Private Ulik

[Haastal Haran]

Ulik - a pack animal, beast of burden.
Safira Haran | Damsy Callat
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Haastal stirred from a dreamless sleep. It lasted only a moment before his eyes came to open, deep brown pearls gazing at the ceiling above. His eyes caught sight of a faint azure glow. The illuminators were on which meant they were drifting closer to their destination. He exhaled, running a hand over his face in an effort to cause the lingering effects of sleep to flee. He made a rather disgruntled sound before turning to a nearby clock. Two in the morning. There were no words to describe the hell of jetlag that intergalactic travel could place on a man. Haastal pulled the covers from him body, only to feel the warm hand slide across his chest. His own hand reached up to take hold of Safira's, holding it for a fraction of a moment before a hand fell to her shoulder.

"Hey, time to wake up trouble maker." He spoke in a low tone, the early morning obviously weighing on him. He gave Safira a moment to wake up before standing up and drawing his back into a tight stretch. "SIRE." He called out. That was when his helmet that sat on the nightstand illuminated, the T-shaped visor coming to life with an amber glow. "Hey hon, up early?" The voice called out through the helmet's speakers, causing Haas to crane his neck before hearing an audible pop. "Mhmm, play a track in the ship's speakers." There was a quick pause before the helmet's visor briefly illuminated green to acknowledge his command. In the next moment Haastal' music began to play over the ship's intercom music.

While the music played Haastal got dressed in his Beskar'gam. Once he was back in his full kit he turned his eyes towards a mirror in the edge of the room. He stared at the image that he saw for a while before making an unintelligible grunt of a sound. He looked to Safira who was no doubt awake by now. "Ain't never been to Gamorr before. Don't think its a planet too many people get into the habit of visitin'. Who the fuck wants to be surrounded by them damn pigs." He walked over to Safira, his hand coming to press against her cheek for a brief moment. "C'mon, get dressed." He told her, before turning out of their bedroom. The music flowed into the hall and Haastal yelled through out the main hold.

" Ve'vut'gi! Let's go!" he called out to his niece who he assumed was still asleep. The Mandalorian made his way to the front of the ship, standing in the corridor to the cockpit while gazing out the viewport. He'd wait for Safira or Damsy to take over the controls from the autopilot. Haastal could do many things but when it came to flying a starship? Generally there was some amount of suffering to go along with it, for him or whoever he crashed into. He turned his eyes to the flashing lights of Hyperspace, watching the hundreds of thousands of stars and planets that passed them at an amazing rate. When Safira and Damsy made their way into the cockpit, Haastal tapped a button on the control pad of his gauntlet. "Ok, I had a contact on the planet a few months ago...knowin' him he probably ain't alive anymore but if he is maybe he can give us some info on what's goin' on here."

"All those pirate ships I told you we hit? They all came from Gamorr but I don't know why or even whose got control of them. Either a Beskar asteroid is out here or there's somethin' else going on."

 

[Safira Haran]

T A G S | Haastal Haran - Damsy Callat

Safira loved her sleep.

Most would go so far as to say she wasn’t a morning person, but it didn’t really matter what time in the day. If you woke her up, she was bound to be grumpy. So, when Haastal’s voice, as low and soothing as it was, rumbled in her ear; Safira groaned. Loudly. Then, when he shouted loudly to the AI in his helmet, she swore. “Shut the kriff up, Has.” Her words were mumbled by the pillow she pinned over a head of thick, curly locks. “It’s too early for that chit.”

Music began to filter through the ship's speakers and penetrate the feathery depths of the pillow. That was when Safira realised that the chance of getting more sleep was a dream. Or rather, a waking nightmare.

Finally, she managed to sit herself up. The cold floor against her feet was less than pleasing, but the warm hand that came to resto n her cheek a moment later negated it. “You’re talking far too much for two in the morning.” Her groggy tone replied teasingly as she hauled herself from the edge of the bed to stretch her arms as best she could. Dressing alone afforded her a few moments to shake the sleep from her mind properly, but it wasn’t long before she joined Haastal in the cockpit.

Stifling a yawn, Safira threw herself down into the co-pilot's seat. Driving was Damsy’s thing, but she could get everything ready for her while they waited.

They had planned their mission to the best of their abilities. Which, considering what they’d left behind, weren’t overly impressive. They had damn near lost a vital piece of equipment on a refuelling moon a couple of weeks back. They couldn’t afford to be that careless here. What they had in store for today needed to go off with as few hitches as possible. Or at least, it did if they all wanted to live to see the inside of this ship again. Safira had fought what had felt like an impossible amount of time to find a home like this one, even if it wasn’t perfect yet.

She couldn’t stomach the idea of losing it all in one single night.

Various clicks and beeps filled the cockpit as the autopilot died down and Safira settled herself back properly. “We both know a Beskar asteroid is a bit of a far stretch. Even if the guy you know is dead, someone is bound to know what’s going on around there. The whole thing stinks of chit, nobody is gonna be able to deny the smell.” She cast a quick glance toward Haastal, her face riddled with amusement. “Shouldn’t be too hard to squeeze it out of them.”

 

[Damsy Callat]

F U N​

Tags: Haastal Haran Safira Haran​

Damsy wasn't asleep, but it was sensical that both family members might have assumed she would have been at such an hour. Part of her unique biology was an equally unique circadian rhythm which in turn begat a peculiar sleep pattern. In the sea, when her skin split back into its natural gills, she had to facilitate to constant flow of oxygenated water over them. The easiest way to do that was to swim and never stop, unless found a whirlpool calm enough she could nestle into without washing away, but those typically lost all momentum as soon as they had gathered it up. Such necessity forced her to rest in halves never whole.

The only other way she could breathe still was if she surfaced. Air reacted with her gills much differently than the water, even if they carried the same amount of oxygen. The reason boiled down to the physical characteristics and tendencies of a gas versus a liquid she supposed though she had never run any official tests. Maybe she should, she kept telling herself.

But the funny thing was that the compulsion to move had followed her on land and never left her alone since first departing Kamino and spending more of her time in legs. of course she had been on some sort of watch rotation, but that wasn't necessary in uncontested space. Most recently, she had spent most of the traditional, diurnal sleeping hours, by herself in one way or another whenever afforded the chance - often down in Castle Black's Drake Den, under watchful eyes but ones that would not tell.

Not that it was a secret. The quirk proved quite useful in militaristic contexts, where she could basically take over an entire watch rotation when need was. That being said, it was always a good idea to keep one man on woman on with her at such times. She might have been for all intents and purposes awake throughout the night, but parts of her brain would be very quietly operating in the background. It was enough to dull her reactions to an extent similar to a slightly buzzed human. Too much stimuli, such as a midnight ambush, might jolt her out of restful trance, but if she didn't get enough she would still experience what almost every other sentient being did when deprived of sleep for too long: difficulty focusing, then hallucinations, paranoia, death.

Now, she sat in the cargo hold, legs kicked up onto the workbench there and listening to her own music pumping through the internal stereo of her helmet. Whenever blood brothers, sisters, cousins, or uncles where on her ship, she normally did this in order to not bother them is they slept, but tonight the rituals had been co-opted so that they wouldn't bother her. She wished she had never had the talk in Basic; then they wouldn't have to begin with. She would have respected them sticking to such a... rigorous training routine no matter the time of day at which they could squeeze it in.

Probably. Probably, right? Yeah, she'd go with probably.

She switched off the hydrospanner in her hands just to twirl it between her fingers in time to the beat and then get back to work welding away at one of her trident's prongs. The tip had snapped off, something she was used to by virtue of the thing's design, but she was also used to fixing the problem almost immediately whether it happened in the field or during a training exercise on base. She had found that she had not restocked the Nautilus with extras, so the next best thing she could do was melt down the jagged point so she didn't hurt herself.

When she noticed another beat out of resonance with hers, she set both weapon and tool down on the workspace she hadn't been using. She lay down her helmet likewise and meandered though the hallways to the cockpit. "Aren't you to early-rising aiwhas?" she asked rhetorically. Already in her beskar minus the piece she had left in Cargo, she made herself at home opposite Safira in time to hear her comments. "I dunno." She made a show of shrugging. "I'm game to get some Gamorreans, beskar or no." To say she didn't respect their culture would have been and exceedingly polite way of putting it.

 

[Haastal Haran]

Safira Haran | Damsy Callat
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When the ship reverted back to real-space, Haastal glanced back to Damsy while she made her way into the cockpit. He turned to Safira, nodding at her words before looking to the planet before them. "Yea, maybe not but we still gotta worry about all the pigs on this planet." He put a hand on Damsy's shoulder, gaining her attention. "Take us in to the left hemisphere." He told her. As they started making their way to the planet, Haastal exhaled before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ok, lets see if this guy is still on the planet." The Mandalorian stood to his full height, tapping into the holocomm on his gauntlet.

The illuminator shot out before him, projecting a form before the group. A mature Weequay turned to face the holoemitter, his arms opening as he chuckled wildly. "Oh ho ho! It's been a long time since I've seen that face. What is the Vicelord's blood hound doing in this side of the Galaxy again?" Haastal exhaled, shaking his head slowly before responding to the rather chipper Weequay. "Didn't I tell you I was going to kick your ass if you call me that shit again?" He said in a warning tone, before the Weequay brought his hands up defensively. "Oh come now, can't you take a joke?! No matter, I'm more interested in the...excellent company you seem to keep these days." The Weequay's eyes fled from Damsy to Safira before he pulled the metallic hat from his head, bowing deep at the waist in an exaggerated manner. "Vendu Ohnaka at your service, ladies. Captain of the Ohnaka Organization-"

"You mean gang." Haastal corrected, seemingly uninterested in the man's introduction.

Vendu placed a hand over his chest at the comment. "Oh! And I thought we were friends!"

"Not even close Vendu. You said you had some intel on Beskar on this planet. Those shipments we've been hittin'? They came from here right?" The words caused the Pirate to turn to the man with a nod. "Yes, yes. They have been and I believe I know just where they've been getting their supply from. But....you all should make your way to the planet's surface. It is better for me to show you than to tell you."

"Transmit your position. We're on our way." The man remarked, before the holofeed died. Haastal exhaled, looking to Safira and Damsy before gresturing to a ping on the ship's console. "There he is. Bring us down nearby....not too close. I trust this guy about as far as I can throw him...hell i can probably throw him farther than I can trust him."

 

[Safira Haran]

T A G S | Damsy Callat - Haastal Haran

“Come on Dams, you know me better than that.” Safira replied to the voice of her cousin, with nothing short of amusement littering her tone. “You think I’d be up this early if it wasn’t for this idiot?” Her boot stretched out to kick the bottom of Haastal’s seat gently.

Safira leant forward to flick a few more switches and then nodded her head toward Damsy. “She’s all warmed up. I’ll let you take over. Kriff knows this thing’s got a mind of its own. I could swear it doesn’t like anyone else touching it but you.” Turning in her seat, she was just in time to catch the holoprojection of the mysterious contact on the surface. Safira did her best to swallow the grim expression that came over her face. He was an ugly-looking, even for a Weequay, and his voice certainly matched his face.

Vendu made his introductions, in way that made him seem even slimier, if that was at all possible. She managed to eke out a weak smile and a nod of her head in his direction, but she didn’t offer her name. As far as she was concerned, that wasn’t a piece of information that he needed to know. In fact, the less he knew about herself or Damsy, the better. Haastal was the point of contact here, they would both do far better if they could remain in the shadows as much as possible.

The minute the projection shut down, Safira allowed a shudder to dominate her spine. “Kriff. Could you get anymore sleazy then him?” Haastal commented on his trustworthiness, and Safira shot him a look that told him it went without saying. “You sure this a good idea? Seems suspicious that he would just give us that info for free. I hope this isn’t a trap.”

 

[Damsy Callat]

F U N​

Tag: Haastal Haran Safira Haran​

Damsy gave an unenthusiastic half-wave when Vendu addressed her, and likewise to Safira kept her own name to herself. Even before the feed ended, when Haas ordered the captain's coordinates, she turned back to the controls. "Will do, unc," she said as she reached above her head to prep the landing systems. "Imma kill you if anything happens to Nauti." She glanced over to Safi out of the corner of her eyes. "Oceans know you've all done enough to her-" ahem, "-galley, for one. I couldn't even get half of myself off to sleep the other night." She stood slightly and leaned over the middle console to throw another switch slightly out of her reach. "Wonder why?" Despite the insinuation of the words, a small smile played on her lips.

It was really something of a bummer though, that they would christen the ship before Damsy had ever had the chance.

Ah, well. There was always Vendu and second place.

Damsy chuckled at herself. Okay, time to be helpful. "Enough beskar will make almost anything worth it," she offered, taking the freighter closer to the tree cover canopy. "I'd do a lot to reforge my trident. Baby's in bad need of an upgrade."

 

[Haastal Haran]

Damsy Callat | Safira Haran​

As Damsy brought the shuttle down towards the planet, Haastal's eyes danced over the overgrown terrain. A thick forest had covered most of the region, however there were several areas that seemed unnaturally barren, as if their yield had been ripped from the planet's surface. Was there a logging operation on this planet? Maybe mining or some other venture. Haastal didn't give the thought much attention before he held a hand out towards a clearing in the forest, within it was a single ship, barely large enough to classify as a corvette. The oval shaped ship was incredibly downtrodden, if not for the lack of overgrowth one would almost think it had been here for some time.

"There's his ship, bring us down over there." As Damsy brought the ship down into the clearing, Haastal turned to Safira before nodding his head towards the other ship. "Good idea? Nah, but if anyone knows where the Beskar is on this world, its him." He said before turning from the two. "Come on, let's get this over with." Haastal led the way out of the ship. In the clearing below Vendu stood under his ship, gazing up at it appraisingly. When he turned to face the newcomers his arms spread in a welcoming gesture. "Friends! Welcome to Gamorr!" He laughed out loudly, causing Haastal to turn to him, his eyes gazing out with anger from under his helmet. "Quiet. You're louder than a damn Rancor." Vendu winced a bit, however he bypassed Haastal and instead strode over to Damsy. "Well, well, well. I did not know you keep such...warm company Haastal?" He asked turning back to the man.

Haastal's hand instinctively tightened to a fist, causing Vendu to clear his throat, raising his metallic cap once again. "Ma'am." He said curtly before stepping back from the woman.

"Vendu. Where is the Bekar?" Haastal asked. This caused the weequay to exhale before waving a hand out towards the jungle. "I am afraid...you must come and see for yourself, my friend. I do not have the heart to break the words." This caused Haastal's anger to spike, making him charge forward and grab the man by the collar of his clothes. Vendu exclaimed. "You have to see it or you won't believe me!" He said, causing Haastal to glance over to Damsy and Safira curiously.

Haastal pushed Vendu towards the jungle before turning to Safira. "If he does something stupid, shoot his ass." He said. The weequay slowed his pace, sauntering over to Damsy as he led the way into the forest. "Tough crowd, eh?" He chuckled.

 

[Safira Haran]

T A G S | Damsy Callat - Haastal Haran

“I’m gonna kill him if anything happens to us.” Safira replied, casually skating by Damsy’s comments on their destruction of the galley. They had cleaned it, as best they could. The dents in the cupboards would take more convincing to buff out, but it wasn’t an impossible task. “If we manage this hit, we can kit her out in gold and silver if you want. Kriff knows she could do with a new coat of paint, at the very least.” Safira tapped her hand lovingly against the console of the Nauti.

Smirking at her comment on the trident, Safira nodded. “If this Vendu guy is legit we’ll all be getting upgrades.” She stood to the sound of the ship’s hydraulics lowering the landing pad, following Haastal out onto the planet’s surface. If there was any reason to be grateful for her beskar, the weequay waiting for them was a shining example. His intense gaze seemed far less so behind a thick layer of beskar. The minute Vendu began to head toward Damsy, Safira had half the mind to blast him with her flame thrower there and then.

Fortunately for Vendu, Haastal radiated a threatening presence the minute he got to close, and he took serious note of it. The one smart thing he had done since she’d seen him on the holoprojector.

Her jaw tensed the moment he answered Haastal’s question. Her helmeted gaze travelled from the weequay to Damsy. Neither of them needed a full view of their faces to know what they were thinking. This was almost certainly a trap. “Sure, Haas.” Safira replied, shaking her head as they set off toward the forest. “Shall I wait till after we get jumped by a bunch of rabid jawas, or before?”

 

[Damsy Callat]

P R E C A R I O U S​

Tag: Haastal Haran Safira Haran​

Joking with herself was one thing, the actual materialization of the Weequay man another, and his unsolicited approach one more altogether yet. She wasn't exactly uncomfortable rather than taken aback - she hoped the galaxy was not in her head.

In any case, gave Vendu a small but arrogant nod as he quickly changed his flirtatious tune. She didn't need the threat of Haastal's iron fist to protect her - her own was more than enough - but sometimes it was nice to not have to lift as much as your own pinky to watch a sleezy man shake in his boots. When the captain gave his approach another go, Damsy settled into her ground, canted her head a gave a little smirk. "You haven't seen tough yet, guy," she replied in more or less monotone. "Keep walkin'. Show a girl what she really wants."

As Vendu moved into the forest, Damsy reached out to her family's minds. If it encountered no active resistance, her presence would stride among their neurons as her physical form followed after Vendu to pose a clarification. Specifically in his shebs, she repeated, or, like, to kill? We need him alive? She kinda hoped that they didn't. A planet might be a big place, a fact not cushioned by lush jungle terrain like Gamorr's, but surely three Mandalorians hellbent on their birthright would be able to make relatively quick work of such a search.
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