Ask Jakku Smouldering Durasteel

[Veles]

JAKKU
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
1350 LOCAL TIME

The sun was beating down on the back of his neck even through the hood of his cloak, and Cinere idly wondered whether wearing all-black when venturing out into the desert had been a stupid idea. Even the grip of his speeder bike was growing hotter by the minute, threatening to burn a hole through his gloves. The goggles he'd worn for protection from the wind (and any insect that would have otherwise flown into his eyes) also protected him from being blinded by the glare coming off the durasteel plating of the cheap speeder he'd rented, which was really the only convenient thing about this journey from one trading post to another.

The Sith had made a hobby out of getting bored and traveling to remote planets to search for loot at their markets, but had yet to discover anything more valuable than an old knife allegedly crafted by a sorcerer. The story had fallen apart rather quickly after he bought it and the paint started chipping off, revealing that he was just holding a painted-over chunk of durasteel taken from a shipwreck. And so he had chosen to keep searching.

Today, he was investigating claims that there was a Sith holocron hiding in a market on Jakku. While he had some serious doubts, there was nothing better to do. He was on the way to the next village on his list when it all went South.

A rattling noise from his speeder warned him that something was wrong, but he ignored it, aware that this is an older model and probably prone to making weird noises. Then, smoke started rising from the thrusters, and he soon found himself careening 3 meters over the sandy floor with his thrusters off and a vehicle that was starting to tip over nose-first. It wasn't long before the hunk of metal hit the ground like a meteor, burying him in sand up to his armpits. A crack somewhere alerted him that he'd broken something, but it wasn't immediately obvious what.

'Shi-!" His head hit the handlebar and it all went dark.

@GABA​

 

[Thalia Windraider]

Thalia had been following some leads on arms smugglers that had lead her to the desert world of Jakku. It was not in her ideal points for investigation as it was just out of reach of the Sector Ranger's jurisdiction, but if she didn't follow through on this lead, she knew she could be potentially miss out on possible clues to where the next drop point would be. However, Thalia was certain this was not going to be a fruitful lead.

The desert spanned clear across the horizon, some areas were still covered in ship scraps and debris, making it ideal for those looking to hide from curious eyes. Though, in a place like this, there weren't many eyes looking for much of anything. The Ranger watched through her macronoculars, scanning for any sign of movement, her own senses also searching, but they seemed so off lately, it was difficult to rely on them. She felt sweat drip down the side of her face and she paused in her lookout, wiping her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She was covered in lightweight materials, making sure not to leave much of her skin exposed to the harsh sunlight. Unwrapping the scarf around her neck, she shook out the sand that had blown in the folds and stood up, walking to her speeder just below the sand dune that she was camped on to get a drink of water.

As she savored every sip from her canteen, there was something else that caught her eye, smoke billowed in the distance and Thalia raised her macronoculars, seeing the dark outline of smoldering debris. It was recent, a bit far, but if it was a deal gone bad, then it would be worth her time to check it out. Throwing her gear into her bag, she climbed onto her speeder bike and took off toward the debris. Minutes ticked by as she saw the outline more clearly, racing toward the site and slowing when she could make out a body near the broken speeder.

"/Hey! You ok?/" she shouted in Huttese, a habit she picked up when addressing strangers in the rougher parts of the galaxy. With no response, she got off her bike and approached cautiously, a hand rested on her blaster, ready for any retaliation from the victim. He didn't stir, and Thalia frowned, looking around for any sign of foul play, but feeling it was safe to proceed closer, she started to dig the sand away from the man's body and patted his cheek, "/Wake up."

@vamp