Ask The Job on Pzob

Covax

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At the eastern edge on the galactic map of known spaces, just beyond Gamorr, rested the tiny forest world of Pzob. It was the definition of a backwater world. There were no cities to speak of, no star ports, and very little in the way of government. Aside from a few scattered villages. The last place Covax expected to be just weeks before Life Day. Yet here he was.

" wee wee bleep wop." His astromech A10 vocalized in droidspeak. "How long?" Covax asked, the look of irritation growing. The small floating droid giving the distinct sound of "uhuha." Covax nearly kicked the tiny droid in frustration but knew if the somehow managed to damage him he would be stuck on this planet until he could convince Aska could come and get him. Instead, he turned without another word and made his way out of the ship.

He needed some air, and more importantly, a drink. He remembered seeing what looked like a small village not far from the clearing he managed to land the ship at. They would likely not have his favorite bourbon but at this point he'd take engine hooch if it burned away his irritation. If he remembered corrected it was to the north. The towering merc adjusted his belt with his hand cannon on his hip, and started walking.

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Zaia Krodas

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“I’ll have a spira caf.” The bartender nodded, poured some of the steaming liquid into a small wooden cup, and slid it across the tabletop. Zaia caught it with her fingertips, smiling as she inhaled the rich, bitter scent of the drink. This cantina in particular had excellent caf, some of the best she’d had in her travels. It was certainly more than she’d expected for a planet in the middle of nowhere, but it was a welcome surprise. Even better, she didn’t have to pay for it. She’d recently recaptured the bartender’s wife’s beloved pet tooka, which had escaped after being somehow knocked out of its cage, and the bartender was kind enough to give her free drinks for as long as she decided to stay.

After finishing her drink, Zaia put her helmet back on and thanked the bartender. She headed outside, walking leisurely towards the hut she was staying in at the edge of the forest. There was nothing here to be afraid of as far as she knew— the local Gamorreans were too busy fighting with the other villages to worry about her. And after she made it clear that she wasn’t to be messed with, they’d left her alone.

Just before she entered the hut, Zaia thought she saw something moving outside the village. She turned on her Scout HUD to see what exactly it was. Who he was. Judging from his toughened-up appearance, he clearly wasn’t from around here— she could already imagine that it would be a difficult fight if something of the sort were to happen. Maybe it would be better to sit and watch for now. Zaia turned off her HUD and headed quietly into the woods, going behind one of the thickest tree trunks she could find. With the help of her jetpack, she landed on one of the top branches and continued to observe the man.

Edit: Changed the text color

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Covax

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By now it had been nearly an hour since Covax started walking. In that time he managed to cool off his mood and rather start to enjoy this place. Trees taller than some of the buildings on Coruscant. Wildlife mostly unhindered and seemingly in abundance. And perhaps most importantly. No AMS, no zombies, no piles of the dead.

In fact, it was because he was taking in the views that he noticed something. Movement in the trees well above him. With a blinking of his eyelids and a simple thought in mind, the merc activated the vision mode of his eye. It was a low light mode, which indeed was not thermal. But it did help the break up the shadows in the canopy of the trees. Allowing him to see a figure, watching him like a bird of prey.

"Interesting." he said aloud. But otherwise continued on his way. Until he reached was looked to pass for something like a cantina in the village. Covax flopped himself into a table outside the ramshackle building. The Ithorian walked out to him, old wooden cup and even older rag in hand. "Stranger." he said simply. "A beer, a shot of the hardest thing you have, and a bowl of what ever passes for food around here." Covax replied and tossed some credits on the table. The bartenders grabbed them with the ragged filled hand and walked away without another word.

Covax then looked again to the stand of trees he knew the bird was in. He couldn't make out even the shadows now but he assumed they were still there. He wasn't on any list that he knew of but then again, he wasn't sure the guild would inform him if he was. For now he simply payed attention to his meal as it was set on the table.

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Zaia Krodas

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Zaia watched as the man entered the village and settled down at the table outside the cantina, trying to see what he was up to. Her internal alarm bells were going off already. It wasn’t every day that someone like him showed up to this kind of planet. His type was what Zaia would expect to see in cities… he had the look of a bounty hunter. But maybe she was overreacting. She’d never truly met a bounty hunter before, so who was she to say he was one? Still, it was best to be careful.

She climbed off the branch and slid down the tree trunk, pausing at the base of the tree. For some strange reason, she had an urge to straight up go to him and ask him what he was here for. What was there on this planet that a possible bounty hunter could be looking for? It couldn’t be anything too bad— there was nothing here from what she’d seen. Even so, this was also one of those times where Zaia felt like she was about to get herself into something she didn’t want to be involved in, which had happened frequently when she was a child, though the situations on Mandalore were never life-threatening because of the protection of her clan. Anything was possible out here.

Before she knew it, she found herself heading straight for the cantina. He would definitely have seen her by now, so there was no going back. Might as well get it done and over with, and hopefully she wouldn’t end up having to start a fight in the cantina. She was growing rather fond of the place.

“Well, hello there.” Zaia crossed her arms and leaned on the wall of the cantina just across from where the man was sitting. “How’re you liking Pzob so far?”

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Covax was still looking out to the trees when he noticed the "bird" move from her branch and slide down the massive trunk to the tall grass below. He was more impressed given the fact her armor was as blue as the oceans on Mon Cala. Apparently the Mando, as she so clearly was now, seen all she needed to. Deciding it was time for introductions.

He signed from his noise, flaring his nostrils. Quickly downing his shot of blight blue liquor, before starting on his bowl of....some kind of stew. Which after a few bites he had to admit was pretty good for a hut on a backwater tree farm.

He was washing down the stew with a stein sized wooden cup. When his new friend finally arrived. He hadn't personally met to many mandos, until recently. This one was much shorter than he expected, and barely armed from what he could see. Surprising, as weapons were a large part of their culture.

Covax continued with his meal, eating with his right hand as his left moved under the table. He didn't want trouble, but it always seemed to find him. However if he could finish the bowl before the action started it would be nice for a change, and the stew really was good, he might even need to ask for the recipe later.

"It's growing on me." He replied, mouth half full.

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Zaia nodded. “It’s a good place to be. The locals are honest for the most part, and it’s quiet. I’ve been here a while.” She narrowed her eyes to study him, though he wouldn’t be able to see because of the helmet. “So what brings you here? Kevdon says he doesn’t get many visitors. In a system like this, I’m sure it’s pretty unusual for there to be two in such a short period of time.” As she spoke his name, the bartender came outside and looked at her expectantly, his tooka following close behind him. This time, to Zaia’s amusement, he had it on a leash.

“That’ll certainly keep him from getting away again,” Zaia commented with a laugh. “Would you mind getting me a stew? What he has, please.” She made a gesture in the direction of the man. The bartender nodded and went back inside, whistling for his tooka to follow. Zaia’s gaze followed the creature until the tip of its tail was no longer visible from where she was standing, then she turned back to the man. He didn’t seem like much of a talker, but there was no way she would let him leave without getting some answers. She plopped herself down at the seat across from him, noticing that his left arm was beneath the table. She would have to be extra careful, then, if she wanted to avoid trouble, so she put her blasters on the ground beside her.

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Covax

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"Yes, it's kinda like Endor. Only run by pea brained war pigs." He joked. Taking note of the fact that many of the villages were run by the slug thug people. He then cocked his head in curiosity at her comment of being here a while. He was about to question the statement when the woman decided to invite herself to his table.

"Um..Kevdon is it? yeah I'm going to need another hit of the blue stuff." He requested as the woman ordered her meal. Covax then returned his attention to his newest fan. Helmet and all. He took a drink from the wooden mug, and decided to play this mando's little game.

"I'm here because it was the closet village in the area. I'm a bit jet lagged and felt like stretching my legs a bit." He was mostly honest with her. It was the closest place to his ship, and he did need to walk. Beyond that he wasn't ready to say. However he did take notice that she seemed to lower her weapons to the ground. "You said you've been here a while, Kev here seems to like you. Can't say I've seen your people this far from home unless they're raiding or hired for a job."

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“Pea brained war pigs, huh?” Zaia let out a chuckle. “They might not be the brightest, but they certainly pack a punch.” She watched as the man took a drink from his cup, and nodded when he stated his reason for being here. It seemed reasonable enough, and he didn’t seem to be in the village to cause any trouble. In fact, if he had, Zaia was quite certain that he would have already done what he had to do and left. Still, for a man like him, there had to be something else more than jet lag that brought him here.

“Something like that,” Zaia responded after his comment. She was about to elaborate when Kevdon came out holding her bowl of stew and the spotchka that the man had asked for. When he put the items down on the table, she gave him a nod of thanks, then turned her attention back to the man.

“I just need some credits to get out of here. The captain I paid last time said this was as far as he’d take me. With the amount I gave him, I’d say that he was being generous.” She shrugged. “So here I am.” She took off her helmet and lightly stirred the stew before taking a bite. Kev had really outdone himself this time.

“I’m guessing you’re not planning to stay for long, then,” Zaia said in between a few more bites. “Jet lag goes away pretty quickly. At least for me.”

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Covax short snort laugh sound as her punch comment. "You know, I heard a rumor that one even became a Jedi. If it's true it's no wonder the wizards are getting their ass kicked by the Sith." In truth he didn't care of the Gamorrians one way or the next. They didn't try to be anymore then they were. Thugs.

"The Captain you paid sold you down the spice mine. I seen the cute face under that helmet and knew he had a fresh one." He was blunt about it but not mean. Then he took the shot in hand and gave the bartender a nod of thanks. Downing the small drink in a single gulp. The towering merc then gave her a half smile.

He handed the Kev a few more credits for the trouble and then stood. "I might be able to help you out. Finish your lunch there, grab your gear and come find me. My ship in about an hours walk in that direction. He said as he pointed out of the village toward the horizon. With that he gave a nod and stepped away from the table

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At his comment about the captain, Zaia resisted the urge to punch him in the face. Who’re you calling cute? I’ll show you cute, she wanted to snap at him, but she thought better of it. He was probably right— the captain could at least have taken her to one of the more populated planets that he was bound to have stopped at eventually. So she settled with a glare in his direction instead, then turned her attention back on her stew.

Then, to her surprise, he offered his help. Of course there would have been something else to it as nothing was truly given away for free, but right now Zaia would be glad for any chance to get off Pzob sooner rather than later. And if she had to do something for him, so be it.

“Alright, then. See you in a bit.” Zaia didn’t look up from her stew as she spoke, though when the man left the table, her gaze followed. Once he was out of sight, she finished the rest of her stew and looked over at the cantina. She grabbed her blaster and her helmet, stood up and walked over to the bar inside to where she was sitting before.

“Hey, Kevdon?” The bartender peeked out from behind the hanging glasses, his towel in his hand. “Thanks for letting me stay. I have to go now, but I wanted you to have this.” Zaia pulled out her small pouch of credits and emptied it onto the countertop. It might have been a foolish thing to do, giving her entire savings away. Even if it wasn’t much, she felt that Kev deserved it after putting up with her for so long.

“You don’t have to— I said that you could stay for free,” he protested.

“I know. But it’s the least I can do after staying at your place. Make sure to keep Tuff safe.” She smiled at him, put on her helmet, then gave him a playful two-fingered salute. “Ret'urcye mhi, Kev.”

When he gave her a nod in response, Zaia turned around and headed in the direction the man had walked in. Hopefully she would be able to find his ship soon.

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Covax

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Covax left the young warrior woman to her devices. Making the short(ish) walk back to where he had landed the old VCX freighter. The ship was a bit of mess, as it had been his home for the past several months. The merc ascended the ramp of the ship and kicked a few things out of his way on his way to the common area of the ship.

"A10" Covax yelled. The astromech quickly chirped in reply and hovered down from the bridge of the ship to join the towering merc in the common room. "Hook into your charge station and link up with the ship. Pull the galactic map of this planet on project it." he commanded. The droid chirped a few more times and did as he was told. Landing on the charge base then quickly projecting the latest maps of Pzob from it's onboard projector.

By the time Zai would find the ship, Covax would be scanning through a area after area. Apparently either deep in thought or lost as to what he was looking for. It was hard to tell.

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Soon Zaia had spotted a VCX freighter in a clearing, which she could only assume to have belonged to the man. She didn’t see him outside, so she figured that he was already inside the ship. When she went up the ramp and peered inside the ship, she noticed that the floor was somewhat cluttered with items. It reminded her of the ship she’d lived in when she was younger, though she’d never dared to leave any of her stuff lying around as the older members of her clan would probably give her a good scolding. It was reminiscent of her room when they were gone on their own missions though, she thought with a small smile.

Zaia headed into the common room, where she found the man looking at his droid’s projection of the planet. She walked over to his side, putting a hand on her hip as she briefly examined the map.

“Looking for something?” she asked, glancing over at him. “I can help, if it’s on Pzob. Stayed here for a while when I was younger.”

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He was still busy fooling with the holo when he heard her walk in. As he glanced back at her he noticed her looking around at the old ship. Versatile ships like his were widely used by nomadic people, like Mandos. He didn't know a lot about the culture but he knew a little. Knew that it was very likely she grew up in a ship, or at least spent most of her time on one as they hopped from raid to raid.

Returning his attention to the holo as she stood next to him he brought up the northern region of the planet. "You need some credits, and I need some parts. There's a small bounty on a group of small time pirates. Thugs really. They moved onto an old base, some leftover outpost from the days of the FIrst Order." He gave her a moment to let the idea sink in. "It's a little small time for me but they old base likely has a couple of parts for my ship I can use to get to Tatooine, I could give you a ride as well."

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Zaia nodded along as she listened to the man’s offer. It seemed reasonable enough, and if she could get off this planet, she’d sign up for anything. And taking on a few men couldn’t be too hard, right? She’d seen worse before, and if they were only small-time pirates trying to move in on a planet like Pzob, they were most likely far from successful in whatever illegal trade they were involved in. They’d probably gotten the short end of the stick like her, Zaia thought in amusement.

“Alright, I’m in,” she said with a grin. “Those guys won’t stand a chance.” She examined the part of the map that he had pulled up, and glanced over at him. “I think I know what outpost you’re talking about. Well, I’m ready to go when you are.”

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If he was being honest with himself he didn't need to even bother with the job. The credits were shit, and the risks were a little unknown. Most backwaters had jobs like this. Thugs who bothered the locals, most of them with dreams of being the next Jabba or Durr the Hutt. Hell even he tried to take a page out of the Book of Boba. But for some reason he took pity on his young woman. She had the guts of a Mando, just not the ruthlessness, not the edge. He knew that would change though. This life either sharpens you like a razor, or grinds you into dust.

"We'll see" He told her with a smug look, "Come on." He lead them back to the cargo hold of the ship. Where, after kicking around a few things, he uncovered a couple of bikes. "They're not much, but it's better than walking." With a push of a button Covax unfolded his and checked to make sure he had spare ammo and such. Then jumped on a fired up the craft. "You seem to know where you're going, after you."

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Following the man into the cargo hold, she watched as he revealed a few of his speeder bikes. Like he’d said, it would make the trip a lot easier, and she was glad that they wouldn’t have to walk the entire way. That was partly because although she had an inkling of where the outpost was, it had been a long time since she’d been there. Plus, last time, she’d had a ship, and she knew very well that traveling on the ground was very different from flying. Still, she got on one of the bikes, hoping that he would lead the way. He’d been the one actually studying the map, after all.

Her hopes were dashed when the man made a comment about how she seemed to know where she was going and offered for her to go first.

“Um… sure. I can do that.” She knew that she probably didn’t sound confident at all, and that she was trying to convince herself more than she was actually talking to him, but for some reason she just couldn’t get herself to tell him that she had little idea what she was doing. At least she knew the general direction of the outpost— hopefully that would be enough. Without thinking much more of it, Zaia started up her speeder and zoomed forward, hoping for the best.

At the end of the day, the trip itself wasn’t so bad… aside from a couple of wrong turns that resulted in about an hour’s delay. What mattered was that they were at the outpost, and after she came to a full stop, Zaia hopped off the speeder and looked over at the man.

“Sorry for the delay. We’re here now though, right?”

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Covax

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It was a little strange that she didn't argue the point. Or any point really. She simply went with it. However when she agreed to take the lead she did not have the confidence he expected. Or perhaps she did. Because he didn't completely trust in her ability. No he had downloaded the map to his smartpad and placed a couple of way points. Just in case.

About an hour into, he thought to give her directions. But perhaps she knew a better way. At three hours he was simply glad they were heading north again. When the sun had started to set they would finally arrive in the treeline not far off of but also not at the old outpost.

"You need this more that I ever will." He told her, and handed her his old tracking unit. The function of which was replaced with by his smartpad. "Upside, it'll be dark soon. We could use that to our advantage."

Covax moved closer to the edge of the trees. Using a set of binos he studied the area. The walls were old, and mostly meant to keep out the average jungle creature. Not soldiers or raiders. A few roaming guards, but no heavy security measures. He assumed they were pirates but the could simply be a local war band that happened into this place.

"Well, I'd wait for night maybe the early hours and then hit them. But I'm open to ideas, it is your bounty after all."
 

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When he offered her his smartpad, Zaia was tempted to refuse. She could handle herself. She’d gotten them here without the map after all. After a few moments of deliberation though, she realized that he probably meant well. It wasn’t contempt that she saw in him, it was pity. Yet somehow that was worse. Still, she gave him a nod of thanks as she took it. He went on to say something about how it would be dark soon, and how it could play to their advantage. That was one good thing about getting here late, at least.

Zaia followed him as he went over to look over the outpost. Turning on her scout HUD, she examined the scene. A few small groups of men huddled here and there near the entrance of the building, chatting amongst themselves. A couple guards wandering around outside here and there. She switched her HUD off, it was all she needed to see for now.

At his suggestion to wait for the early hours of the day, Zaia nodded.

“I agree. Dawn would be the best time. The guards would probably be drowsy and ready for a shift change. They wouldn’t see it coming.” She settled down on a nearby rock to stretch her arms, but then she remembered him saying something about how it was her bounty.

“Wait a minute— what did you mean it’s my bounty? I thought that was why you were here. Well, besides the parts for your ship. But wasn’t this whole thing your idea?”

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Covax walked back toward the bikes, pulling a pack from the small storage behind the seat. Tossed it down and then proceeded to use it like a pillow as he lay next to the bike. The utility poncho of his armor working as a sufficient covering. It was if he had done this kind of waiting game before.

"sshhh" He hushed her, "I'm here cause i broke down. You're here because you need some experience. A couple of Nurf herders is not worth my time but you seem like you could used the money, and that maintenance shed back there might have a part I could use. Now keep it down before..."

"You hear somethin.." a voice stammered in shit broken basic. "Well so much for surprise." Covax groaned. Getting to his feet just in time to see the guard come over the little hill to their hiding spot. Rolling out from behind the bike, Covax pulled his pistol from it's holster and leveled it toward the thug. Shooting him in the gut.

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Oops. Before the man could tell her to lower her voice, the guard was already on his way to their hideout. Zaia pulled out her blasters to shoot, but by the time she was about to fire, the guard had already dropped down to the ground clutching his stomach. She looked to her side and saw the man with his pistol right by the bike— he was fast, alright.

By now, the other guards had heard the commotion and grabbed their weapons, heading for the pair. One in the back pressed some buttons on his wrist, then spoke urgently into it, looking in their direction. Most likely calling for backup. Zaia leveled one of her blasters and fired, watching him fall before turning back to the group of guards that was now heading their way. There were more of them than it seemed at first, she realized, and she hoped that the call for reinforcements hadn’t gone through.

All of a sudden the guards started firing, and Zaia ducked behind her bike as red blaster bolts started flying over her head. She turned to the man, about to tell him her plan before she realized that her talking too much was what had gotten them into this mess in the first place. Just then, a blaster bolt hit the tree right next to where she was standing, and she stumbled back a few steps. Well, he probably wouldn’t hear her anyway over the fire… so perhaps it would be better to just jump right into it. Literally. It wasn’t much of a plan anyway.

Zaia backed up a few feet and jumped into the air, letting her jetpack carry her up high before she flew forward and fired at the group of guards from behind. Some attempted to turn and point their blasters at her, but after she sprayed a burst of flames at them from her gauntlet, they were left trying to put out the fire on their clothes. The others continued on towards the woods, and she hoped that the man would be able to fight them off. There were more of them pouring out of the entrance, and she realized that this was going to be harder than what she’d imagined.

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