Ask Know Your Worth

[Takai Wren]

​

Mos Espa Market​

Takai Wren considered her options. She was strapped for cash, low on funds, flar out broke. The Ta'hye Jada sat in the docking bay that she needed to pay for by the day, fuel tank near empty. She had made little progress on her research in the wastes, all she really had to show for it was a head to toe sunburn that itched like a thousand tiny suns. On the other hand, a few wupiupi wouldn't make much of a difference on whether she could fill the Ta'hye Jada or not. And most importantly, Takai really wanted a snack.

She had been standing in front of the fruit vendor staring at the different fruit as she mused through the different problems. The little old lady who ran the little vendor stand in the open air market's smile was begining to thin, the wrinkles on her face beginning to stretch in annoyance.

Giving a slight apologetic shrug, Takai started to pick through the fruit. She needed work fast. Eying the old lady, she imagined robbing her for a moment before abandoning the notion. She doubted the fruit vendor had enough to be worth the trouble, not to mention the fact that she was in an open air market, or the small hold out blaster Takai knew was tucked under the washing cloth on the old woman's lap. The last thing she needed was a public shoot out in the marketplace.

A pair of greyish gourds went into the basket, followed by a juicy green pearapple. Normally finding work would be easy, but competition was stiff on tatooine. Mercs like herself were a peggat a pair, and she refused to sell her life so short. What she needed was a big job, and a big green melon thingy. And a pair of kiwi's. With a quick glance at the neighboring stalls, Takai considered just making a break for it, fruit in hand. Not like anyone on tatooine would stop her.

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

A large weequay eyed the Mandalorian up and down as she stood inspecting the fruit. "That beskar?" He uncrossed his arms and let a hand linger closely to the grip of his blaster pistol. "Fetches a good price at Marko's place." A few feet away a Cathar suddenly sniggered, his eyes also fixed on the Mandalorian and his hands resting on the dual blaster pistols on his hips. "I thought Mandalorians were big. He's so little." Now both started the grin, confident that they just assured a pay-day that would make the boss proud.

"Good price, huh?" Preef announced himself. He had noticed the armor just like the thugs had, but he wasn't looking to make credits by looting the dead right out in the middle of the market. "Wanna flip me for it?" The weequay turned around quickly and had his blaster about halfway out of his holster when the Cathar yelped, "No! Wait!"

The weequay didn't need that long of a look at the rodian to recognize who he was dealing with. "Preef Callo?" The cathar dry-swallowed amd decided the Mandalorian didn't deserve his attention anymore... not now that the Crimson Dawn Enforcer called dibs. "What eh-" he quickly removed his hands from his blaster as not to give Preef the impression he'd try his luck. "-what is the Crimson Dawn doing in Mos Espa? This is Hutt Cartel turf." and their boss worked for those slimy kriffers.

Preef shrugged, "Jabba's treasure." He then nodded in the Mandalorian's direction, "Heard about a Mandalorian in town and figured I'd offer them a job."

@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

Takai could feel the threatening eyes boring into the back of her head before she even heard the words drift across the market.

"That Beskar?"

A quick glance down at the breastplate of her armored flightsuit reassured Takai that she hadn't somehow magically donned the iron skin of the Mandalorian once again while she wasn't paying attention. Her hand tightened around her Electrostaff. She didn't have to hear them to feel the threat in their gaze. After what came next, she almost wished she hadn't heard them.

"I thought Mandalorians were big. He's so little."

Now that's just mean. She thought to herself as they misgendered her, and called her small. She was about to turn around and give the pair of thugs the ass kicking they had coming to them when a semi familiar voice chimed in.

Relaxing her stance as the situation seemed to defuse behind her Takai continued to pick through the fruit, though her attention was elsewhere as she eavesdropped on the conversation being carried out behind her back. It seemed everyone had her pegged as a Mandalorian even without the distinctive armor of her people. Is it the way I walk?

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

The weequay scoffed, "Anything a Mandalorian can do I can do better." The cathar seemed to nod and mutter something along the same lines. Preef wasn't convinced, though, or rather, they just weren't the people he needed. "You don't want this job, choombah." The rodian shrugged, seemingly drawing them in like moths to a flame. He had seen Takai before, back when Marissa and he were going after Jabba's vault, knew she was capable, and he sure needed an extra blaster for this job. She could kill these thugs blindfolded and well, so could he.

"Why not? What makes her better than us!?" the Cathar suddenly growled, but he was surprised when he saw, too late, that Preef was going for his blaster. The bolt hit him right in the chest and he was dead before he fell. The weequay was stupified, "Wha-" he stammered, "Why?"

Preef turned and aimed his blaster at the weequay, "Marko's the job." The weequay sighed and his shoulder slumped forward in defeat, "Marko's not easy to find," he tried, but the rodian didn't seem interested to enlist his help and instead fired a bolt straight through the weequay's right knee. "Ahh!" the large thug cried, "What the kriff did you do that for!?"

"Marko's Lair. Now."


@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

"Anything a Mandalorian can do I can do better." The words would have made Takai roll her eyes, if they hadn't already insulted her size behind her back. Given the circumstances however, she was already halfway through smearing war paint across her brow and down to her chin when the blaster went off behind her and the offender was dead on the floor.

With a twist and a few steps Takai was behind the kneeling weequay gripping the short end of her electrostaff. The far end crackled angrily with electricity right in the defeated mercenary's ear, hovering dangerously close to the side of his face. Around the market wary shoppers carried out their business, careful to keep something between them and the trio.

"Well then, where's Marko's lair. I'm sure you can rat far better than a Mandalorian can." She couldn't help the snide tone in her voice, the Weequay had pissed her off. "Certainly better at getting shot in the knee." The thug stammered while Takai eyed her would be accomplice, giving him a nod. "Heard you're hiring."

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

The weequay tried to protest, but Takai was right: He was better at ratting out his superiors. He'd done it once before to the pirate captain that refused to pay tribute to the local Hutt and well, let's just say he walked backwards into a vibro-knife. So instead of protesting he merely spat on the sand, "Kriffing bastards. He's at the River Dune Oasis."

Meanwhile Preef was looking at Takai with modest admiration. She executed that move skillfully and he could really use someone skilled in close-quarters. The Rodian was a fast blaster, but he wasn't that adept at using his fists or, indeed, electrostaffs. "So," his lips curled into a satisfied smile, "the River Dune Oasis, eh?"

His blaster pistol was aimed at the weequay's chest but angled upwards slightly, "Does the Mandalorian's honor object to murder?" It was a test, more or less, but he needed to know if Takai was the kind of person that would casually shoot him in the back if given the opportunity, or if she had more humanity and a better sense of honor than a criminal like Preef.

@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

River Dune Oasis. Only one of those words fit on Tatooine, the desert planet was full of dunes. Takai would be very surprised if there were any rivers on the barren and dusty planet, though she supposed that the occasional oasis wasn't out of the question. More than likely it was some sort of bar or cantina, the only kind of oasis from the oppressive heat of the desert.

"You know the place?" She raised an eyebrow at the Rodian gunslinger, not entirely comfortable with how close his blaster hovered in line with her. Of course her other hand also hovered close to the blaster on her hip as well... just in case.

"Not really, I prefer to get paid for any death-dealing I do though." She responded on the question of her honor. Death was as natural a part of life as eating, but that didn't mean she enjoyed dishing it out quite as much. "If its a scrap though, well I do love a good fight." She couldn't help the small grin that started to form on her face.

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

The Mandalorian had barely finished speaking when Preef pulled the trigger and a bolt burned itself into the weequay's chest. The large alien sighed and then his muscles relaxed and he forwards with his face first into the sand. Preef slowly holstered his blaster pistol, looking at Takai the entire time, and nodded. "It's about five hours on a speeder," he said as his hand relaxed away from the grip, "Name's Preef Callo." He was confident, perhaps too confident, that he could outdraw the Mandalorian. Kriff, he was the Preef Callo! Sure, barely anyone outside of the Five Syndicates had really heard of him yet, but when they had then they'd know.. who he was.

Anyway, the rodian walked over to the Cathar and retrieved a datapad from the furry alien's jacket. "The job's yours, by the way-" upon inspection the datapad was clearly shot to bits, "-as long as you're okay with," he paused, seemingly mulling over some numbers before he turned back towards Takai, "Let's say 25 percent?" Preef wasn't robbing a Hutt's fixer just for the personal kicks, after all, Marissa had made clear they needed starting capital. This was Preef contributing and with a bit of luck he'd bring back more than just some credits.. but a new member for the Hesse Gang, with some luck.


@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

Before she could blink after speaking, the weequay was dead. Not particularly phased by this event, Takai watched the rodian as he slowly holstered his blaster, eyes on her. She likewise kept her eyes on him, shifting her stance to something more at ease and bringing the electrostaff to rest on her shoulder, the crackling energy at its tip disappearing as she deactivated the weapon.

"Takai Wren." She nodded to the gunslinger. He seemed competent, a fast hand with a blaster. A little on the skinny side though, she could probably take him in a fist fight. She'd rather not have to draw against him if she could help it though, not to say that her gun-hand was slow.

"35 percent." She countered. She didn't know exactly what kind of haul they would be going after, but she wasn't about to sell herself short, especially if it was just the two of them on the job. She didn't really expect to get that big of a cut, but haggling was a time honored tradition in the Outer Rim. Her grip tightened slightly on the haft of her electrostave as she watched Preef's reaction, just in case his trigger finger started to get itchy.

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef shook his head, but smiled "25, but if you hold up your end I'll introduce you to the brains." Apparently confident that Takai wouldn't blast him in the back, he turned away from her and headed over to a pair of speeder bikes parked nearby. They belonged to the two dead gangster, so basically to the victor the spoils, right? "She'll have more work." Marissa always did. Casino robberies, jailbreaks and everything in between that made credits and she'd come up with some brilliant plan.

Getting on one of the speeders, Preef just assumed the human would follow so he engaged the engine and steered towards the east exit out of Mos Eisley. It was a four hour ride across the dunes and then another hour navigating rock formations and cartel lookouts. With some luck the second sun would cast some long shadows by then, allowing them to approach unnoticed, but if not they'd have to wait it out til dark and on a planet with multiple suns that could take a while.

It gave Preef enough time to think. He thought he recognized the name Wren, but the only Mandalorians he could remember meeting were from Vizsla and Solus. Wren was definitely a Mandalorian name, though, so those cartel thugs certainly had an eye for recognizing warrior-people. Did that mean Marko had Mandalorians in his employ already? One with their signature armor? Preef hoped not. He couldn't trust Takai not to choose a fellow Mando over him.

***​

Reaching the rock formations on the mark four hours later, the rodian had some difficulty lifting up his legs high enough to step off the speeder bike. His ranch on Takodana wasn't big enough to need a speeder bike and he felt sore throughout his entire lower body. He needed a break, desperately, but with that sand cloud incoming from the west he couldn't afford it yet. "Let's park the speeders against the rocks in a Vee-formation," he told the Mandalorian once she caught up, "Best we make some kind of tent for when that sandstorm passes." Plus, he could really use the rest. All speeders on Tatooine had some kind of tent attached for this very reason.


@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

Takai bit her tongue. Literally. Holding back her anger at Preef's casual dismissal of her attempt at bargaining, she thought she could taste blood. He turned his back on her and she was half tempted to give him a good whack on the back of the head with her staff, but held herself back. She needed this job, and an introduction could be worthwhile. And more work was always good she reasoned. Spitting in dissatisfaction, she flicked a coin to the fruit vendor as she packed away the food she had been perusing and followed Preef's lead.

The hours went by and Takai rode comfortably. She was used to long hours on her swoop, in fact she had been spending whole days out in the desert since she had arrived on Tatooine, learning the lay of the land and enjoying the solitude. The ride was spent in silence with little opportunity for the pair to talk, and she liked it that way. Her eyes scanned the dunes, alert for danger while she absorbed the lay of the land, memorizing the route, noting advantageous ground. The action was second nature to her.

She also considered the gunman that lead the way. Rodians were notorious mercenaries and she doubted this one was different. She had fought alongside many, found them to be skilled, if sometimes cowardly and treacherous. She knew she would have to keep her eye on this one, though she hoped with him taking the majority of the haul he wouldn't decide to get greedy at the last second.

Her thoughts went back to the encounter in town. The Hutt thugs had recognized her as a Mandalorian somehow, despite the lack of her signature armor. They had recognized something about her, which was concerning. The only thing that she had that might clue someone in was the Wren crest painted on the side of her flight suit helmet. Perhaps they recognized it. Or were familiar with it. Her thoughts hesitated on the implications, and followed her for the rest of the ride.

***​

Four hours out of town almost on the dot they had arrived. Takai had spotted a sandstorm rolling in on the horizon a minute or two before Preef came to a stop at a rock formation. Nodding silently when the boss man suggested they take shelter, she backed in the speeder against the rock face. The prefab shelter went up quick and easy and it was worn but serviceable.

"Kiwi?" She offered as she dug in her bag, pulling out a pair of small green-brown skinned fruits. She had been hungry before the action in the market and that was before a five hour speeder ride in the desert.

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef finally allowed himself to relax a bit once they set up their tent and he gratefully stretched his legs out. "I forgot how much I like the outdoors-" he began before realizing he was about to spill the beans on his best-kept secret: the Belching Frog Ranch on Tokadana. He wondered how his Bantha were faring.

Sandstorms usually lasted a couple of hours, so the more comfortable you could it make it the better and some fresh fruit definitely increased said comfort. "Thanks," the rodian said as he accepted the kiwi from Takai and took an eager bite. "So, Takai, tell me about yourself."

Some chitchat couldn't hurt, right? He didn't have many friends left after that debacle of a bounty hunt on Nar Shaddaa in which he inadvertently scared off the Twi'lek he had fancied and racked up a huge repair bill at the Moist Mirakula. Couldn't be helped. Besides, he had his Bantha on Tokadana and they would never betray him. Neither would Marissa, for that matter, so he'd better try his best at recruiting capable people for that job she was planning.


@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

The prefab tent was small but spacious enough for the pair of them, and Takai settled in for the storm. Sitting cross-legged she peeled her fruit, enjoying the sweet snack. "Not much out there better than the outdoors." She responded to his comment as they ate. "Though, wouldn't really want to be outdoors right now." The storm raged outside, sandy wind whipping against their flimsy shelter.

"Myself?" She paused, considering the question. It was a rare thing for someone to ask about her, usually they were more concerned with what she could do. Who she could hurt for them. "There's not much to tell. Grew up on Mandalore, not too much different than here." She gestured to the tent around them, or rather the raging sandstorm and the barren expanse that surrounded them. "Left that hellscape as soon as I had the chance."

Her eyes drifted into the past for a moment as the memories came on. Passing her verd'goten with blood on her hands. Buying the first passage off the planet that she could afford. Years of violence and uncertainty during which the only person she could rely on was herself. Getting locked up in a Free Worlds prison and eventually breaking out of it.

She blinked, realizing she had been awfully quiet for a few moments too long. Clearing her throat, she eyed the Rodian curiously. "What about you?"

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef suspected there was more to Takai than she cared to share, but he promised himself he wouldn't press it. There was no reason not to trust her, right? For himself, well- ""Where to start," the Rodian sighed as he shook his head in disbelief, but he followed it up with a smile. He was in a sharing mood and she'd been nice so far, so why the heck not? "Born on Shaddaa, orphaned and worked for the Hutts as a child until a bounty hunter took me under his wing," the memories of his travels with the Twi'lek bounty hunter were probably his most cherished ones. Life had been much more innocent and filled with purpose. When he died, though, everything went with him.

"The hunter died on the job. I became an outlaw to deal with my grief, I suppose, and then joined the Crimson Dawn." He sighed, again, and looked at Takai to see if he could read her response to his candidness. "I survived and made some friends along the way."
@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

Takai listened impassively. She didn't want to play "who had it worse" but she was pretty sure Preef gave her a run for her money. She was surprised that an outlaw like him was opening up to her so much, having just met for the first time over a pair of corpses. She couldn't help but consider that he might have an angle he was playing. Still, it seemed very uncharacteristic. Or maybe he was just the kinda guy who wore his heart on his sleeve and told everyone his life story.

"Nar Shaddaa? thats rough." Growing up on Mandalore was tough, but orphaned on Nar Shaddaa... She didn't envy the man. The planet had a special way of suffering to it. Anyone who grew up there bore innumerable scars.

Takai wasn't sure what to do with the sudden vulnerability. Before, when she had her beskar'gam, she had felt protected. It had been stripped from her and with it her feeling of invulnerability from the world.

"You know about the verd'goten?" She asked as she pulled the pearapple she had bought out of her sack and cut it in half with her vibroblade. "Mandalorian rite of passage into adulthood. We usually take it somewhere between thirteen and sixteen depending on how traditional the clan is feeling." She offered half to Preef before taking a bite of her own and sitting in silence for a moment.

"Usually we hunt some beast, or an enemy of the people. Something dangerous enough to be a threat, be the hunter and the prey kinda thing." She hadn't really talked about her own verd'goten much, hadn't stuck around much after the fact to celebrate it either. "We were pretty traditional, so I took it early." She almost stopped there, but she had already gotten this far into the story. "My brother had betrayed the clan a few years before, brought shame to our family. He was my verd'goten."

Realizing she was clenching the vibroblade in her hand, she relaxed her hand and put the weapon away, anger passing from her face. Coughing slightly she looked away from Preef for a moment, having been looking straight in the eyes. "Anyway, I came home with his bloody helmet and they said I was an adult so I got the kriff out of there and never looked back."

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef listened in awe. "Your brother?" he asked rhetorically and then sighed as his mind clearly drifted off trying to comprehend Takai's story. Stories like her weren't unique in the Outer Rim. If you switched clan with gang you had roughly one-third of all the childhood stories of the lower levels on Nar Shaddaa. Somehow sick kriffers always enjoyed pitting blood against blood. It was the only reason the rodian was glad he was an only child.

Meanwhile the standstorm refused to settle down and with every passing minute the suns dropped further and soon disappeared completely. Preef didn't know how much longer the sandstorm would last, so once again made himself comfortable. His datapad emitted just enough light for them to be able to see each other. "Life's pretty karked up, isn't it?" If he had some sewer-riped moonshine and some cigarra's he'd share them with her as a token of respect and kinship, but alas. "When this is done," he was referring to their intended robbery on Marko the Hutt Cartel's fixer, "you can join us offworld. I was serious about that back in Mos Eisley."

It was rare that Preef met someone who seemed more his kind of person. Conflicted and alone with fighting as their only notable skill. People like Takai only ever ended up two ways: Dead, or with the Five Syndicates. Preef didn't like seeing her end up as either.

@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

"Yeah, life's pretty karked." Her voice distant in her reply as she looked past the Rodian at, well nothing really. She wasn't sure why exactly she had shared her story with Preef, but it seemed like she could trust him for the most part. He certainly seemed to trust her well enough for having just met.

"When this is done," she waved her hand towards the outside, probably in the direction of the job they were going to do once the sandstorm cleared, "I might have to take you up on that."

She didn't want to commit completely to joining anything, but she liked the rodian gunslinger so far. It was far and few between that she found people she got along with in this galaxy. Still, she wanted to see how he was in a real fight too.

"You'll have to tell me more, once we're done with this." She didn't want to get too far ahead of herself, they still had a job to do. And there was something else that she had been dwelling on. Something they needed to discuss before it caught them by surprise.

"I think chances are good that this Marko guy has another Mandalorian on his payroll. Probably someone from my clan, judging from how those thugs recognized me in town." The words hung in the air as she watched Preef, trying to gauge his reaction.

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

"There are rumors to that effect," Kriff, that's part of why he recruited her. No one better to deal with a Mandalorian than another Mandalorian. Some said Marko got himself a Mando as bodyguard, orders him to never leave his side and sacrifices insubordinate scoundrels to it to keep it entertained. The stories about Mandalorians as the penultimate criminal enforcers were so vast that it would be foolish not to pay them any heed. "If there is one, they're yours." the rodian wasn't stupid and knew he had to put his blaster to Marko's head the first chance he got. Takai could fight her kinsman.

It took another few hours for the storm to subside, but when it finally did the pair was rested well enough for what was to come. Preef returned his part of the tent all neatly folded to his speeder bike before checking to see if his blaster didn't get sand in all the wrong places. It took a moment, but then seemingly satisfied that it was still in working order he advised the holo-map on his datapad and peered into the distance after the storm. "It should be a half an hour walk from here," he said, somewhat disappointedly, "the storm is giving us some extra cover, but be wary of lookouts. These rocks might seem natural to you, but they're a syndicate fortress all the same."

Slinging the dead weequay's E-11D blaster rifle over his left shoulder, Preef turned his back to the speeders and started the climb the first rock outcropping. This was going to take a while..

@Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

Takai only nodded when Preef said that the Mandalorian was hers. Of course he was. They spent the rest of the time in silence during which Takai cleared her mind, silencing her doubts and renewing her resolve to the job at hand.

When the storm resolved she was ready. Though the wind still whipped and sand filled the air, the annoyance was minimal and would only act as cover for their ascent.

Takai followed Preef up the outcropping, but quickly found herself taking the lead on the Rodian. The way was a mix of climbing and walking, a vigorous hike as they worked their way the Oasis. Pausing at the bottom of a small cliff face, Takai signaled stop.

Peering up from under the cliff, Takai could see a hanging boot and the tip of a blaster rifle. "Sentry up top." She whispered to Preef.

@Ecclessey

 

[Preef Callo]

Preef liked this woman and it wasn't because the view with her taking lead in the climb was enjoyable. It was, don't make a rodian mistake about that, but she obviously knew what she was doing and she knew it better than the rodian. When she signalled to stop, Preef immediately shouldered the E-11D blaster rifle. "Well," he whispered back and looked around to see a way up to the cliff, "No point in leaving him breathing."

Sneaking up and around the lookout's position, Preef made slow progress as he tried to stay out of sight while climbing. He had to double-back a bit and go around the outcropping that housed the lookout and while it took longer than he'd anticipated he did manage to pop up behind the weequay woman. She was obviously bored as her attention was claimed by the small datapad in her left hand that seemed to show something of a HoloNet movie. Preef snuck forward, raising the rifle upwards and readying for the smackdown.

Just as Preef wanted to hit the butt of the rifle against the weequay's head he realized, too late, that she could see his shadow. The weequay rolled to her left and Preef swung the rifle through the air. Wasting no time with words, the weequay dropped her rifle and grabbed her vibro-knife as she quickly got up her feet. By now, Preef turned around to face her again and he was only just in time to block the knife with the side of his rifle, rendering it useless no doubt, and with a strong forward movement with his right he weakened the weequay's grip on the knife and it flew out of her hand and down the cliff. Unfortunately, Preef couldn't revel as the weequay gave him a mighty headbutt right between his eyes and he staggered back and fell against a rock outcropping.

Momentarily dazed, Preef was lucky that the weequay lookout seemed in no particular hurry. "You're a stupid rodian," she laughed as she picked up her rifle, "Mako's Gang ain't no easy ma--ugh." she'd been too consumed by overconfidence that she didn't notice the Rodian had another blaster and he fired a bolt right into her chest mid-sentence. After she dropped dead, Preef took a moment to wait out the dizziness and enjoy the view. He couldn't spot any other sentries, but about 400 meters from the cliff there was what seemed like the top of a palm tree visible.

Roughly a minute later Preef was on his way down with the lookout's still functioning rifle instead of his own. "Saw a tree that way," he gestured towards where he had seen the tree, "We're close."

@Arclight