Ask Tatooine A Wind Of Change

[Su Wrumouc]

From the ashes of her clan's devastation, Su emerged a changed woman. A cold, unfeeling exterior replaced the warmth of family. No longer bound by duty and honour, she now sells her skills to the highest bidder as a bounty hunter. This new life, enforcing the tyrannic will, is a far cry from the Empire she once fled.

The local brothel provided an endless stream of distractions of women and drink, so much the pain of the clan's devastation was masked, but it was never enough. As she sat watching the latest dancer, her brain flashed back to when she arrived on this planet; it was the first time the locals learnt of her name.

The wind whipped at her feet as she disembarked from the shuttle, sending a flurry of sand across the visor of her helmet. In an instant, the parasitic vendors swarmed her, thrusting their supposed treasures from the planet's depths upon unsuspecting buyers. She swiftly drew her pistols, dispatching a Womp rat that dared to scurry across the street.

It was then that she caught the eye of the local warlord, a man with ambitions to ascend to the position of governor. Little did he know, Su was not one to be easily swayed or controlled.

@Nor'baal @Darasuum @Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Null

Welcome to the dunes!​

Rue was a totally legitimate business woman, always down to make good money where there was a good market to be found, it was in her blood as a tepmuart after all, trade was her jam, just as much as kicking hut’uun hides and smithing songsteel armaments were, and what better a market than the tatooine water market? After all, it wasn't helpful that the things she sells were probably banned on most milquetoast worlds, well, the ones still standing after the children of raze, well, razed the core worlds.

There was never enough water to go around on a desert planet like this, and moisture farming at times can be quite dangerous with the sand people, so why not bring some readily available water to sell to both help out the citizens, and make some money in return, of course, Rue was a Tepmuart, and in the Tepmuart way, Rue also brought her weapons and armour to sell too, in a hive of scum and villainy like this, there was never enough of those to go around either.

Rue had recently decided to redo her armor, boasting reds, and some scarlets and blacks, like roses, red reminded her of better times, like the flowers she often kept around her ship, reminded her of home, soothed her soul, help fill the emptiness and sadness that had come to take the place of her fallen kinsman.

Rue would tap her fingers on her little trade desk now, a common habit of hers, part of her found it extremely difficult to stand still, her attention span like that of a mouse, constantly fiddling back and forth, before her senses immediately snapped to the blaster shot on the random womp rat, now that wasn't good, an unstable, trigger happy idiot, shooting something random as a womp rat, needless waste of good ammo, probably needless showboating to look good and dangerous.

Rue knew better, a concordian born and raised, those with true skill need not shout it out to the masses, they let their reputation do the job for them, those who were that insecure that they needed to pick on those weaker, or defenceless, or lowly, deserve neither her admiration or respect, to her, that was hut’uun behaviour, cowardly.

As a recognized armorsmith, Rue was meant to represent the virtues of mandalorian society, help her fellows keep them in mind, and if need be, enforce them, a simple statement was all that was needed here, a reminder of the values of honorable combat that mandalorians are meant to uphold, if the had sense, uttered when the mandalorian would walk by.

“I assume you saw honor and glory in shooting such a creature randomly, especially here?”

The armorers disappointment in such a needless display of violence was clear, as she gently shook her helmet, people already considered their kind war mongering barbarians, whose only goal was to spark conflict wherever they went, and most importantly, they were scaring people, the presence of a mandalorian, with this stereotype in mind, would already probably make people nervous that something violent was afoot, and nervous people were potentially dangerous people, she needed to shut this behavior down, before they karked up the public's views on mandalorians further.

Nothing more was said from the Smith, that was all that was needed to say to get the message across the stupidity of firing a weapon in a den of trigger happy scumbags.

---

Void.

Shenanigans at a.. brothel?..​

The concordian was taking it easy, a brothel usually wasn't her usual haunts, but there was really nothing to do here in this absolute wasteland, so might as well inspect he local dives, this was worse that a skrills backside, but they had semi decent service, and watching a nice dancer to waste some time was considered acceptable by the tepmuart, dang, sometimes she wished she could be as graceful as that, but she knew she was far too clumsy to properly bend like that, she would probably faceplant, and she was NOT ready to be jeered at by the others for that, the shame!

Same reason why she avoided alcohol, last time she got wasted, she had shouted out loud that she would get hitched with whatever eligible bachelor could best her in a hand to hand fight! Hah! Good thing shes mandalorian, or else who knows what would have happened before her brother would have dragged her out of there, good times.

But rue's card luck was another story, she SUCKS at cards, mostly because she simply couldn't bluff to save her life, as she lost some of her loose change to a more skilled player, she would be grumbling alone at a table, pissed, her hammer resting on the tables side, mostly because she couldn't place it on her back and sit down without poking herself. She mulled over the stories and rumors she had collected like a core worldie mulls over their justly.. liberated.. credits.

@Nor'baal (?) @Darasuum @SilentLeges

 

[Brok Berrin]

The Past....

Ages ago Brok was driving his Rusty GoTech VT/450 through town, empty, since he had just finished selling his stock. The Rodian had a few extra credits to spend and debated on how to use them. Brok parked his vehicle in a place that would hopefully be unbothered by Jawas or other scavengers. He was still trying to make up his mind when he heard a blaster go off. The Rodian, working on instinct, ran to the side of the street for cover. If there was a shootout starting he did not want to be in the middle of it. Dozens of other citizens of the town did the same and cowered in fear.

Womp rats were common and they were considered vermin especially by moisture farmers. Brok himself tried practicing his marksmanship on them from time to time out in the dunes. But it seemed a bit extreme to fire a weapon in the middle of a populated place especially for something so small. Not to mention there were lots of people armed that would respond violently to any percieved threat. It was a good way to get yourself shot in the front or back. Brok's speckled Rodian eyes focused on the source of the blaster bolt and saw it was a Mandalorian. Maybe they were associated with the local Daimyo, Preef Callo. Preef was said to have his own clan of Mandalorians but this was the first Brok was seeing one in the flesh, or rather, armor.

Brok realized his hand was touching the grip of his scuffed EC-17 holdout blaster. The weapon was out of view and meant to be a concealed last resort in case of danger. But the youthful gambler was not looking to get shot today, especially by someone who was brought up in the warrior lifestyle, so his suction tipped fingers moved away from the sidearm. The womprat was still smoking in the middle of the street, less than a meter in length and not particularly impressive in terms of size though maybe that was why the Mandalorian had decided to use it as target practice. But the streets of the town were not the Mando's shooting gallery. It was Brok's home and people he liked lived here. Maybe all Mandalorians were exactly what people said about them. He could not see their reasoning in shooting the womprat other than impotent rage.

-------
​

The present....

Brok was a first generation Tatooine moisture farmer and knew his life could be a lot worse. Times were hard after a swoop gang around the town of Anchorhead had kidnapped a weapon smith named Dr Tahn, up arming themselves with stolen good and using the Dug as a hostage. The Glint Glidders as they called themselves were more formidable than what any moisture farmer could stand against on their own. Even the local Citizen's Militia were no help in dealing with the ruffians.

Life continued on the desert wasteland all the same. Brok had been interested in getting more weapons himself but even if he did get a big blaster he was still only one Rodian. Maybe he would be able to convince more of the moisture farmers to band together but many of them did not want to risk their own necks and livelihood for Dr Tahn despite how friendly the Dug had been to the community. Many of them acted as if the weaponsmith was as good as dead. Some even disparaged Dr Tahn's name, saying he had betrayed his neighbors for helping the swoop gang even though he was clearly under duress.

All of these things were on the teenager's mind as he went about his day to day life. His farm continued to function and bring in the credits for the water it harvested. He decided to stop in the local brothel. Not because he wanted to get sticky with any of the guys or gals there but because they also had some of the lowest antes for cards.

After entering the brothel he immediatly caught sight of the armored individual that had irresponsibly been shooting vermin in the street. Thoughts quickly formed in the Rodian's mind and he came up with a plan. "Excuse me, Mando? Pardon me but I'm looking for hired help in dealing with a swoop gang. If your services aren't for hire maybe you could sell me a few blasters or point me in the direction of someone who is interested in shooting at some targets that actually shoot back, preferably outside of town." His heart was beating faster than normal and he was as nervous as when he was bluffing with a crap hand of sabacc. Brok wondered where he had gotten the guts to talk that way to a Mandalorian. They could probably turn him inside out using only their bare hands. All the same, someone had to stand up to the belligerent oaf that thought Tatooine was some poodoo pile they could do whatever in. It was a poodoo pile, but it was his poodoo pile.

@SilentLeges @Hastur

 

[Su Wrumouc]

The Past....

After Su's ill-fated shot at the unsuspecting Womp rat, she was met with a torrent of scorn and condemnation from the onlookers. The concealed blasters, poised for action, only served to heighten her sense of hopelessness. While she could shrug off the crowd's disapproval, the disapproval from her own Kin was a different matter. As she made her way past, she couldn't help but notice the distinct mallet, its surface gleaming under the triple suns, held by the armourer. The armourer's words pierced her, 'I suppose you found honour and glory in shooting such a creature indiscriminately, especially here?'

The words "Honour and Glory" resonated with a significance as profound as the darksaber, but to Su, they stirred memories of her childhood, something her mother would say to her. "This is the way."

Su's voice, barely audible from the voicebox of her helmet, carried a resolute tone that defied the expectations of her Kin, 'This is not the way.' Overwhelmed by the crowd's scorn, she reluctantly holstered her weapons and began to move, her steps quick and purposeful. A narrow gap appeared, leading down an alleyway away from the bustling centre of town. Without a second thought, Su darted into it, her heart pounding in her chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps.


The Present....

'Excuse me, Mando? Pardon me, but I'm in need of hired help to deal with a swoop gang.' The Rhodian's words pierced through Su's thoughts, bringing her back to the present. His nervous demeanour, his eyes locked on the spot where her helmet concealed her gaze, betrayed his fear. The swoop gang he spoke of was a thorn in the side of the moisture farmers, the lifeblood of the planet. But Su also knew that this gang, in particular, was the unofficial enforcer for the warlord. She was faced with a weighty decision, one that could shape the course of many lives for many years to come.

Su had decided that she would reward his courage in coming to her, "Rhodian, Not here; I will be at the edge of town on sunrise."

@Darasuum @Hastur @Nor'baal

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

The tepmuart would sigh gently, man, these drinks were absolutely shit! She was quite disappointed as to why these non alcoholic drinks were just that bad.. oh well.. the tepmuart would stand, moving to pay off her tab, she would move to grab her hammer, placing it back on her back, as she would pay her tab.

Rue would reach for her helmet, before spying that mandalorian from before.. bah.. who cared about one.. all said and done.. she clicked her tongue, now reaching for her helmet, brushing some dust off the three painted scar marks that mimicked her own on her visor, before putting it on with a click.

@SilentLeges @Darasuum

 

[Brok Berrin]

The young Rodian looked around to see if there were any watching eyes. Most people seemed to be looking at the scantly clad dancers. The music was loud so there was no chance of anyone overhearing them unless they were sitting right next to them. Brok shrugged. "Why wait?" He was planning on sticking around anyways and playing a few hands of cards.

Another Mandalorian rose from a seat, looking like they were leaving. If the first Mandalorian was going to give him the run around he was fine trying to speak with one of their kin. Maybe they were more eager for the money burning a hole in his pocket. Rather than miss the opportunity he flagged them down with a suction cupped hand. "Hey, uh...are you looking for work? I can pay. There's some bad people that have kidnapped a friend of mine. I'm also looking to buy weapons if you know of a place I can do that." He knew of a few people to buy weapons from but they were either over priced or lower quality than desired. Usually it was a combination of those two things.

@SilentLeges @Hastur

 

[Su Wrumouc]

Su's annoyance at the question, "Why wait?" was not visible, given that the helmet hid her lips pressed together. Before she got up and moved away, Su spoke softly, not to frighten the Rhodian or give away what they were talking about, as there were many ears in a town like this. She was referring to the gang the Rhodian had mentioned earlier, "a notorious group that only answered to the warlord. Having spies throughout the town; they were known to take action if their authority was threatened".

A couple of hours later, as the first rays of the sun began to pierce the horizon, a new day was born, casting an eerie glow over the town.

The spot just beyond the town's borders, perched precariously on the edge, offered Su an unparalleled view of the only ingress points. The town, nestled atop a mesa, had its entrance at the terminus of a treacherously steep incline, she watched and waited for the Rhodian to arrive.

@Hastur @Darasuum

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Rue was just about to exit this absolute shit hole, when a young Rodian would approach her, at first, she was willing to just ignore him and pretend that she didn't hear him, but then he said those absolutely magical words, “I can pay.” and rue, well, she loved money, even if part of her didn't want to get wrapped up in local politics, but eh, fuck it why not, she was hurting for credits ever since her terrible card game earlier, so the concordian would spin to the lad as soon as he mentioned the prospect of money.

“I can do both of that, come, come! I have some weaponry still left for sale, though my more.. Exotic wares have been packed away, I do have a few blasters for reasonable prices, even some westars!”

The prospect of making money always excited rue, maybe it was because of her tendency to hoard credits unless necessary, she motioned for the rodian to follow her.

“I saw you were speaking with that other mandalorian, hmph, I'm assuming they declined? eh, not my business. Well, lucky for you, I happen to be allied with a certain mercenary group, so you came to the right mando’ade.”

She would open a case once they arrived at her little weapons stall, as she shoo’ed a younger tepmuart foundling off to return to the ship and keep their stock safe.

“But I need more details, who are these guys, who did they steal, how many are there that you’re aware of, if they have anything specific in their hands that I need to know
about before I risk my neck for anything.”

Rue would sell what she can spare, mostly at a lower price than normal, because she was probably going to make it up when she was paid for the mission, before agreeing to the task after some consideration.

@SilentLeges @Darasuum

 

[Brok Berrin]

Brok's looked to the side as he thought about Su's answer before looking back at her in a manner that said he did not quite understand. But she was the expert, allegedly. She seemed to be done with the discussion and moved on.

After the Rodian approached the second Mandalorian he found her to yield better results. He was not overly familiar with weapons so when she mentioned what he assumed was a brand name he could only tilt his head slightly to the side. Then he wondered if he should pretend to know more about weapons or else be at risk of taken advantage of. "Ahem...yes...west-stars. Those are top of the line." The card player was usually pretty good at bluffing, or so he thought. Brok did not want to be taken as an easy mark. He was mostly confident that based off of context and from what he had heard other spacers say that a "west star" or whatever it was called, was a type of blaster.

The teenage gambler followed the arms dealer out of the brothel and was happy to hear that she had more like her to call if need be. One Mandalorian alone was worth a dozen mercenaries, maybe even twenty, or a hundred. He only heard stories about them and they were usually on par with the famous Jedi or infamous Sith.

Brok shrugged his green shoulders in response to Rue even though the Armorer was walking ahead of him. "Not exactly. They said there are eyes and ears in town and seemed to be extra cautious. Maybe they're right. Maybe they're paranoid. So I take it you two don't know each other then?" It was a bit presumptuous to assume the two Mandalorians were associates. Hopefully the one he was following was not already employed by the gang he was hoping to thwart otherwise this was going to be over really quick.

Thankfully she did not seem to be associated with the Glint Gliders. Brok cleared his throat before he began to explain but his eyes could not help but wander towards the assortment of weapons available. He was not sure he knew how to use any of them aside from a few obvious makes and models. "ahem, well the bad guys in question call themselves the Glint Gliders. They're a swoop gang that have made the crashed hulk of an old ship their hideout, the Hydian Marauder." Brok would be able to point it out on a map if asked along with most anyone that called Tatooine home. He continued all the same. "They took a gunsmith from Anchorhead. He's a Dug, a friendly one, named Doctor Tahn. They've had him for awhile and are making him service their weapons I think." Brok shrugged again, guessing since he had intentionally kept his distance from the thugs.

"At first I think there was maybe twenty, thirty of them tops. But now I think they have way more than that. They've got souped up swoops, what look like big blasters around the edge of their camp..." He held his arms apart to emphasize how large they were. It could be assumed that Brok was talking about E-web type repeaters or something akin to that but the Rodian was not well versed in weaponry. "Uh..." He tried to think of anything else that might be relevant. The farmer had scouted the place out at a distance one night when he was feeling especially bold and maybe a little buzzed. But it had turned out to give Brok an idea of their strength and numbers. "...yeah I think that's about it."

"So uh, what do you recommend for someone like me? I'm thinking I could get a few rifles for my family and I. It's just my dad, mom and me. All I have is a pistol so far but I want something with good stopping power that I can draw quickly, especially if I'm already sitting down ya know?" His dark orbs for eyes looked over the various weapons, wondering if their size had anything to indicate their power output or maybe just their range. He was a novice when it came to most weapons beside sporting blasters.

@SilentLeges @Hastur

22/100 Moderate, fail with some moderate consequence[/abox3]

 

[Su Wrumouc]

Su, a vigilant and seasoned resident of this mesa-top settlement, was a force to be reckoned with. Her every step was calculated, her every move precise. She was a master of her environment, always on guard, her senses finely tuned to the slightest hint of movement or disturbance amidst the quiet morning stillness. Every whisper could be a warning, and every shadow could conceal a threat.

As Su's patience wore thin, the gold and purple hues of the morning changing to blue, the shadow of the town rising slowly towards the east, her com-link chimed. With swift action, she picked up the receiver, her expression hidden behind her helmet as she listened to the voice that crackled from the receiver, each word adding to the tension in the air.

"Su", The deep and commending, unmistakable voice that belonged to the warlord, "I trust you haven't forgotten our arrangement. I am bringing a spice shipment from the Pyke's; keep watch; I don't want trouble." Just as the voice clicked off, the sand was not just being kicked up but whipped into a frenzy by the vehicles approaching the town.

As the distant rumble of engines grew louder, Su's heart quickened within the confines of her Mandalorian armour. She watched with a steely gaze as the sand stirred into a frenzy, heralding the imminent arrival of the warlord's convoy, a menacing force escorted by formidable guards from the Pykes. The atmosphere in the town shifted palpably as the air crackled with tension, and Su knew that trouble was not just brewing but about to erupt beneath the surface of this seemingly tranquil morning.

With practised precision, she didn't just adjust her grip on her blaster rifle but tightened it, readying herself not just for whatever challenges lay ahead but for a potential battle. The arrival of the spice shipment didn't just bring an ominous foreboding but cast a shadow over the town that matched not just the uncertainty but the fear in Su's heart.

As the convoy approached with a loud noise, Su braced herself for the inevitable confrontation. Her heart was racing with fear and determination as she scanned the horizon for any sign of the Rhodian. In a sense of relief, she realised that he had failed to materialise. The absence of the Rhodian spared him from the imminent danger that loomed over the town, and Su was grateful for that.

With a final, resolute glance towards the town below, Su steeled herself for the inevitable clash, her determination shining through the fear. She knew that her survival didn't just depend on her ability to navigate the treacherous currents of power and deception that engulfed the mesa-top settlement, but on her unwavering resolve to protect her home and its people.

@Darasuum @Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Rue would nearly yelp at the numbers, 30!?.. then again, it was Tatooine, a hive of scum and villainy, but 30? yeah.. that was going to be a major problem, there had to be a way to even the odds for them..

"well, I can offer you some basic weaponry, assuming we're fighting just basic thugs, you can consider payment for these to be my payment for the mission itself, but I highly suggest if we're dealing with more than thirty, that we wait until the gang goes out for a raid or.. something.. so their numbers are down, that way we have less resistance."

Rue would set down a case, popping it open to reveal some westar blaster pistols.

"we'll need to do some more recon work, cant risk our hides over "I thinks" and size descriptions, frontal assault would be suicide.. we'll need to see their patrols, find a way in, or else we're just gonna be outnumbered and slaughtered.. gotta be a stealth mission then.. damnit.."

rue would tap the side of her helmet in thought.

"Any angry locals who want to give those guys a piece of their mind? mercenaries?.. speak with that mandalorian lass you encountered earlier, see what they have to say, then lets all get together to plan this thing out."


@SilentLeges @Darasuum

 

[Brok Berrin]

The Rodian nodded as he heard the merchant's willingness to sell him weapons. "Yeah they maybe have biker jackets or blast vests I think...er..." He realized he said it again and paused. "...from what I've seen I mean. But that's mostly about it. It's smart to split them up. Good idea. A lot of their bikes are two seaters and don't have blasters built in. The backseat riders usually shoot I think while the main driver steers. But that's just what I've seen from a distance." Hearing the Mandalorian's tactics was reassuring. This was why he was willing to hire a professional. The moisture farmer would not have even thought about that type of thing. Hopefully she would catch more of any Brok's flawed logic and make up for his inexperience with warfare.

"Okay. Yeah I'll try to meet her in a few hours. I might be able to wrangle together a few friends I trust too." He knew of a few locals that were not happy with the Glint Gliders. They would likely need to get some of the weapons that Brok bought today but they were similarly inexperienced like the Rodian.

With all of that in mind Brok accepted the truck load of weapons. He would try to familiarize himself in the time he had before meeting back up with Rue. The next day they would work on getting as much information as they could on the Glint Gliders and maybe even take them by surprise. The Westar-35 blaster pistols and a few Westar-17 blaster carbines would help a great deal. But even more important were the people willing to show up to help.

Exit Thread​

rolled to recruit mercenaries and friends to join him in scouting/attacking the gang hideout
68/100 success
We'll pick this up in a different thread