An hour in the rain

[Shoggoth]

Ambient music

Somewhere in downtown, Ord Radama​

It must have been at least past midnight. The streets was filled with scents and noises, and people above all. People walking in and out of bars, shouting and buzzing past on speeders. Drunken brawling in the alleyways, and groups of umbrellas clinging together in the rain to catch the next transport. Puddles were forming on the ground reflecting the gloss of the neon signs hanging above every shop and on every corner of the district. Signs in all kinds of written language signalling where you could get the hottest dishes, the coldest drinks and the bests music. Unfamiliar faces passing every second soon to be forgotten in the great masses, the cold rain ran down Iris' fingers wetting the cigarette in her hand. Wandering around at night, there was something about that. As if she was invisible, like everyone else. Just passing by.

She had been sitting there a while. Seated on a stool in front of the noodle stand, with the clean scraped bowl on the counter and a cigarette in hand. All the voices and sounds of the world would muffle under her own thoughts. Time was drifting by. Pulling the smoke down into her lungs she held it there until it came spilling out of her nostrils. A thick shroud of smoke rose to the canopy hanging over the stand. All day had passed without her finding the Jedi that were supposed to have been seen here. She hadn't felt anything either so it made sense in her mind, that when something is too good to be true, it most likely is. Her sources had been outdated, that something she had to count on every so often.

She ordered another shot. Iris' hand hovered over the ashtray. It had been clean when she got there, now the bottom wasn't visible anymore. The cook behind the counter put a large jug filled with a see-through liquid in front of her and grinned. He poured Iris a drink, then put down another glass and poured himself one. She perked a brow at the man. Inside the jug was a curled up eel like creature. It's scales had started to float around in the liquid along with particles of its skin. The cook nodded at her, gesturing her to take a sip.

@Marf @Tristyn

 

[Tristyn]

Tamara walked through the streets trying to find someone who knew how to get to the spaceport. No one would stop to talk to her, they would rather get home and away from the rain. She herself was sopping wet. Her jacket was useless and her clothes absorbed all the water that landed on her. Her master was supposed to take her to a much warmer planet for training, but not even he knew where they were. This was supposed to be one of those cruel exercises where he'd leave her on a foreign world and say "I need you back on Chandrila in a week". He has done this a half a dozen times and each time she got back quicker than before. Her master stripped her of her credits so she couldn't simply rent a shuttle and fly home. So every exercise she was a stowaway, and more often than not she ended up in trouble and was never on the same ship for the entire trip. Her master expected her to use her abilities, especially her Mind Tricks, to get by. She had learned a lot from these exercises for sure, but they were getting worse.

And now she was left on a Sith planet. By accident. Her master would never leave her alone on a Sith planet. Oops? Tamara of course didn't know it. She wasn't wearing her robes though, so no one would recognise her as a Jedi. She walked about the streets shivering from her water soaked clothes and instead started to look for something to eat, even though she had no credits. Time to start abuse my powers again. She thought, intending on using another mind trick to get what she wanted.

 

[Marf]

A cacophony of pitched, synthetic noise drowned out the voices of a sea of sentient life. Bio-engineered freaks, gender-fluid beings and colourful aliens swarmed the wet street corner on the industrial world where the Sacred Band and Warrior sect made their home. Bio-engineered, gender-fluid freaks like Andromeda, the delinquent solider-punk was glad to be home. If Andro had to grit her teeth and clench her fists through another trip to miserable Korriban somebody was going to get hurt. The skirmish of Telos IV had been a Sith victory and she had killed a powerful Jedi General in the process, before being transferred back to Ord Radama to report her success to her superior officers. Andro was feeling proud and had decided to spend the night on the town, and by that she meant skulking around, not talking to anybody and looking at hot girls.

Leaning up against a lamp post on the corner of the street, Andromeda raised a gloved hand to run it through her voluminous hair, which looked extra spiky as a result of the rain. A half-smoked cigarette hung from her colourless lips, smoke billowed from the gaps in her cheeks where her mechanical jaw was fastened. She wore her standard navy blue combat tunic, with black armourweave pants and massive durasteel boots. Unease lingered on the air, loss and confusion sewn through throng of lives high and low, accompanying the urgent sensation building in Andro's bladder. She was struggling to recall why she hadn't used the bathroom back on the ship. Oh that's right, there was a creepy Sith dude guarding the door who had made her really uncomfortable.

With a hearty sigh, Andromeda prepared to leave her post, when the sight of a soaking wet young girl caught her gaze. Her mechanical irises glowed brightly and expanded within her sclera, bringing the figure closer into view. She couldn't have been older than twelve or thirteen, Andro could never tell, all the girls were smaller than her. Regardless, the child was young, vulnerable and stranded, in a part of space where young, vulnerable people who found themselves stranded typically met abhorrent fates. Andromeda sighed again, it was her night off from being terrifying and her conscience couldn't bring itself to let anything happen to this poor kid. Discarding her cigarette into a puddle, Andromeda strode into the middle of the street to meet the girl, standing directly behind her.

"Hey, psst."

Licking her lips in contemplation, the imposing warrior looked around before leaning in towards the girl's ear. She was tiny, and Andro towered above her, appearing as an eccentric looking man in comparison. With a hand held on her large, silver belt in a suavely masculine pose, Andromeda spoke under her breath, just in case any agents of the Assassin sect were stalking the night.

"You don't wanna be wandering around Sith worlds at night. The Sorcerers will getcha."

Andromeda wouldn't scare the girl with any disturbing details, but she knew all too well that lost, vulnerable people wandering around Sith controlled worlds after dark could be subject to a whole variety of terrible fates. Alchemic experiments, soul-draining, torture and rape were just scratching the surface. Andro stood upright and placed one hand on her hip, whilst leaving the other on her belt. She cocked her head and extended her pink tongue to lick the rain water off her lips in a quirky gesture. She'd buy the girl a bite to eat, and find somewhere to pee in the process.

"You hungry?"

@Shoggoth @Tristyn

 

[Tristyn]

Tamara's vision through the Force was clouded enough from the constant distraction of the cold rain and her hunger, so much so that should couldn't even feel a slight tingle of the dark side around her, let alone right behind her. She wasn't used to this kind of environment and had never heard of the kind of dangers that a world like this had to offer. By that I mean Sith planets, not planets like Tatooine or Nal Hutta. She could deal with local criminals, but the dark presence on this planet made her senses much weaker and distorted. Chandrila, Corellia and Alderaan were quite comfortable, peaceful and safe, and thus ideal for the Jedi to house their temples. So it would be no surprise that the padawan was quite clueless and blind to be on a planet like this and way out of her comfort zone.

She got a slight fright after hearing the voice behind her. She shot around, expecting to see a creepy old stalker or rapist or something of the sorts, judging solely by how deep the voice sounded, and because men have really no reason to bother girls in the street. At what she saw was sort of what she was expecting. Her face went even whiter as she looked up at the incredibly tall woman. Tamara didn't know the person in front of her was actually a woman, and when she leaned in to talk into her ear, Tamara instinctively reached for her lightsabers that were usually in her shoulder bag. She mentally kicked herself when she felt there was nothing in her bag. She remembered her sabers were stolen about a week ago. She was worried now more than ever and her heart was beating rapidly.

Tamara thought she could at least defend herself from this person with her martial arts and other skills taught to her by her master, but now after hearing about where she was, she knew she was done for. Tamara almost froze in place from the realization, but came back rather quickly when the woman in front of her stood up straight again. She stared into the woman's terrifying glowing red eyes when she was asked if she was hungry. She definitely didn't want to stick around. Even though the woman, after a second thought, didn't look like a rapist, she at the same time looked really fearsome and even scary. Tamara wanted to leave as soon as possible, and she did.

"No thanks....I'm fine"

She turned around and began to walk away, but seeing how the woman never attempted to pursue her like she was expecting, Tamara turned around again after walking only a few steps. She eyed the woman cautiously.

"Actually...I am"

 

[Marf]

Distrust emanated from the young girl, who was quick to refuse Andromeda's gesture and walk away. With her hand resting firmly on her belt, Andro titled her head and rolled her eyes in frustration, but deep down she couldn't blame the girl, Andromeda was Sith after all. As the child walked away, Andromeda stayed put, but was soon greeted by a returning gaze. She attempted to retain her imposing demeanor, despite continuously tapping her foot as her need for a restroom worsened. She spoke in a voice that was gravelly and low, but mellow and gentle all the same.

"Kid, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not going to arrest you. I just don't like seeing a young girl lost on her own in a place like this."

Moving forward, Andromeda placed her large hand on the girls' soaking wet back. Looking upwards, she spied a restaurant on the street corner. It was the kind of cheap place with grubby interior, tacky signs and large, colorfully photographed menus of the most delicious and hearty looking dishes. There was nobody inside save for the waitress, who appeared to be an adorable curvy Togruta girl and another female sitting at the counter. Turning her head back to the girl, Andromeda spoke again, this time in a far more gentler tone.

"It's OK. I want to help you. I know what it's like to be alone."

Andromeda's voice was her usual raspy, male tone, but her words could not have been more genuine. A terrible liar, she couldn't trick this girl even if she wanted to. Gesturing to the child to follow her, Andromeda put both of her hands into her trouser pockets and walked towards the colourful looking restaurant. As she checked on the girl, Andro recalled her days at that age. There must have been more than a few times when she had tried to run away from the Sith Academy when the abuse had become too much to bear, the first few times were with her girlfriend. The last time, Billie had arranged to meet Andro on Nar Shaddaa, but she had left without her. After that, Andromeda had given up trying and accepted her fate.

"You got a name, kid? I'm Andro."

Perhaps this girl was running away too, perhaps she had been abandoned by somebody who had told her they loved her. Andromeda lead her companion inside of the shabby little restaurant and her gaze was met by the familiar glow of synthetic eyes. Another cyborg sat at the counter, her Force presence incomplete and distorted like Andromeda's. Unlike Andro, this woman was decidedly more petite, her choice of clothing was masculine and drab without being nearly as butch as Andromeda. She had pitch black her and mechanical eyes were luminescent blue, another popular colour for cyborg designs. While Andromeda was the enhanced super-soldier, this woman was the hyper-intelligent cyber hacker, the kind of synthetic not to be trusted. Andro took two steps forward, her steely gaze fixated on the other cyborg.

The gaze was interrupted by the arrival of the waitress, a slightly chubby Togruta woman with dark purple skin and bronze and white montrals. She had heavy make-up and boobs up to her chin, the side of Andro's mouth turned up into a habitual smile and she greeted the woman with a suave nod. The waitress' liner-caked eyes narrowed and she placed both of her hands on her hips. Andromeda spoke while slicking back her hair with her gloved hand.

"Two seats, sweetheart."

"I ain't your sweetheart, butchy."

Well, that didn't work, twin-tails wasn't going to be offering free meals anytime soon. The Togruta, whose name tag read "Azhera" chewed on a wad of gum disapprovingly as she turned to lead Andromeda and Tamara to their table. It was a small place, consisting only of the one counter. Azhera sat Andromeda and her companion directly next to the blue-eyed cyborg. Menus were present in front of the guests, and Andromeda retrieved a 50-credit chit from her pocket and placed it in front of Tamara. All the while, the Sith Warrior never took her eye off the other woman, shooting her look that read I'm watching you.

"Order whatever you want, I gotta take a piss."

With that, Andromeda exited the main dining area to the back of the restaurant, leaving Tamara and their new friend alone.

@Shoggoth

 

[Shoggoth]

A cold chill blew in under her jacket from Iris' lower back. Her jacket wasn't covering entirely since she was leaning over the counter. The sound of the door shutting again turned her around and she saw a teenage girl accompanied by the all-other-than modest Sith warrior.
Iris' left eye pulsed in blue and her pupil dilated, her eye zoomed in on the Sith's facial features which was quickly recognized.
Andromeda.

Iris perked a brow and turned back to the counter, letting out a snort in resentfulness. The renowned war hero. Her fame ran before her. Strong, cold, ruthless, successful - Iris had seen how the lords praised her. How the Acolytes feared her.
Iris rubbed the stump that was her cigarette down in the ashtray and rested her gaze on the glass of alcohol she had been offered by the cook. She's nothing new - Iris had told herself. Some hideous experiment, for that was what she was. No finesse.
The Sith overlords clapped their hands and laughed every time they made another abomination. Andromeda was no different. She was like any other machine of war. Just another pawn, knight for that matter. She was everything Iris wasn't.
Iris could feel her own temper raising, and the air in the room thickened.

Andromeda passed the corner of her eye, heading for the backroom of the restaurant. Iris snorted again as she passed her.
Who was this girl anyway. Iris looked over her shoulder at the girl which had been sitting with Andromeda the past minute. She was force sensitive, though weak. Iris felt it. Iris' force presence filled the entire room, and she was touching and feeling every inch and cranny. She could feel that the girl had an untainted aura over her. A Jedi. Had the sources been right after all? Iris smirked and picked up her glass from the counter, stepping off the stool.

She would do quick process of it. But first she was going to play a game, on Andromeda.
Iris grabbed the chair Andromeda was probably going to sit on and picked out cigarettes from her jacket, lighting one up and offering another to the young Jedi over the table.

"Hey there, you looked so lonely thought you might want some company." Iris faked a smile.

@Marf @Tristyn

 

[Tristyn]

As Andromeda went to the bathroom, Tamara sighed, took a seat and nearly headbutted the counter. She put her arms around her head to shut this dreary world away, while she waited for the other woman to return. She might have just left, but she was rather hungry and wasn't in the mood for using mind tricks to get food. She was also quite tired and was perfectly fine with sleeping on the counter while sopping wet. It wasn't very comfortable though. Both the rain and the counter smelled disgusting and caused her to wipe her nose a couple of times, until eventually someone asked her something, prompting her to look up a bit. She waved away Iris's offer and let her head fall into her arms again.

However Iris's odd appearance, much like Andro, caused Tamara to look up again after a brief moment,"Does everyone here look so weird?" She was referring to Iris's synthetic eyes. Both woman she met had glowing robotic eyes, and her own glowing eyes were real. She hadn't seen too many cyborgs in her lifetime, Corellia and Chandrila had very few people like that. And since when do children smoke?, she thought to herself with a clear look of disgust on her face,"But I guess that's what you get for living on this sad excuse for a planet" She still did not know where she was, just that there are sorcerers and possibly Sith. Tamara hasn't seen any Sith before, maybe some SBZ operatives, but no Darksiders. Had she known what to expect, she might've figured out who Andro was.

Her thoughts dwelled more on Andro rather than Iris. At Least Iris looked a bit less threatening with her blue eyes, but Tamara somehow had a bad feeling of both. Not just the usual distrust and fear of strangers, but something else. The Force was obviously telling her something, but she was too hungry, cold and moody to listen. She pulled her soaked jacket off and put it down on the counter and then called the waiter, remembering she could order whatever she wanted. She spoke to the waitress in Togruti, hoping this woman could speak her home language.

"Excuse me, can I get a... um... grilled sandwich?"

 

[Marf]

Shoving open a filthy looking door to reveal an even filthier back-alley restroom, Andromeda was greeted with the smell of blood, vomit and other flavors of bodily excreta. A peach-skinned Pureblood woman, who appeared to be of Kissai descent was snorting a line of red powder off the grimy sink. She was hunched over on her gold stiletto heels, her tiny skirt lifted up to reveal her pink and white striped panties. Miss Niita Bui-fei rose shakily to her feet before fluffing up her bright orange curly hair and strutting past Andro. The species had only a few hundred years to evolve the rest of the galaxy by ten thousand, it wasn't working out so well.

"Man, this place smells like the Dark Lord's butt."

Sighing, the Warrior of the Sith flung open a cubicle door and locked it behind her. Taking a moment to squint at the plethora of graffiti scrawled on the walls, she undid her pants, plonked herself down on the toilet and relieved herself. Reaching into the pocket of her trousers presently around her knees, Andro retrieved a cigarette and her lighter. She lit up and inhaled, blowing smoke out of her mouth in time with the shrill stream of urine. Thoughts clouded her mind, feelings of conflict and regret. She had killed a Jedi General in cold blood back on Telos, but hadn't anticipated for his young Padawan, a thirteen year old, to witness the whole thing. If that was where the need to help this present young girl arose from, Andro didn't know. Having half-heartedly cleaned herself, she arose and exited the grim refresher.

"The fuck you think you're doing, ho? She's like twelve years old!"

Andromeda exclaimed as she stood now in the center of the dining area, still buckling her belt, the cigarette hanging from her mouth. She had exited just in time to see the woman now seated next to Tamara and offering her a cigarette. Smoke billowed from the gaps in her cheeks where the skin of her jaw met her original face as she bared her silver teeth. The other cyborg made her uneasy, her unassuming quietness, her subtle nuances, she was impossible to read, Andro hated that. Marching over to Tamara and their new friend, she sat down on the stool to Tamara's right and looked over to the woman on her left, shooting them an intimidating glare. Shortly, the Togruta waitress appeared and served up a grilled cheese sandwich to Tamara.

"A beer thanks, tails."

"Sure thing... butchy."

Raising a hand, Andromeda gave her order with a mild racial slur, she wasn't one to be concerned with words, only actions. The busty, violet-skinned Togruta chewed her gum and polished cleaned the plate she was holding whilst sending a less than pleased look in Andro's direction. She reached under the counter a procured a bottle of alcohol which she opened and plonked down in front of her customer, who in turn, gave the woman a sarcastic grin. Andromeda took a swig, before turning her attention to Tamara while placing her hand on the back of the girl's chair in an almost protective manner.

"So Tamara, just what the hell are you doing wandering around the city this late? Your parents must be worried sick."

Her voice was restrained to a whisper and her eyes were constantly shifting to the other woman. Whatever her business was, it was important enough to keep her skulking around. The minor chance that she knew something Andromeda did not lingered on the mood.

@Shoggoth

 

[Tristyn]

"The fuck you think you're doing, ho? She's like twelve years old!"

I couldn't possibly look that young, could I? Tamara wasn't going to speak up, because she didn't much care for arguing. You can't judge a person by their appearance, and Tamara certainly acted her age, and often like an adult according to others, but these people didn't know her, so it's understandable. Once the meal was delivered she took no time at all to dig into it, and it was as revolting as she was expected it to be, coming from a place such as this.

She chewed quietly while eyeing the Togruta and then at Andro as her meal was handed to her, and the racial slur bothered her some. Racism (or speciesism?) annoyed her greatly, especially the nickname 'tails'. It was also a nickname often given to her mother and cousin, being togruta themselves. Tamara wasn't part of the species but certainly took offence nonetheless. Her quiet chewing stopped when Andro caught her attention by holding onto her chair.

Andro's question involuntarily caused Tamara to swallow her half chewed food rather quickly, nearly making her choke and giving her a sore throat for a minute. After the pain was gone she put her unfinished sandwich back on the plate, and turned towards the brutish looking Sith, speaking a bit louder than her.

"Well I am a bit lost, but I don't think my parents are concerned. They trust me enough to go wherever I want"

She would then go back to eating the unfinished sandwich.