Ask Corellia Interconnected Roots

[Terra Lanris]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled. Looking for one other person for a thread involving some character development!​

Terra had come back to Corellia and none of the memories were particularly fond. She'd grown up a nobody in the slums, but now she was returning as... well, as someone climbing the ladder to become someone. As her ship set down for its landing, she took a deep breath in to steady herself. She'd broken out of this place, and she wasn't even sure entirely what she was doing coming back here.

Frankly, if she were honest with herself, it was a little bit of everything. It was a hope of finding some answers about parents, it was a hope of perhaps liberating or recruiting some of the kids like her, it was the hope of getting some revenge for herself, maybe.

But then, that was years ago. Most of the gangbangers who had come after her gang were probably dead by now. It's not worth it, she told herself.

She shook her head and made her way out toward the streets where she had first grown up. It was all coming flooding back and she ran a hand over her face.

No place to start like mom's old apartment, she mumbled to herself.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon was definitely not lost. Their nalphone had brought them to what seemed to be a rather sketchy neighborhood in search of a famous diner that they had seen advertised at the spaceport. The directions provided through the streets of Corellia couldn't have been worse though. There had definitely been at least two points during the walk where they had gone in a circle. The corellian navigation nalphone app that had been recommended to Yvon at the spaceport was definitely getting a bad review...

Yvon's eyes were focused pretty firmly on their nalphone as they walked, fingers swiped and zoomed as they tried to figure out just where they were. The app was amateurish at best and Yvon was actually beginning to wonder if they had been had in some prank. Situational awareness at basically zero, Yvon hardly even noticed they were walking past a trio of Corellian street punks hanging out on the corner.

It wasn't until they were practically yelling at the back of Yvon's head that they raised their eyes from the nalphone, blinking for a moment before turning to look at the trio. "Huh?" The words fell out of Yvon's lips as the lead punk got nearly in their face.

"You gotta pay toll to cross this street." The human man said with a sneer, backed up by his two flunkies who were each carrying pipes for some reason. Yvon met the man's eyes blankly for a moment before looking past him, around, seeking a sign that declared the street crossing toll. They didn't look like government officials or toll agents. There was no sign posted. A quick glance at their nalphone showed nothing about a toll crossing.

"Theres no toll signage." Yvon pointed out, not stepping back from the man even though he was much too far into Yvon's personal space.

"Are you dumb or stupid, fork over your credits schuma!" A small bit of spittle landed on Yvon's face and they nearly shuddered in revulsion.

"uhhh. No thanks." Yvon said calmly before turning to walk away, desperate to find somewhere to wipe the foreign fluid off of their face. A hand grasped Yvon's shoulder and that was the last straw. Whoever these people were, Yvon wasn't about to be touched.

Crack

The punk fell to the ground, out cold. His jaw mis-happen where Yvon's elbow had struck it. His two comrades seemed shocked at first, and then angry. "You're dead!" One of them shouted as they raised their metal pipes and rushed at Yvon.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

With every step Terra took through the streets, she was brought back a decade. She felt like she was just some street rat running cons and driving the getaway speeder for their gang.

She recognized the colors even a few years later. She knew she wasn't in any kind of friendly turf right now, and it set her all the more on edge. She tried to keep her head down and move quickly through streets to her mom's old apartment when she ran into the toll-keepers. It seemed... someone else had run afoul of them first.

Terra was just going to... sneak on past in the chaos, but before she could one of them seemed to catch sight of her. Already in a rage from their friend being knocked out apparently they'd decided that Terra was associated with the assaulter.

This one - bat in hand - started moving toward Terra. But this wasn't her first rodeo. In fact, she'd spent time training with Mars for just this kind of thing. She wasn't the scared young girl she was last time she was here anymore.

From under her poncho, she smoothly pulled out her blaster and leveled it at the gangbanger moving toward her, her face like steel.

Piss off or I'll drop you right there, she said, finger already resting on the trigger and a testament to how prepared she was to fire.

She knew how this worked: down here blasters were rare, and having one was a commodity. Most people didn't want to be shot, and she wasn't afraid to shoot. The gangbangers started scrambling away and Terra lowered her pistol, eyes sweeping over to... whoever this other person was.

You'd be smart not to stick around these parts of the streets, she said.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon settled into a low Echani combat stance as one of the street thugs began to charge them. A grim look on their face as they prepared to pounce up and intercept the durasteel pipe, twist it free and...

A voice shouted stopping the gangster in his tracks. Yvon's eyes glanced past to see a horned figure holding a blaster on the pair. There was a tense moment as the two seemed to decide they didn't want to die. Not that life had been such a guarantee before the introduction of such a deadly weapon to the equation. The gangsters scrambled away, leaving their fallen leader to these strangers mercy.

Yvon met the stranger's eye, half prepared for another confrontation. They lowered their blaster, body language portraying relief, not readiness for more violence. Yvon relaxed.

"Maybe." Yvon nodded half heartedly to this stranger's advice before looking down at the punk who's jaw they had cracked in half. A foot rolled their face over to reveal the extent of the damage, jaw already swollen and twisted. "Running was certainly the smartest thing those punks have done in their life though." Yvon said with a short laugh, smiling at this newcomer for a moment before their face fell back into a blank expression.

Yvon glanced down at their Nalphone, still clutched in hand despite the violence. This stranger seemed like the helpful sort. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find Sax's Slice'n'Dine Diner would you?" Yvon asked, approaching and holding their phone up to show the stranger. "I'm starved and I've been wandering the streets looking for it for hours, following the directions on this stupid app."

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra's eye couldn't help but note the way the other person moved. White hair, combat stance... Terra could guess where they were from. She also could guess that the Echani probably could have won that fight without Terra's intervention. Well, frankly, the Tiefling wouldn't have intervened if she hadn't been forced to.

She slipped the blaster back under her poncho and into its holster as the Echani mentioned them being smart for running. The Tiefling snorted and suppressed a half-smirk.

At least on that, we agree, she said. She'd have said they were stupid, but she knew the taste of desperation. She knew what it was like to have no other choices and to do foolish things because you had to do them. She also knew they may have just been morons...

She was about to turn and walk away when the Echani asked about Sax's and she turned her head back around.

Not many non-locals go looking for Sax's, she said, frowning. She knew Sax had fine food that Terra had eaten many times. She also knew that Sax dealt spice out of the back, but usually only to locals. Usually.

Yeah, I know where Sax's is. I'm going right past it anyway, come on, she said, flicking her head down the alley before stopping. She turned back, bent down next to the out-cold gangbanger, and plucked the credits out of his pocket.

This way, she said, heading down the alley in the direction of Sax's and her own former childhood home.

Terra, she offered as they kept walking. Came all this way out for Sax's? she asked, skeptically.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon listened impassively as the stranger mentioned that the diner they were looking for wasn't exactly popular with off worlders. It tracked. That didn't matter though. What did matter was that they knew where it was. "Excellent!" Yvon exclaimed, the excitement forced through a fairly still expression, voice sounding a bit strained at the tone.

People were exhausting.

Yvon stood and waited as the Tiefling picked the pockets of the guy she had busted up, cocking her head slightly as she watched the credits come out of the man's pocket. Perhaps they should have thought of that. Oh well, finder's keepers. Yvon would just count it as payment for leading them to their destination. Yvon gave a nod and walked down the alley with the stranger, wondering if maybe this was just another scam to get their credits.

"Yvon." They returned the gesture of trust with their name, relaxing just a little more. Perhaps this person wasn't so bad. Yvon shook their head at Terra's question. "Not exactly. I came to Corellia to tour the factories and shipyards." Manufacturing processes were fascinating in their efficiency. And perhaps Yvon had been hoping to sneak a little bit of code in here and there. Do a little trolling. "I heard about Sax's cruising the net for interesting places to visit while on Corellia. Good food. Entertainment. One review said their food was rather spicy." Yvon continued to ramble, a bit clueless to what some of the cyphered phrases they had read online actually meant.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra kept heading down the street as Yvon went on about what they'd read on the holonet.

Factories and shipyards? Terra repeated skeptically. Granted, there were no shortage of those on Corellia, but no one actually... came for that. Or at least they didn't come to visit for that unless they were some wealthy corpo looking to make a deal. Seemed fishy to Terra, but she was good at not sticking her nose in other people's business... usually.

They twisted several more streets before arriving at the restaurant itself and Terra opened the door.

I need to grab some food, too, she said, heading inside. Sax himself was there and greeted Terra with a surprised look.

Well, whadda ya know? I haven't seen you in years. Thought you were dead, the portly Crolute said. Who's your friend, he asked.

Terra let Yvon introduce herself as she slipped into a seat at the diner's bar. Treat her alright, Sax. She's not had the greatest time in the neighborhood so far, Terra said, giving him a knowing look that said no funny business.

He threw up his hands. Nothin but the best, here, Terra... you know that, he said.

Terra wondered to herself if this would be a good place - and person - for her to ask about her mother. Or rather for a slicer that could get her into some of the medical or government records that'd give her answers about her mother the druggy or the father she'd never met.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon turned their head to glance at Terra as they seemed skeptical about factories and shipyards, a bit of a grin beginning to spread on their otherwise expressionless face as Terra seemingly asked about something interesting to them.

"Factories and shipyards! Do you have any idea how large the server rooms are that run the intricate processes of manufacturing a whole battleship from scratch? Millions of lines of code, perhaps billions, all running in perfect sequence to produce a perfect final product. Could you imagine if even one line of code ran wrong?" Yvon stifled a giggle as they continued to ramble on the subject, likely boring Terra half to death until they finally reached Sax's diner.

A booming voice startled Yvon and they twitched, half ready to drop into a combat stance. A sigh of relief, it was just someone who knew their new guide. "I'm Yvon. You must be Sax. It's a pleasure to meet you." Yvon said with a blank face, forcing a slight smile of greeting before sliding into a seat at the bar next to Terra.

"What did you mean? I am having a good time. If you don't count getting lost." Yvon cocked their head at Terra slightly before turning their attention to the menu in front of them. Finger scanned down the screen for a moment, not knowing what much of anything was. They pulled out their Nalphone and started looking up everything on the menu as they tried to decide what to eat. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to trash this map app. The developers deserve a few dataplagues on their server." Yvon said with irritation in their tone as they pulled it back up to close it, turning the phone to show Terra that the app still said they had blocks to go... she might recognize that the directions led right into some of the worst parts of the city.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra was nearly bored to sleep by the talk of shipyards and code, and by the time they arrived at Sax's had pretty much tuned everything out. Though, the thought of code did bring another thought to mind. A dumb thought, probably.

She looked back skeptically when Yvon talked about having a good time. You were nearly robbed... she said, eyes squinting slightly and starting to have some doubts about Yvon and whether the Echani should be going around alone...

She ordered food and drink from the menu - which hadn't changed in at last a decade - and waited for the meal to come out.

She glanced over at Yvon's nalphone and took another note of the mention of dataplagues. You good with all that dataterminal stuff? Codes and slicing or is it all just cool talk? she asked, almost afraid to ask because she might get an overly long answer. But an overly long answer would also answer the Tiefling's question.

 

[Yvon]

"Nearly robbed?" Yvon looked questioningly at Terra for a moment before staring off into space as they replayed the interaction from their memory. "Oh! Is that what they were doing?I wonder why all the pretense about tolls and stuff. It would have been much simpler if they had just told me they were robbing me." Yvon laughed as they turned back to the menu, finally deciding on what they wanted and ordering.

"It would have saved me a bunch of time, at least thirty seconds if they had just been upfront. I could have just knocked them out and kept walking." Yvon nodded to themselves. How rude of those robbers to lie about their intentions. "Though, if that had happened I wouldn't have met you, and wouldn't have found this place. So really they saved me time. I'll thank them if I see them again." A slight smile was forced at this. That would be the appropriate course of action... right?

Yvon didn't have to talk about it too long as their drink came first, a Corellian malt milkshake. Sucking through the straw, Yvon almost didn't hear Terra's next question, turning their purple eyes to glance at Terra. "Hm? Oh." They were about to start talking when suddenly everything went cold inside their head. "Brainfreeze." Yvon cringed for a moment until the sensation passed. Breath.

"Cool talk? Yeah I guess slicing is pretty "cool"," Yvon made air quotes, "But I don't do it because it's cool. More of an obsession really. Put a screen in front of me and the world just melts away." Yvon finished before returning their attention to the milkshake, a bit more cautiously this time.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Okay then, yes, it seemed that not all of the wires were working conventionally, and the continuity of the logic that came next didn't really improve it.

Uh... right, she said, deciding to just let the Echani think of the bandits as having been a "good" thing. That was some real optimism you didn't find down here very often. She turned back toward her drink to see Sax giving her a "who did you bring here" look and Terra just shrugged.

What Terra did hear, however, was that Yvon knew how to slice. Sure, Terra could have tried to lure Mars out here to help her with the job and it probably would have been safer and wiser, but ultimately, that was a long way for Mars to have to travel for what would likely amount to nothing anyway.

Brainfreeze? Who... who got brainfreeze in the middle of a conversation? Terra had to admit, this was one of the... stranger people she'd met in a while, though less outright caustic than most of the people on Omega or even here on Corellia.

How would you feel about helping me slice into a system here? I'll pay you, she offered, though, she was starting to wonder if Yvon even cared about credits. Still, she decided that the Echani seemed like the type to prefer a direct question or offer over anything subtle. And by that, Terra meant that she was pretty sure anything subtle just wouldn't have been picked up on at all.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon heard two things, "slice into a system" and, "I'll pay you". Those were probably two of their favorite phrases in the galaxy. Their purple eyes lit up with credit symbols. Yvon loved slicing, more so than programming. There was so much more challenge in it. Getting paid was always a bonus.

"Credits make the world spin 'round." Yvon said with a slight smile, repeating a phrase they had heard on the holonet somewhere. They paused for a moment, realizing that might not be direct enough. "Yes... I meant yes. I'd be delighted." The conversation was interrupted for a moment as their food was delivered and Yvon looked at the steaming pile of blue noodles, studded with greasy chunks of nerf meatball.

Yvon produced a pair of metal chopsticks from a case and was about to dig in before pausing. They glanced at Terra. "So what system exactly are we slicing?" They asked before popping a meatball into their mouth. Yvon realized they probably should have asked that before agreeing to the job.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

And just like that, she ahd her slicer and her business was set. Now she just needed to figure out: alone or with others. She certainly had the resources to hire others, but she also wasn't sure she could trust them. But if there was anyone who was going to know who to contact these days it'd be Sax.

The food arrived and Terra quickly started scarfing it down, not realizing just how hungry she had been this entire time.

Government system. Parental records, she said, deciding that being honest and direct was better than trying to dance around the issue.

I want to track down my dad. I never knew him - don't even know his name - which means it's going to be some work. I was born here and I know my mother, so records seems like the best opportunity, she said. She'd tried putting in a request like a normal person, but the speed - or lack thereof - that the government sported meant she wouldn't get her answers for months to years, and she just... simply wasn't that patient.

What's your fee? she asked, accustomed to doing business like this and knowing that everyone had their price. If it was reasonable, then Terra would pay it, but a part of her was half-expecting the Echani to say something ludicrous... either ludicrously large or ludicrously small.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon chewed slowly and thoughtfully as Terra outlined the details of the job. Government system work, which meant high security... usually. Yvon couldn't imagine a wealthy world like Corellia not investing in their data security. Parental records weren't likely a high security priority however, so they might get lucky there. The job was of a sentimental nature, not for profit.

Yvon took another bite of their food as Terra asked what the cost would be, using the extra time to think about it. The details of the job seemed simple enough, there were always snags though. If it were some big money job they would probably charge a premium. But Yvon liked Terra, the horned woman had helped her out even though she hadn't necessarily needed it. This one seemed important to her.

"Mmm..." Yvon hummed in thought for a moment after swallowing their food, putting down their chopsticks. "Four thousand," Yvon started, holding up a finger, "Plus living expenses for the duration of the job, starting with this meal," They counted off a second finger. "And a hotel room with holonet near the government center where the systems are kept, for reconnaissance." A third finger held up. Yvon seemed to think for a moment before nodding. They hoped that was a reasonable ask, Yvon wasn't certain what slicing services went for in these parts.

"That's all." They said with a nod. They probably could have charged more, a chunk up front to cover the other asks, but that would cut into the total take for the job.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra listened to the offer and almost said "yes" immediately to the four grand. The Echani kept going, though, and Terra started tallying the numbers in her head. The hotel was, of course, the biggest question mark, but Terra could afford the expenses and could even post up in one of the rooms herself rather than sleeping out of her ship.

Done, she said, with a nod, extending hand to be shaken. Half the four grand up front, half when the job's done, she said, adding her own condition that was certainly not unusual for this kind of work. She assumed Yvon wouldn't take issue with it, but... well, you never knew.

She finished up the remainder of her food and tossed credits down on the counter to cover both of their meals.

Well, if I'm putting you up for the duration of this job, then that means time is money, she said, pushing to her feet. She pulled out a datapad and started tapping away, placing a reservation for a fine suite at one of the upper end hotels. For a moment, it set in on her just how far she had come. Once upon a time, she had been too poor to purchase a consistent roof over her head, and now... now she casually booked rooms in one of the finest hotels in the city.

Kriff, how times change, she muttered to herself before looking up at Yvon, holding up the datapad. We've got reservations. Two suites, separate rooms with a shared common area, she said.

Need anything special for equipment? she asked.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon stared at the hand offered in agreement of the deal for a moment. They of course knew what a handshake was but...

Yvon reached out quickly, and with the lightest touch they could, quickly grasped and shook Terra's hand before pulling their hand back just as quickly. Yvon resisted the urge to immediately go for their hand sanitizer, instead waiting until Tara was busy on her datapad to discreetly squirt the germ murdering liquid in their hand and scrub the touch away. Relief.

"Perfect." Yvon said as Terra showed them the rooms. A bit fancy for what they were expecting, but the holonet connection should be excellent in such a place. Separate rooms was definitely a plus, Yvon preferred their privacy. As far as equipment went...

"I might need a few things, I couldn't take my full rig with me when I left home." Yvon stared off into space for a moment as they remembered the full slicing suite they had left at their parents house. Multiple monitors, high speed data processor, multi layer encryption suite. Yvon shook their head to snap back to reality before they started to drool. "Are there any electronics stores nearby? We can probably pick up everything I might need quite easily. Nothing fancy, I can get what I need on a budget."

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra set out as Yvon started to detail the things that would be necessary for the job. She wondered to herself if she was being foolish and impulsive. Here was a near-total stranger that she was paying for this job with no recommendations or anything, and she was going to be buying equipment for the job too.

It'll be fine. Even if it doesn't work out, a couple thousand isn't going to break the bank, she reminded herself.

They angled down the street, heading in the direction of an old, local electronics store that Terra made her way inside.

Keep it cheap, she said, looking back at Yvon and knowing that she may nope things if the price got out of control.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon followed Terra as the woman led the way to the electronics store. They walked casually, humming quietly to themselves as they thought about the equipment they might need. Sure, they could come up with a laundry list of things that would be nice to have. But they didn't need all of that.

Realistically they could probably make due with what they had, but when it came to slicing government servers... well a little more juice would be nice.

Yvon followed Terra into the electronics store, an old store that boasted a wide array of scrap and refab parts. Nothing new here. Yvon was slipping into a work mode headspace as Terra spoke her warning. Yvon just gave her a smile. They did say they could work on a budget.

Yvon scanned the shelves for a moment, eyeing rebuilt monitors and full computer systems. Nothing worth the time it took to look though, and they doubted the store owner would let them cannibalize a computer or two for one or two specific parts. To the scrap bin it was.

Yvon started to dig like a little kid on life day, pulling a few cables out, checking them for frays. A power source was set on the table, along with a small handheld monitor. Yvon went through a mental checklist, deciding they needed one more thing. A little extra processing power would be useful to run what they needed to muscle their way into the government server. Yvon dug a little bit more before finding what they sought, an old data processing unit that was surprisingly heavy for its size. Small shops like these were really treasure troves sometime.

"That's all I need." Yvon said after a few moments of staring at the pile of parts, running configurations through their head as they did the math on the power and speed of the parts. It would look ugly when it all came together, but Yvon didn't think Terra preferred to pay for aesthetic.

Terra would walk out of the shop running a few hundred credits lighter. Yvon would walk out with a bag full of parts and a smile on their face.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra watched Yvon gather together all the pieces of the puzzle, and they were ready to go in short order. Terra dropped the credits down and headed on her way, making a mental note that she was going to need to withdraw more money at this rate. No matter, she figured - or hoped - it would be worth it.

---​

The last couple of days had been shaping up to be a success. Yvon's equipment was set up, they'd done their recon, come up with a plan, and were ready to execute. Terra slipped her helmet onto her head, the disguise she wore to conceal her identity, and checked her blaster was holstered, set to stun, and ready to go.

Alright, I'll get inside and get you access to the security console and you can guide me to the main servers. I'll plug you in and you can find the records, she rehearsed the plan once again to make sure there were no problems.

 

[Yvon]

Yvon had spent the next few days setting up their makeshift slicing rig. Mobile devices were plugged into a jury-rigged computation processing booster with a small monitor for Yvon to work off of. The data processor they had picked up had a faulty cooling unit, nothing Yvon couldn't solve with a few fans, a fish tank and some tubing picked up for cheap. It was definitely nothing fancy. Definitely not what they had back home. But it was a start. It would do for this job.

"We'll find what you're looking for. If they have it." Yvon said with a nod. They had gone over what details that Terra did know, her mother, where she had lived. Unfortunately Terra didn't have her own birth records but that's what they were here for. Yvon handed Terra three data chip fobs that they had whipped up over the last three days, two of them containing encrypted holonet transceivers. The other was a makeshift security spike, set up with a few programs tough enough to bust through any locked doors that Terra might come across, gentle enough not to set off any alarms.

"Check check." Yvon spoke into their headset comlink that they wore as they prepared for work. Yvon was actually glad that Terra had volunteered for the hands on stuff, it made their job much easier. And more convenient. Working from a chair was much preferred to working in the field.

@Phoenix