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Post by Taran on Jul 5, 2011 21:38:58 GMT -5
Darius, his lightsaber hidden beneath his cloak, walked across the courtyard quickly, his hood up to hide the horns on his head and the tattoos that accompanied them; the people of Onderon did not like aliens. The sun was bright and warm, soothing compared to the harshness of his own planet of Iridonia. While others complained of the heat or harsh wind as he passed, Darius absorbed the tranquility and comfort it offered.
"So much better than home," he mumbled to himself, looking about, which earned him several angry glances from nearby humans. "Perhaps not."
He needed to find a shuttle to rent, something large enough to cary him to Dxun, but small enough to fit his budget. He also needed to look for the others of his exploration team, gathered from across the galaxy by mutual curiosity. He had told them he would await for them in the catina built into the starport, so he made his way across the various grounds, trying to remain unseen and failing. Everywhere he turned, humans glared at him with hate and anger.
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 5, 2011 22:34:30 GMT -5
Kali finished the final repairs on her ship. She'd done them all herself. She was decent at fixing things, but she'd rather someone had actually overcome their stupid prejudices against aliens and helped her. Nothing beat the skilled hands of a professional, or the comfort of an extra pair of hands on the job. She found it insulting that they thought her catlike appearance repulsive. She thought it made her look unique, and was rather proud of it, and all of the benefits it offered. The reflexes, that had once served her well in pod racing had more than once proved their worth, and her claws were better than almost any other close-range weapon. Ah, well, she worked alone. She didn't need them, anyway. Pretty soon she'd be off this rock. This mission would be just like vacation, her employer had said. Pah! It was more like an extended shower in dirt and grime and all the little bugs and critters that came with it. Where was the sweet dry air of Tattoine? The desert was her home, not this humid jungle.
She sighed, and threw down the rag she was using to wipe clean her thrusters. No point in thinking about what she could not change. Time for some action! She changed into some street clothes, and left the hangar.
The hateful glares of the people did not help her mood. It wasn't like she could do anything about it. She sighed, and put on a face like she didn't care. Being a prized slave, then falling to a master who didn't appreciate her made it easy for her to put on faces. You had to play happy slave to your master.
Her alert eyes scanned the horizon, looking for anything that might entertain her for a few moments, something small and shiny, something to eat, maybe a human who actually didn't consider her a freak.
She walked towards the courtyard ahead of her. Maybe if she kept her eyes peeled, she'd find something good to steal, preferably fast to drive, or maybe something good she could sink her claws in. Or maybe she'd be good and try to save someone. Maybe then they'd feel at least indebted to help her.
Standing tall in a corner, drawing her short hair around her face, so she looked like she was somewhat human to the casual eye, she watched the people with her large brown eyes. As she observed, she saw a hooded man move very quickly in her direction.
"Ah," she thought. "He actually looks rather interesting." She smiled to herself, and waited, moving her weight to the balls of her feet.
Note: Hey Blackmore, hope you don't mind if I take your scene and look at it from a different angle. I haven't taken control of your character, but let me know if you're not okay with what I've done.
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Post by Taran on Jul 6, 2011 1:40:13 GMT -5
Darius stopped in the middle of the courtyard, feeling someone watching him more intently than the prejudiced humans. His senses drew him to a woman in a corner. From a quick glance, she looked human, but he could tell by how she held herself - preparing to move if needed, scanning the crowd - that she wasn't.
Taking a deep breath, Darius pulled the hood down from his head, revealing the circular rows of horns upon his head and his brownish tan skin. He stood taller, letting the humans glare at him. As confidently as he could, Darius walked up to the woman watching him.
"Hello," he said casually, leaning against the wall near her. "You wouldn't happen to be Kali, would you?" He looked at her, noting that she was indeed not human, but a Cathar. How many Cathar could there be? "My name is Darius."
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 7, 2011 1:20:49 GMT -5
As soon as she saw this man's horns and tan skin, Kali brushed her gold and black hair back to reveal more of her feline face. This man was almost as unique as she was here. Almost. She actually found him strangely attractive. It must be the horns. This planet must be getting to her.
"Darius," she repeated, giving him a casual nod. The mnemonic had saved her more than once. It was always a good idea to remember people's names. "And yes, I'm Rajani Kali."
She casually watched the humans stare at them with disdain as they walked by. It was true, they did stand out. Being different wasn't a crime, seriously what was their problem?
"You have a place we can talk, or would you prefer to talk in my ship?" she asked him. "I have a feeling we won't be able to keep a low profile here." She made eye contact with him, hoping her brown cat eyes didn't frighten him too much. Yes, this planet was definitely getting to her.
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Post by Taran on Jul 7, 2011 2:00:19 GMT -5
Darius casually met the Cathar's eyes and shrugged. "Now that I'm not the only non-human around, I don't mind it as much," he said, meeting the stares of some of the humans, forcing them to look away before he did. "They just need to get over themselves."
Taking a breath he calmed himself. He found that he tended to work himself into a temper, then the rage would take hold and things would break. Serenity was the key. "But perhaps it would be best to get away from prying eyes."
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 7, 2011 21:51:31 GMT -5
Kali smiled. He was right, it was comforting not to be the only non-human. It gave her some sense of security.
"Come on, then," she said, and led the way.
When she got back to her ship, she all of a sudden felt self conscious. She maintained it pretty well, and had even installed some modifications of her own to it, but to the casual onlooker, it just looked like a metal wedge. Ah, well. It went fast, though. Very fast.
She led him inside, and was dismayed to find a small frog had made its home in her cockpit.
"Excuse me," she said, barely able to control herself.
As soon as she said it, she felt her eyes lock on it, and her body crouch. There was just something about them she couldn't resist.
"Rawr," she snarled, and pounced on the warty thing, catching it between her claws. "Got it!"
She looked up at Darius. "I'm sorry, I have a thing with frogs." She opened her hands up. This one was bright green, with pretty gray eyes. "I'm going to call this one David." She poked him. The frog croaked in surrender.
"So, are you here about the...exploration?" she asked him, hoping he'd know what she meant.
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Post by Taran on Jul 8, 2011 12:31:39 GMT -5
Darius raised a hairless eyebrow as Rajani pounced on the frog like an adolescent kitten. He busied himself with looking at her ship. It was a beautiful collection of parts and mesh. Though it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, he could tell the quality of the ship was good.
"It's a nice ship," he commented, walking and looking about. It was a nice ship, but it was also too big to take them to Dxun without a proper port; the planet was mostly forest with few places to land a large ship safely. "And yes. I'm the one who planned it after all," he said, referring to the search he had planned on Dxun. It was the site of an ancient Sith and Republic battle, many many centuries before the Empire came about.
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 8, 2011 18:27:02 GMT -5
Kali rolled her eyes at the little frog in her claws. They always got her, something about the way they moved. She thought about eating David, but she didn't want to gross Darius out. Instead, she set it outside, and turned away quickly so as not to fall prey to her weakness again.
"Thank you," she replied, referring to his comment about the ship. "I've made some modifications to it. I've done a job or two in Degobah, and I've modified it so it can land on a dime. The only thing is, we need to place it in a safe place, and we need to have enough fuel. I don't know where we're going or exactly what we'll be doing; if it's swampy, I have to leave the engines running, I'm not a big risk taker, it's my only home now. I hope you find it suitable for your needs."
She was at his side now, as he checked out her ship. Her modifications had made it bigger, most were hidden and weapons, but she'd installed some things she'd learned to build during her pod days. It could hover nicely, over swamps or bodies of water. She'd also installed a force field on the bottom that could silently disintegrate something underneath it. It had proved useful more than once. You never knew what you ran into as a bounty hunter.
"You planned this?" she asked casually, raising her guard. She had issues with authority, so it was important to keep herself in check when dealing with her employer. Seeing him in the flesh also gave her the opportunity to see what side he played for. He did remind her of her old master, so she wasn't too worried, but it always helped to be one step ahead in case anything bad happened.
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Post by Taran on Jul 8, 2011 19:07:41 GMT -5
Darius was a little occupied as he looked about Kajani's ship. It was definitely big, but too big. They'd need to purchase a small shuttle. After all, there was no point in risking any of their own personal craft.
"Yes," he said casually, poking his head into a compartment. He was Iridonian, or Zabrak as some people called them, and his species was known for its technology and innovation. "I've been curious. Did you know that Dxun is the site of an ancient battle between the Sith and the Old Republic? It was one of the first Sith rebellions. Dxun and Onderon were in the thick of it." He continued looking about, poking and prodding at small things until they fit better. "I'm hoping to find some useful and interesting things there."
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 9, 2011 2:06:10 GMT -5
Kali almost didn't hear him ask about how much she knew as she watched him poke and prod her ship. "Wow," she thought to herself. She always found it attractive when she actually found someone else more gifted than she was at fixing these things, especially when they willingly helped her, or made something go very fast.
"No, I was going to do a little digging later, as soon as I found out what it was that we're doing," she replied. "But if you're willing to spare some time to answer both of those questions, I will have no objections and will be entirely grateful." She offered him a quick smile.
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Post by Taran on Jul 9, 2011 2:22:38 GMT -5
Darius bit back the next words forming on his lips and nodded. Rajani had a right to know, but knowing would also make her a liability and a target by anyone who may not like him poking into ancient secrets.
"I promise I'll tell you once we're on the ground," he said, standing to meet her eyes. He felt horrible having to keep things from the people who were going to help him. But would they trust him, knowing the truth of who and what he was? Of what he could become? He shuttered and turned to an open valve and closed it.
"We should have one more person arriving to lend a hand," he said, retuning to examining the ship; it always eased his mind. "Maybe more."
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 10, 2011 1:28:20 GMT -5
"I'll hold you to that promise," said Kali, her face firm. She was serious, and made sure he knew that. She didn't quite trust this man, but she had a feeling he would hold true. She also had a feeling that he was hiding something. It was best not to press the matter, she'd never find out that way. It was best to keep her guard up and gently massage it out of him later as he was willing to talk about it.
"One or two more you say?" asked Kali, offering an apparition of a warm smile. "You mind if I ask who, or for a general description, so I can help? I'd feel bad sitting on my a$$ this whole time."
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Post by Taran on Jul 18, 2011 10:55:57 GMT -5
Darius smiled softly at Rajani and nodded. "I honestly don't know what the others look like. I've sent word to them, but only you have shown any real interest by responding and, obviously, meeting me here." He paced around, suddenly uncomfortable inside when the day was so nice out. "Do you mind if I take a walk? I'm used to much harsher planetary environments, so naturally I feel inclined to soak this one up. You may join me if you wish."
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kali
Padawan
I'm a Martian!
Posts: 73
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Post by kali on Jul 18, 2011 18:16:50 GMT -5
Kali returned his smile. "This jungle-like environment is kind of unusual for me, too," she agreed. "I grew up on Tattoine. We would have killed for moisture like this. I'd enjoy a walk." She didn't add how she felt less self-conscious with him around. There was always something about finding another outsider that was comforting, even if you didn't quite trust him yet. She felt he was safe enough now. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have done so already. Besides, he needed /her/ help at the moment. Time to enjoy.
"Where are you from?" she asked awkwardly. She figured it was the next natural question to ask of a stranger.
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Post by Taran on Jul 19, 2011 1:33:17 GMT -5
"I'll tell you about it was we walk," Darius said, walking down the ramp from the ship to the ground.
The humidity of the environment hit him like an invisible wall, soaking into his skin and lungs. He took a quick breath, forcing himself to absorb the sensation of so much moisture in his lungs. It was so strange, to walk in a place that wasn't burning or harsh.
"I'm from the planet Iridonia," he told Rajani, looking over his shoulder. "It is a very harsh planet. To survive, we have to import nearly everything from offworld. Most of my people have turned to trade or privateering. My father is a spice merchant, though I can't honestly say how much of it is legal." He turned to her and clasped his hands behind his back. "But regardless of his methods, my father was able to sustain us over the years. Frankly, I don't care if he stole, murdered, and swindled his way into his profits; it kept us alive."
He turned and started to walk away from the ship, heading to a small path that wound through a garden. "And I guess, in a way, that defines my people and my planet: Survival by any means necessary."
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