Friends at unlikely places

[Gunner Stahl]

ANDARA
​

R70-Dalyrake exited from galactic space, descending downwards into the atmosphere of Andara as Gunner sat in the single cockpit and navigated towards his intended target. He figured that he would land a few miles to the outskirts of Utare city and then make the rest of the track on foot as to prevent any scavengers from making him easy prey. As the ship was brought down into the 100 meter vertical range, he noticed a red flashing beacon on the center console along with sudden jerks and rattling of the vessel's chassis. "Kriff'. He muttered to himself, thinking that engine failure always occurred at the most inopportune moments.

Sharply toggling through the controls, he attempted to regain direction on his failing ship but was unfortunately not enough to overpower the blown engine. As the Dalyrake tumbled down to eminent doom, he did manage to pull out the landing apparatus as it made an abysmal contact with the ground. Tires skidding on the dirt while metal parts and shafts scattered from the force of the blunt crash.

Sighing, he opened the cockpit and pressed a distress signal button. Perhaps a nearby vessel would be able to catch his signature and provide a mechanic to fix his ship back into working order. He didn't mind if his stay was slightly delayed, after all, not only did he have to find a rogue investor but also one that was apparently adept at hiding in seclusive sectors of the galaxy. Jumping to the ground, he removed the worn and sweaty pilot suit, replacing it with his ebony battle armor. He stuffed a pulse wave pistol into a side holster while he loaded a power pack into his customized Devastator carbine. An additional two power packs were carried on his torso, just in case hostility was more than anticipated.

Being so close to Republic space was slightly intimidating, though given the NAP, he wasn't too concerned with open hostilities. Perching upon a rock, he lit a single cigarette and simply for the time being, he waited....

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

It was going to be a hot day, the sun already heating the air and Loa was sweating as she laid across the seats of the speeder, her feet were perched on top the side ledge and her staff rested in the backseat while she soaked up the sun. She was supposed to be helping with the younger kids and their lessons, but instead she had chosen to hide in the speeder, looking for some quiet as thoughts seemed to be distracted. It was a feeling she would get, almost like white noise, difficult to calm, she couldn't ignore it, though she had learned to just let it be, that day it seemed like it was more active than other days. Silas had started to teach her a few techniques, but sometimes she felt like it made it worse and not better.

Loa reached over and fidgeted with some of the buttons and nobs on the speeder as she rolled to one side, to eye what she was doing and let out a long sigh before becoming bored of it and rolled onto her back once more. She starred at the sky, her eyes narrowed as she watched a vessel enter atmosphere; black smoke trailing from the engine lead a path through the blue skies to a nearby valley. Her thoughts quickly spun in her head as she almost didn't want to believe she was watching a troubled vessel fall from the sky. However, the noise that had been bothering her seemed to quiet as it pushed her attention to what she was witnessing. The girl watched until it disappeared behind the horizon and she sighed, "Maybe someone else saw..." she said instinctually, sounding like Nan and then frowned, realizing, she sounded exactly like Nan.

But she was Loa and she climbed into the driver's seat of the speeder and frowned, realizing, she had never really driven one of these, just fake driving. However, she decided it couldn't be that difficult as she pressed the ignition and then pressed on the throttle. It was different being the driver as she was pressed into the seat as the speeder shot forward and stopped...and forwarded and stopped, until she did get the hang of it, keeping at a steady speed and perhaps speeding up some when she felt confident enough to multitask drive and pressing on the gas.

Regardless, her trip wasn't a long one as she saw the smoking ship ahead and she slowed down the speeder, hoping out, she examined it, walking slowly around and carefully over debris from the rough landing. She wasn't no ship expert, but this ship was now a piece of junk. Feeling her focus break from the ship she felt a nudge to turn around and she listened, turning slightly, and realizing someone else was present, turned around more quickly.

She studied him carefully as smoked a cig in his black armor. Loa's eyes narrowed as she thought she had seen his face before, but couldn't put her finger on it entirely.

"Are you ok?" she asked regardless, glancing back at the ship and then back to the man, "I saw the smoke and came to make sure no one was hurt." she spoke, feeling a bit of confidence bubble.

@Faded Truth

 

[Gunner Stahl]

The officer was seated rather comfortably on this rock; black ebony armor was freshly polished and glistening in the pale dusk light of Andara. The last person he'd expect to see come to his rescue would have been a young girl, but nonetheless, he was happy to have someone arrive. His once beautiful ship now lay there as an ornament of ruin, but perhaps the optimistic nature in him thought that a talented mechanic could make some work out of it, if he happened to be a miracle worker that was. His attention shifted to look upon Isola, the armored form standing to its full height. The insignia on the shoulders would easily give away his allegiance to the Empress as well as his rank.

The face was slightly sullied with stubble, gone without shaving for a few days though even with ruffled hair and slightly fatigued eyes, the human male was still a handsome fellow. Young and confident, kind of like her, he too had a knack for adventure. Perhaps the two of them would get along, perhaps he was destined to be the one that Isola used to escape her boring fate on this world and seek more excitement in the galaxy. All of that would have to wait of course, pleasantries must begin now.

He bowed courteously to the young one, "Greetings, I'm a bit shaken but I think I'll manage". He stated playfully, "Thanks for your arrival, I'm Lieutenant Gunner Stahl, Imperial Foreign Legion. I suppose you wouldn't happen to have any ideas on how to salvage this wreck would you?"

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

She continued to study his face knowing she would think of where he had seen him eventually. Slowly her elbows bent as she placed her palms into her waist and looked back at his ship and then stepped backwards when it sparked some. Loa turned back to look at the pilot who now stood up fully and she could see his insignia on his shoulder. She didn't recognize it, but knew for sure he was not from Andara nor from the Republic, there was something though, in addtion to seeing this face before, the dark haired girl had to contain a girly giggle as he spoke.

He had finesse and for a lot of 16 year old girls, that warranted all sorts of strange and unfamiliar thoughts. He explained he was a little shaken, having given her a slight bow and she returned a small head nod, unfamiliar with the physical greeting. Though, as he thanked her and gave her his name, the words Imperial Foreign Legion seemed to linger in the air as her jaw tightened and her eyes shot from his face to the insignia on his uniform. She didn't know too much about the Empire except for the fact that their Empress was once a Jedi and she hated Jedi enough that she put a bounty on them. Worry quickly crept into the girl's thoughts.

"I..I dunno...never fixed a ship let alone fly a real one...just only flew it in my head." she laughed, trying to make light and push away her worries. She tapped her head and then scratched it nervously, trying not to look at his insignia as she glanced back at his ship, "Though, in town, someone can probably help you." she told him, "You can use my speeder if you wish." she breathed in slowly, she didn't know what to do; Silas and Nan had always told her don't talk to people she didn't know, and now she was talking to a stranger, an Imperial too! Loa needed guidance and she remembered her code, repeating the first two lines inside her head and mouthing the words subtly:

A Jedi does not fear, I shall not fear.
A Jedi does what is right, I shall do what is right...​

Remember what Silas did teach her, she quieted her mind, looking for guidance from the Force.

@Faded Truth

 

[Gunner Stahl]

Gunner moved over to the ship, examining the carnage that he had inflicted upon it with that shoddy landing. Seems that leaving this planet would be more difficult than ever arriving in the first place. He shrugged lightly at Isola's comments regarding her ability to repair a ship or to use her speeder and venture into town. Though, he realized that first order of business would be to locate a mechanic capable of bringing the vessel back into functioning order. "No, that's okay kid, Im sure you need the speeder for other things. Just point me in the direction of the town and I'll make my way there." He reached into the satchel on his back, taking out a flask of liquor and tasted the fluid. A sigh of relief and pleasure seeping onto his face as he pondered for a moment before shifting attention to the young girl. "Appreciate you coming out here, were you just strolling the jungle for pilots to rescue or just bored at home?" He smirked playfully, before extending the flask to her. Perhaps she never drank before or maybe she had. Didn't matter, her father wasn't here to scold her and he thought she might as well have some fun while she's with him.

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

He denied her offer to use her speeder and dug around in his bag to pull out a flask. She turned away as though he doing something terrible and unspeakable as she pretend to look like she knew something about the ship, "Well I know a place in town, they're the best, you won't be disappointed." she grinned and he continued, expressing his appreciation for her help and inquired about her business before hand.

"Oh, just bored...I saw your ship come through the atmosphere, I wanted to make sure no one was hurt." she glanced at the flask and quirked an eyebrow, "I'm only sixteen you know..." she said matter-of-factly, turning down the drink, "Plus that stuff will mess with my senses, my erm..." she tried to think what to call Silas now, would it be her Master and she the apprentice? "Brother says stay away from that stuff." she let out a nervous giggle as she felt extremely awkward. Loa quickly turned on her heel, her dark hair flipping around her head as her face turned into a scowl that Gunner could not see while she mentally kicked herself.

"C'mon, we should get to town before they decide to close for the day." she told him leaping into the speeder and waited for him to get in also before heading to the city. Though Gunner would probably had been better off walking as the girl only really had a totally driving record of ten minutes. Regardless they would make it to the city in one piece and Loa seemed as though she was thankful to have her own feet back on the ground.

The shop was on the outskirts of the city, near the space ports that lined the area from travellers. Loa knew exactly where she was going and didn't bother for Guunner to keep up as she walked into a small run-down looking shop. There was a chime at the door when someone entered and a blue Twi'lek who looked no more than a few years older than Loa and seemed excited to see her.

"Loa! How are you?!" he said walking out from around the counter, embracing her in a tight squeeze and rubbed her head, messing her hair. She scowled in protest as she tried to protect her head, but it was no avail as she called for mercy.

"Ok, ok! Mercy! I give!" she finally laughed, "I'm fine, but I'm here on business, this is Lieu-" she paused, "This is Gunner Stahl, his ship needs repairs quick." Loa glanced at Gunner and then back to her Twi'lek friend who seemed to take notice of is Imperial insignia. His entire demeanor changed and Loa internally cringed, feeling a challenge coming.

"Loa, I'm sorry, I can't, I'm backed up, its-"

"No, no...you can't do that." she protested knowing exactly what he is doing, "That isn't right, you have to do what's right even if it doesn't seem fair..." she reminded him. The Twi'lek knew he couldn't argue with Loa and win and he nodded.

"Very well...and not because it's right, but because you're persistent and relentless, sparrow." he rolled his eyes in defeat, "So where is it?"

@Faded Truth

 

[Gunner Stahl]

.

Gunner was a bit skeptical of the young girl at first, however in these circumstances he let his guard down rather quickly when he realized that Loa had taken him into town. He extended his hand out to greet the man with a shake, realizing that perhaps his uniform insignia had placed the both of them at discomfort. He wasn't too aware of the politics of Andara, not understanding that the planet was heavily under Jedi influence. Regardless, the soldier handed the twi'lek some generous coinage and then pointed towards the direction they came in. "A little up that way, nestled within the woods I'm afraid. No rush though, take your time, perhaps I will venture a little bit into town."

He tugged the young girl to the side, "What do you say if I told you we can get ourselves into a bit of trouble? Would you join me?" He asked, a slightly playful smile on his face. He could see that the young one yearned for adventure, perhaps since he was here, he would take use of her assistance if possible.

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

Loa grinned when her friend agreed to help the Imperial, who then gave him a large amount of credits to get his ship and repair what he could. Gunner explained where the came from and Loa smirked as the twi'lek gave him an odd look. "Its over in the Sininen Valley. Can't miss it, its a mess." Nodded the girl, flashing a frown of concern that her twi'lek friend didn't know what he just agreed too. The twi'lek shook his head and left, walking into the back, leaving the two while he got to work.

She felt Gunner tug her to the side, her eyebrows raised in curiosity as he asked her if she wanted to get into some trouble. Smirking, she glanced away for a moment, thinking he was joking around, "Get into trouble? I don't need to run another 15 miles tomorrow morning." she told him, slightly cringing at running twice as much if she would to get in trouble again, "I guess it depends like what kind of trouble..." she told him, "Like eating all the pastries from the bakery trouble, I'm all for." the girl grinned.

@Faded Truth

 

[Gunner Stahl]

.

He chuckled lightly as she cracked a joke, the soldier taking a seat on a nearby boulder as he went through his belongings and pulled up a datapad with coordinates. The entry showed a 3D image of the nearby outskirts surrounding their main city, along with some lengthy cave systems. "Zersium, it's a mineral used for the manufacturing of durasteel. Tell you what, since you've been a great help to me, if you guide me to these caves, I'll give you a nice bonus reward. How about 10,000 credits? You can buy a new speeder and fund some travel to any place you'd like. You seem like someone who's excited to seeing what the galaxy has to offer."

He smiled, extending his hand towards the girl. "What do you say?"

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

Loa watched as he sat down and removed a datapad, entering a few digits before a map of the outskirts of the city appeared in a three-dimensional model. The girl's eyes light up as she watched the holo-image flicker, she slowly reached out to touch it, but hesitated, pulling her hand back and rubbing her palms together as he explained what he needed to find.

She had heard of the mines in that area, but they weren't in use due to the environmental laws that were put into place to protect the wildlife in the area. There were rumored to be some nasty and mean creatures, however, he made her an offer which caused the girl to do a double take. Her mouth fell agape and she quickly closed her mouth when he extended his hand and smiled. It was hard to say no to a smile like his own and not to mention for the amount of credits he was offering her, she in fact could buy a new speeder and to travel off world, which was entirely too tempting to the girl.

"I, I can't...possibly take ten thousand credits..." she laughed nervously and scratched her head trying to think. She got an allowance for extra chores she did around the orphanage, but it was minimal, barely enough to even pay for a ticket off the world. "Just five thousand...so when I'm ready, I can leave this world." she told him, taking his hand.

She found it odd for an Imperial to be so generous; she was told they were servants of the Sith Empire, a kingdom of the dark side, so there was no way they could possibly be good in anyway. However, she knew there was the possibility that others were just wrong.

"We'll have to be careful, there are some wild cats in that area who don't like visitors." she told him.

@Faded Truth

 

[Gunner Stahl]

.

Gunner watched her reactions closely, somewhat amused at her response as he expected his offer to be generous but not something that she had likely not seen prior. He was still getting use to the differences in between the various planets to the point where he did not fully grasp the economic conditions that other beings besides his wealthy Serenno elite lived in. There was a point in Gunner's old life where 10000 credits would have been an absurd amount, but those days were years past their relevance.

He nodded lightly with a smile, "Sure, 5000 it is then." He knelt down besides her as he allowed the datapad to display the various coordinates and paths that they could take to the mines. "Sounds good, I'll be sure to bring my stun guns so that we can move past them without much troubles." He stood back to his full height, prepping his gear with the necessary adjustments as he motioned over to her and the speeder that was near them. Handing the lumpsum of credits into her hand, he smirked, "Well then, shall we?" He suggested.

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

Loa quickly scanned the map, making note of where to turn and follow in order to get to the mines. She nodded in approval as Gunner informed he would bring his stun gun and then handed her the credits when they got back to the speeder. The girl just starred at them, unable to comprehend for a moment this was the most credits she had ever seen in her life. The Imperial spoke again and Loa snapped back to the present and stuffed them into her bag, "Yeah! Let's go!" she said hopping into the speeder, barely waiting for Gunner to get in also before taking off.

It would be a rather quick ride as Loa seemed to know the ins and out of the city better than the map, weaving the speeder down the road before exiting into the outskirts on the other side. The drive of course seemed to be a bit more smoother, as Loa seemed to have a knack for direction and speed, though some of it may be attributed to her Force sensitive reflexes that have become more instinct over the recent months of practice.

They would make it to the mines in no time though; the tall grasses of the prairie transitioned into more of dry sand and rock as low cliffs jutted out of the earth. There still stood old housing and processing centers, but the rust clearly stated its age as it had been several years since their last usage. Loa pulled the speeder to one of the abandoned settlements and hopped out, her senses stretching outward to feel for anyone or anything that could be lurking nearby but didn't pick up anything right away.

"So what does this stuff look like." she asked, letting him lead as he would know what he would be looking for.

@Faded Truth

 

[Gunner Stahl]

.

Gunner had prepared his gear prior to their departure, carrying most of what he required for this expedition into a large, black duffel bag which he slung over his back. He studied the visual coordinates he had uploaded as Loa navigated the speeder, journey taking significantly shorter than he had anticipated. Arm slung over to the side of the speeder, allowing the wind to rattle against his face while his eyes kept shielded from the aviatars he worn on that sunny day. Arriving at the location, no further trails as their paths were studded with nothing but pillows of dry sand and rocky formations. He studied the surrounding architecture, noting that at one point the settlements must have been bustling with activity though he still knew that there was Zersium to be found in the depths of these caves.

Dismounting from the speeder, he slowly approached the edge of the processing center and looked downwards into an abyss. He shrugged at her question, "No idea, but we'll have this to help us out." He chuckled, pulling out what appeared to be a signature reader, long poled electronic device that radiated with a soft, humming noise. Removing the harness from the bag, he fastened it to his torso and waist as well as securing it against several metal barbs within the processing center. "I'll start going down there, why don't you keep a watch for anything dangerous. You can use my stun gun if you need.." He smirked, kicking the bag over towards her before he leaped off the edge and slowly descended into the darkness, allowing a series of flashing beeps from his device to alert him of Zersium ores. Isola would find that the bag contained a stun gun along with a carbine pistol as well in case the threat became more significant.

@GABA

 

[Isola Rin]

Loa tapped her chin in thought as Gunner explained he didn't have a clue either, but seemed well-prepared as he showed her an apparatus to detect the materials that he needed. He directed her his plan and Loa gave him a two finger salute as he kicked over the bag before leaping over the ledge. Carefully the girl leaned just slightly over to see him disappear in the dark crevasses of the mine. The girl walked back over to the bag and opened it up, pulling out the stun gun and setting it aside before removing the carbine pistol. She'd never seen a weapon as such other than in holo action films and the girl grinned big as she aimed the weapon and whispered, "Pew pew!" as she shot at an invisible enemy.

She placed the weapon back in the bag and sighed, wondering if any creatures were lurking about. Her senses told her things were fine and from what Silas had taught her, it was in that time she should relax. Placing the guns back in the bag and tossed it in the speeder before finding a shady spot to sit and stay cool. Her thoughts drifted as she played imagine scenarios of things Silas would say when she returned home; by now he would have noticed the speeder was missing and probably was planning on her punishment. However, for Loa, she became accustomed to them she just added them to her training, extra laps to make her quicker, extra lifts to make her stronger.

There was a sudden clash of metal against metal and the girl perked up, quickly jumping to her feet, "Gunner?" she asked out loud, but not too loud to call immediate attention to herself. Her eyes scanned the settlement, but her senses saw beyond what sight could bring; Gunner wasn't back yet but there was certainly something alive out in the settlement. The girl stepped out from her shade, cautious as to what could be lurking, her senses were alert and something told her to turn around, and the girl followed, coming face to face with a pack of scavenging wolves. She felt the feeling of being fearful wanting to sink in, but as she placed her trust in the Force, she felt stronger, more confident.

Slowly she extended her palm, the Force building with her, waiting to see what the wolves would turn away and leave or worse, attack.

@Faded Truth