehead of a Gamorrean in a grass skirt sat on her dashboard. Gatz would also be able to poke around the rest of the vehicle, which sported a bed covered in oversized plushies, various scattered bean bag chairs, a jerry-rigged kitchen stove and sink, and a sonic shower tucked away in the corner.

Rayne, however, would gesture for the man to follow her, sitting down on the sofa in the cockpit to prepare to pilot the vehicle. She'd pat at her side, indicating for him to sit, then pressed a button to roll the windows down and prepared to get the walker moving.

"Sorry if it's messy," she apologized. "I don't get visitors often..."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

The ladder up to Rayne's walker dropped suddenly, and Gatz was reminded that the yellow Twi'lek was capable of interfacing with technology through the Force. What an incredible ability! He was both jealous and relieved that he lacked such a talent. Jealous, because he wished he was capable of anything other than criminal activity. And relieved, because he would have used an ability like that for criminal activity.

The galaxy had enough normal criminals. It didn't need Force trained criminals.

But he let those thoughts slip from his mind as he clambered up the ladder. The inside of Rayne's walker was a quaint thing, and Gatz came to the sudden realization that he was in her home. Which, obviously she lived here. Somehow, though, Gatz had never really let himself consider that this walker was both a tool of her trade and her house.

Much like his own ship.

He smiled at the plushies on the bed, and the funny bobblehead on the dash. If nothing else, it was charming. Honestly, it made Gatz wonder if he should redecorate the interior of his ship, and make it feel less spartan and more like a home. He decided that he would ponder that later, after he had helped Rayne, and so he sat himself down on the sofa with renewed focus.

"Don't sweat it." Gatz dismissed her worry easily, "it's not messy. It just feels like a home, which it should. How'd you come by this walker anyways?"

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"Don't sweat it." Gatz dismissed her worry easily, "it's not messy. It just feels like a home, which it should. How'd you come by this walker anyways?"

"Thanks," Rayne responded with a silent sigh, giving a faint smile. "I built her myself. I found all the scrap on Lothal and cobbled it together. I think I did pretty well.... for the most part, anyways."

She paused for moment as she got the walker going, redirecting it towards the direction of the medical camp. The Twi'lek would get it running, but she'd pretty causally take her hands off the controls and simply do the rest with her mind. Her technopathic abilities did more than just take over vocoders. She had grown accustom to doing things via her mind.

Rayne would then crisscross her legs, turning to face Gatz with a more childish expression on her face.

"You travel places, yeah?" she asked. "What's it like? Y'know, flying wherever you want?"

She didn't have a ship. Public transports that carried vehicles were what she was limited to. That was the kind of freedom she really wanted, or at least Rayne thought she did.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

"If nothing else, she seems well built." Gatz had to admire Rayne's handiwork, "if I tried something like this, I'd end up with a walker with a whole host of problems. Yours seems flawless—missing ion capacitor notwithstanding."

Rayne got the walker moving. It was slower than a speeder of course, which was to be expected. Even so, it was a pretty smooth ride for something jacked up in the air on four legs. Plus, the interior was comfortable, even without the air conditioning. What was really cool, though, was watching Rayne control the thing without even touching the control panel.

Not for the first time, Gatz felt a little envious of her abilities.

But then Rayne asked him about how he led his life, specifically about the freedom that came along with owning his own ship. That was a tough question to answer, really. As much as he loved his freedom, he hadn't exactly done anything good with it, not until this last year.

"Believe it or not, it's kind of a mixed bag," Gatz said quietly, "the freedom is nice. Being able to go wherever I want in the galaxy is nice. But... it's lonely, not being tied down anywhere. My family is... gone. My home too. Space is all I have, but after traveling alone for as many years as I have, you start to realize how empty it is."

Gatz stared out the viewport, a wistful look in his eyes.

"I didn't think about it much, back when I was a smuggler. Probably because I only cared about credits then. But having people around you—people that you love, and trust, and can lean on—that's true wealth. They make life full. By the time I understood that, it was too late."

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"I didn't think about it much, back when I was a smuggler. Probably because I only cared about credits then. But having people around you—people that you love, and trust, and can lean on—that's true wealth. They make life full. By the time I understood that, it was too late."

Rayne sighed, tilting her head as she listened to his words.

"I... kinda figured as much," she admitted, her childlike wonder fading for a more serious expression. "I never had... anything, really. My family ditched me, my childhood friends got... worked to death in a sweat shop. I've always been on my own. I guess a part of me always wanted to think there was something out there..."

But she was weird. People had to put in effort to communicate with her in any way, and she was so easily seen as a coward, or some kind of recluse, that she could very easily be avoided by everyone else in the galaxy. It didn't much matter at all if she had a pretty face or not. The galaxy had millions of those. Rayne wanted to find her place out there, but all she ever found was people who had everything figured out, all while she was left to try to make sense of it all.

That didn't mean she didn't have hope though.

"Well, whatever," the Twi'lek continued through her vocoder, giving a shrug. "You got one friend here with you, and I think that's worth something, so quit being such a downer."

Life was hard. They needed to focus on the good stuff. It was the only way people like them could survive.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

Some days, Gatz was miserable.

But hearing Rayne's own story, about how her own family abandoned her, and her friends were killed... it reminded him that despite all the hardship he'd been through, he was still lucky. Things hadn't been easy for his family growing up, but at least his parents had loved him. And Klein's death was a fresh wound, one that hurt every moment of every day, but at least he still had his memories of the man. Not all of them fond, but they were there.

"I'm sorry, Rayne." Was all he could offer, "I'm no stranger to losing friends and family, and I'm no stranger to being lonely... but nothing quite like you went through. But just because there's not much out there for me, doesn't mean there isn't anything out there for you."

Valery Noble had once told him that he focused too much on what he didn't have, and not enough on what he did have. He'd dismissed her at the time, angry that she'd even dared to say something like that. Because, how could Valery, with her full family and full life, even begin to understand what it was like to have nothing? Everyone who had ever loved him was dead, and all he had was a cold, empty ship.

But now? Well, he still didn't like how his closest friend had dismissed his hurt and his fears. But after hearing Rayne's story, he was beginning to understand the wisdom in Val's words. He had little, but he still had something. He no longer had his family, but at least he'd had them to begin with. He had memories he would always cherish. Rayne didn't.

But at least they could keep each other company. Even if they were both miserable.

"Yeah. I've got another good friend who thinks I'm a downer too." Gatz shook his head, "maybe she's more right than I care to admit. So... instead of letting your friend drag you down, why don't you tell me you do for fun?"

Maybe an odd question, but at least it was a happier topic of conversation.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"Yeah. I've got another good friend who thinks I'm a downer too." Gatz shook his head, "maybe she's more right than I care to admit. So... instead of letting your friend drag you down, why don't you tell me you do for fun?"

Rayne's cheeks became red, and she turned her head away with an embarrassed look about her.

"I... don't usually share stuff like that," she admitted. "Probably because I like things people probably find childish... But since you asked..."

The Twi'lek woman would turn back with a little more enthusiasm in her face, giving an excited smile.

"I'm really into docudramas recently," the young scrapper explained, "There's a lot of unsolved murders and supernatural stuff, it's really crazy. You can find a few really good ones by bypassing those stupid channel codes. Oh, and I really like music. I got a bunch that I burned onto a fob. I like visiting smaller cities too. Sometimes I'll go through their fashion districts to look at all the dresses I could in no way afford...."

Her enthusiasm would slip away again, and Rayne would nervously bring up her shoulders. She'd wrap her Lekku around her shoulders as though to hide her face.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I think I rambled a little."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

Why... why was Rayne blushing?

Gatz canted his head, ever so slightly. He'd only asked after her interests, outside of her career. But the answer came soon: she was embarrassed. He wasn't sure why. Even if her hobbies were 'childish,' that still had to be better than the 'hobbies' he'd pursued back on Nar Shaddaa, when he'd still been in the thick of the criminal underworld.

But when Rayne did go on about her hobbies... Gatz didn't think they were juvenile. At all. It sounded like she liked dramatic documentaries, traveling, and nice dresses. An idea flew through his head: a way to repay her for saving his life back on Lothal. But it would have to wait until Kragan was dealt with, and he was no longer broke.

So he added 'buy Rayne a dress' to the list of things he'd do once he was no longer a hunted man.

"Don't apologize," Gatz assured her, "I asked after your interests. I wanted to hear them."

Through the viewport of the walker, Gatz spotted an array of tents and lightly armed guards. The medical camp. It hadn't been all that far away, but Gatz was surprised that Rayne's walker had gotten them here so quickly. Maybe four stilted legs moved faster than he gave them credit for.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"Right..."

Her smile would return. She had been asked to share that. It didn't mean she wasn't still somewhat embarrassed. Gatz seemed so hardened and mature, which really only made Rayne feel more and more like a child. It was as though she had just gotten her first taste of freedom and just let herself go, like it was her first time out of the house. It wasn't, but Rayne still thought about these things.

The young woman would brush her Lekku back over her shoulders and recompose herself when she caught sight of the medical camp, squinting as she analyzed the camp. The standard fair. Lightly armed guards, tattered tents, wandering folks that looked like animals in headlights.

"Well, here we are," Rayne noted, giving a silent exhale.

Strange. She remembered that trip being longer the last time she had come this way.

"I hope they have spare parts lying around," the vocoder spoke. "I'd rather not go diving into a downed starship around here for one."

That was simply asking to have her lifespan shortened.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

Back on track. Rayne could get some ice for her sprained hand, and Gatz could ask around for a spare ion capacitor. Maybe there'd be other scrappers stopping in, and maybe they'd have parts for sale. Otherwise... well, he was going Jawa hunting. Which he wasn't particularly looking forward to doing, especially because he'd have to set his blaster to stun, and that made everything harder.

"Why don't we split up? I mean, it's a small camp, but you should have your hand looked at," Gatz moved toward the ladder, "and I'll see if I can't find you a part, or find someone that can point us in the direction of one."

Gatz didn't descend the ladder. He simply jumped down the hatch. As the ground came rushing to meet him, he cushioned his fall with the Force, landing on his feet as light as a loth-cat. He gave a satisfied sigh, as the armed guards eyed him warily. They probably thought he was some kind of adrenaline junkie, or gymnast, or just plain crazy.

But they didn't understand—couldn't understand—what it felt like to be connected to the Force. Even with his meager training, filled with gaps from his many years away from the Jedi, Gatz was still so much more than he had been a mere two weeks ago.

"You coming down?" He called back up to the walker.

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Taris
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

outfit​

"Why don't we split up? I mean, it's a small camp, but you should have your hand looked at," Gatz moved toward the ladder, "and I'll see if I can't find you a part, or find someone that can point us in the direction of one."

"Oh... Okay."

Rayne gave a soft frown, but tried her best not to display her internal thoughts. She had kind of hoped that they could stick together, at the very least so someone could talk on her behalf. Using her vocoder was straining over longer periods of time.

And she needed the company. Rayne would never admit it out loud, but she was terribly lonely.

The Twi'lek would follow behind Gatz as he made his way to the ground, giving a wordless nod whenever he asked if she was following. She wouldn't jump out, instead carefully climbing down to ensure that she didn't injure anything more. Force sensitive or not, she was not very athletic at all. It took only a glance at her to tell that she wasn't toned in any sense of the word.

She pretty quickly identified the medical tent, gesturing towards it to let Gatz know where she would be. Then she simply set off, getting herself into a seat to get checked on. Before long a medic was compressing her sprained hand with a bacta wrap, which immediately started to take effect.

So she'd simply sit eagerly and await Gatz to come meet her with some intel.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Rayne Lo'to

As it turned out, ion capacitors were hard to come by on a scrapper's world that had been picked through for the last five thousand years.

After bidding Rayne goodbye for a very brief period of time, Gatz made his rounds of the medical camp. There were a few of Rayne's fellow scrappers here, but most of them were selling junk parts, and the few good parts they were selling weren't what was needed. So the he asked after where he might find an ion capacitor.

Turns out, scrappers were competitive, and withheld information.

Gatz understood that, actually. If they told another scrapper where they might find a score, then there wouldn't be a score for themselves. When he'd been a smuggler, Gatz had learned which hyperspace routes were the best to avoid detection by authorities. He wouldn't have shared that information with other smugglers, because then he'd lose his edge. So, it made sense, to be certain.

Unfortunately, it meant that their only real choice was to track down the Jawas that had stolen Rayne's part. Or he had to steal a part from some other working piece of equipment. But, Gatz was trying to do better these days, and he doubted the mute Twi'lek would appreciate him robbing someone on her behalf.

So stealing was out.

With a sigh, Gatz lifted the flap of the medical tent Rayne had gone into, "well, Rayne, it looks like we're going Jawa hunting after all."