Very... Interesting.

He pauses to slurp down the last gulp of his beverage.

Looks like we all got a good story for being here it seems...

What kinda work does Zando usually have for you? I can't imagine historical interest is a priority for a banking interest.

24 minutes ago, TheShard said:

What kinda work does Zando usually have for you? I can't imagine historical interest is a priority for a banking interest.

Research and acquisitions, mostly. I think Zando is more interested in obtaining historical objects, than history itself.

While there is a market, I can't imagine the motives are purely financial. Unless I'm a finder, for a finder?

Possibly a finder for a finder for a looker... I have a feeling things are going to explain themselves eventually... Now does that mean it ends in a nice "Ah ha" moment, or a mess I don't know... Everything seems a bit... Hmmm, sketchy."

He asks for the bill.

Wanna get out of here, find our friend or at least those extra droid parts?

17 hours ago, Cartergame said:

Yorik bowed his head in sincere appreciation for Sar Agorn's instruction.

Training in Martial Arts was something that had always been comforting to him when he first joined Dantooine's Defense Force and those habits were always reassuring no matter how far away he traveled from home.

Training with a light saber was a new challenge and an elegant weapon with which he was eager to gain skill. More importantly, there was a reassuring and deeper sense of connection with Sar Agorn communicating in his mind that reminded him of the cameraderie he'd missed since leaving Dantooine six years ago.

*Balance... Yes, Sensei. Focus... Yes, Sensei.... But, a symbol of Justice? Of peace? Didn't the Sith and the Jedi wage war upon each other for thousands of years? Aren't the Sith planning to wage war again even now on Korriban?

Hmmmm.... Sar Agorn, you mentioned a place called Tython before. What lies on Tython that you do not already possess?*

As Yorik communicated mentally with Sar Agorn, he became more and more aware of another "presence" in their conversations. Somehow, he had expanded his connection from just Sar Argorn to more of the surrounding area. He could literally feel the Force moving all around and even through him. Yorik humbly realized that it wasn't "Danger Sense" as he'd always thought of it but rather his awareness of and sensitivity to the Force that enabled him to act and react so quickly when in times of crisis.

" May Jedi would call me an outcast.. Some would even try to destroy my knowledge, I do not abandon emotion, Nor do i give into its baser impulses.

The Hutt whos Ship this is Learned the force, from me but he Was ultimately still a Hutt, bound to the Inbreeding impulses of his minor clan, When he called himself the last Jedi, I sealed this room and refused to teach him any more... That title Is used to often, and by those who have no understanding of its meaning...

" The Sith will always seek to dominate. But on my Homeworld, Fire used to wrack great swathes of land. In its wake new life would start, Do you understand? One cannot exist without the other... And Neither can or should exist without the Grey... I'm old Yorik, Older than most Starsystems, Do you know what time has taught me? Ill pose you this Riddle... I have no form, Yet with you I remain From dawn to dusk , what am I? "

12 hours ago, jnrschulz said:

"I know of this Lord Insanire was last seen around Korriban. I know you Sith and Jedi like to think you are the only ones entitled to the Force. I know you like to brag about your power and status. What else can you teach me?"

" I have no power here, Your argument is flawed, The Force belongs to those who can use it "

33 minutes ago, TheShard said:

Wanna get out of here, find our friend or at least those extra droid parts?

Astrid is about to answer, when she is nearly bowled over by...

What the frell?! something ... animal, or mechanical or both?

Before she can get a better look, the local catcher crashes past her.

"Tired of chasing after you, mongrel!" flicking a switch on his weapon, and firing. The creature goes down, the live fire obviously overkill.

His attention captured by concern, the mission and his employer might be involved in potentially nefarious plotting, he only barely sees the blur as it knocks over the table they were sitting at. Astrid catches herself, but Zyi goes flying backwards in his chair.

Whaa... Fraaaaag!!!

He picks himself up, and watches the local catcher gun down a hunter droid, the dog like robot let's out a pitiful whine before it's lights go dim.

What the frell, you reckless lunatic!?!

The man gives him a stern look, scoops up the pieces and dumps it in the back alley with a huff. He dusts his hands off and starts to saunter away, clearly happy with ending the annoyance that was the poor canine droid.

Well that seemed a tad unnecessary. helping Zyi up, then addressing her comlink:

Spidey, if you're out and about, scurry back to the ship. It's not safe to prowl the streets here.

to Zyi: Poor thing looks beyond repair, but perhaps you can salvage it somewhat?

3 hours ago, Edgehawk said:

Well that seemed a tad unnecessary. helping Zyi up, then addressing her comlink:

Spidey, if you're out and about, scurry back to the ship. It's not safe to prowl the streets here.

to Zyi: Poor thing looks beyond repair, but perhaps you can salvage it somewhat?

" beep boop" it acknowledges

( i want to apologize for my lack of interaction recently, Hopefully the worst of that has passed, shall we get this show on the road? )

19 hours ago, April said:

shall we get this show on the road?

Zyi picks through what's left of the K-9, muttering to himself and handing the salvageable pieces to Astrid as he goes. Once complete, they pick up some final items for the upcoming assignment.

After raiding the hunting supply store (" Luckily for you you know a store that carries a range of Griff brand tranquilizers" ), t hey head back to the Hind. Astrid is carrying a case of Ebla on one shoulder, a perimeter fence on the other, a satchel full of stun grenades draped across her body on one side, and another with electro-snares resting on her other hip. Zyi is laden more suitably for his smaller frame, but still looks not-to-be-messed-with.

The adventurers are given a wide berth on their way back to the ship.

Yorik smiled to himself as he returned to his quarters to rest and clean up after training with Sar Agorn. He carefully placed the Lightsaber in the top shelf of his Wardrobe next to a burned and broken Blastech SE-14r Light Repeating Blaster that had clearly seen better days. Yorik nostalgically caressed the large pistol hilt and then hit the head to shower and clean up. Yorik indulged in the ship’s luxurious amenities and let the multiple mist jets spray nice and hot, steaming the bathroom mirror and blocking visibility in the rest of the room.

Although his time on the Golden Hind had been relatively short, he was quickly becoming very comfortable here among his crewmates and allowed himself to consider a future beyond just one mission at a time. This was a good crew by all accounts. Their employer was flush with cash and positioning them against Korriban, the Sith, and the First Order. And after their time on New Taris rescuing the non-combatants, it appeared that this “Sith” danger to them all would eventually place the First Order once again in Yorik’s crosshairs.

He solemnly looked forward to that day.

“Aames, Anderson, Beck, Bramkamp, Chevez, Covey, Davin, Donnellin, Ellerze, Fikes, Finnegan, Geiss, Grahlk, Hanson, Holmestown, K’gala, Kilgore, Lemis, Loris, Mangum, Mikmik, Nerxxes, Oldham, Pate, Ruzzell, Simmons, Tyber, Uhlrik, Yamms, Zornes.”

Standing in the shower he once again recounted the names of every one of his thirty Platoon mates in Dantooine’s 3rd Defense Force Infantry Battalion who died in the last battle of Cheyrne Ridge.

Later that day, he made it a point to share with his companions so that they might understand him a little more in the days to come. He tested out the food preparation capabilities aboard the Golden Hind for a meal to serve his companions before they departed for Flerbos.

Over dinner, Yorik brought up the conversation in a casual way. “You Hate slavers, right Shard? Well, I can relate to that and I appreciate what it means to fight for Freedom. I don't like slavers either, amigo, but I Hate the First Order even more. Ever hear of the Battle of Cheyrne Ridge?

“We use it on Dantooine as a teachable moment. It serves as a legendary example of the foolish overreach of the First Order.

"Dantooine’s remote placement in the Outer Rim and it's lush and plentiful natural resources made it an irresistible prize for the Order’s desired expansion. However, our planet's greatest resource is its people and our passion and pride in our home world.

"For most of the Continental Campaign assault, the First Order played by the Big Book of Carpet Bombing with a side of Heavy Artillery placement from their Mechanized Cavalry. But, on that fateful night in second Spring, the Order had tried a little subterfuge. They dropped special forces paratroopers behind our lines in order to flank us and disrupt our supply lines. But, they hadn't counted on the myriad of kinrath hive tunnels which ran beneath Cheyrne Ridge and they certainly hadn't counted on my Battalion knowing them and being such staunch defenders. The fighting had been extremely intense anyway simply because we were outnumbered from the beginning.

Dantooine’s population just didn't have the concentrated resources to match up to the First Order by even a fraction. But what we did have was mandatory military training and a gift for special tactics and strategy that had been instituted for the last thirty years or so after the Galactic Empire threatened to wipe us out a generation ago.

Still, fighting the kinrath underground to make use of their secret tunnels and taking on the First Order above ground at the same time was complicated. Then, one night I had a weird feeling. My Danger Sense led me to the top of Cheyrne Ridge to see stealthtroopers dropping in on anti-grav packs from high altitude one night, I knew "complicated" had turned into something else and become absolutely Mission Critical.

The First Order must have dropped an entire Brigade on us behind our line. They were stealthy and professional and moved quickly to set up an Artillery line targeting our soft spots and Division HQ from behind where we were exposed. But I notified my Platoon and went up the chain of command to the Battalion commander.

We worked just as quickly to ambush them from below where we could attack and blow them up without the Order ever knowing what hit them.

In theory, the strategy worked incredibly well. We blew the tunnels and Command figured that we could take the rest of them in hand to hand and close quarters combat since we'd have the advantage of surprise and cut them off from any reinforcements or air support of their own.

The reality was different though. That was trench fighting and it was brutal. It was the longest, most terrifying, most violent night of my life.

It was all grenades and blasters and eventually force pike and vibro bayonets. It was constant shelling from both sides and being covered in gore and blood and dirt. It was hard fought and the battle raged for five hours without break but we carved out the victory that we so desperately needed.

Only to have hell literally rained down upon us eventually after we climbed up and out of the tunnels. My companions and I were victorious for all of five minutes until we were shelled from orbit by an Imperial Dreadnought just before it departed the system.

Everything died on Cheyrne Ridge that morning. Everything except me and eight others. Eight soldiers out of five thousand. Somehow, something called to me down in the tunnels and I held my squad and one other. We remained below ground just long enough to investigate the voice or ghost or whatever it was. We searched but we didn't find anything.

We were on our way up to join the others in celebration when we suddenly felt the earth buckle under and around us as the tunnels collapsed and exploded from above.

When I awoke, most of the tunnels to the surface and the mountain above were just destroyed. They were sunken in so that we had no choice but to go down. Down, deeper, and further in toward the unknown in the hopes that there might be a way out that the kinrath had somehow carved.

There was also that. Surviving an entire very pissed off and angry Kinrath hive after dealing with so many battles above ground left us ragged and we kept getting picked off one by one in the darkness. The worst was seeing our hopes die and our chances of survival dwindle and diminish. Every one of us who had survived the battle up top felt terrified that this was how we were going to end… Buried, lost, and forgotten.

Call me crazy but there was something below ground that guided us, me, through the endless maze of kinrath tunnels. A voice would urge me to move quickly, or turn left, or right, would wake me up when I felt tired and dozed. The voice kept me alert and alive when everything seemed lost. The kinrath hunted us below ground and kept us constantly on the move. They hunted us until only three remained. Imrez, Bortino, and myself. We were lost down there for three terrible, horrific, nightmarish days until we came to an underground stream.

It was strange how that little trickle of water tasted so pure and also filled us with renewed hope. It was that hope that encouraged us to move upstream. It was upstream that we saw the most beautiful light in the world that I've ever seen. Sunlight pouring down a crevasse that led us back to the real world and finally out of the Nightmare of the kinrath tunnels.”

"The First Order departed Dantooine entirely just a few weeks after that Battle at Cheyrne Ridge. So naturally, all over Dantooine, we celebrated our freedom, held parades, and gave out medals. We tended our wounded and raised memorials for those who gave their lives. For some of us, after the war against the First Order it was hard to go back to just running a shop or tending droids or processing credits in the real world.

For some of us, we needed to get off planet, get away from the tunnels and the nightmares, and try to start over again. Some of us decided to explore the rest of the galaxy. For some of us, we needed to continue hitting the First Order whenever and wherever possible. So, we took colonial defense jobs around the Outer Rim. Started doing what we could to help others resist other First Order Expansion and Intelligence Gathering Units... One job would lead to others. You get a certain reputation and just like anything else... Referrals, referrals, referrals... & that's how I eventually ended up working for this outfit and got recruited by Mr. Zando."

They are all slavers... Often the worst of all. Before the Empire started to unravel my homeworld wherever it is... It's been so long... it was occupied by the Empire. I've never known a free childhood.

No epic battles, no heroic losses. They came before I was born. I heard stories but they came as friends, then more and more and more... The smiles faded the terror began.

As children we would watch those wedges in the sky, so huge and menacing... Wondering, why they here, where'd they come from, what was their purpose. We found out soon enough.

At first it was "training", "a golden opportunity", "chance of a lifetime"... However after the first few classes the horrors became known.

Young children taken, first by promises and pressure, then by force. Xej, Zui, Qil, Omzi, Yuxel... many friends disappeared that way.

Then it was my turn. It's been a long time now... Many years in between then and now without time telling, so I'm not sure how old I was but couldn't have been more then 6 or 7 when the came for me...

Orbital bombardments, family tortured were the price of failure. The program trained us in science and technology. The pace and pressure relentless.

Up till now, Zyi tells this story with a straight face unbroken from emotion. However his detachment, his pokerface faded for a moment remembering the trauma.

He looks over at Yorik with a tired expression, but then breaks into a wide bittersweet smile.

Good guy, don't know how he got me to spill my guys here though. Rehashing past shizz... Well I started guess I owe the guy the ending.

I failed. It was inevitable. My town suffered for it. I woke up barely alive on a ship bound for Hutt space to be sold to the highest bidder.

Like I said they are all slavers, one way or another. I no longer discriminate between them. It all must go. CSA, Kaijecs, Banking Guilds, Aristocracies, maybe even the New Republic who knows... Time will tell.

He looks Yorrik up and down, sizing him up.

He speaks plainly, no deception. Simple man, straight and to the point. Almost... Innocent... Strange given the bloodshed he's experienced. He maybe just be worth my trust. We'll see... Time will tell.

Everyone's trials are their own, relative, but hearing these tales of staggering loss and hardship... put my personal privations more into perspective.

I am truly, very sorry for your losses, both of you. In many ways, I have lived a privileged existence, but I have never felt more keenly aware of it than right now.

My own search is for answers, not any sort of retribution; but I think we share some common goals and make a good team.

Throwing an arm over Zyi's shoulder on one side, and Yorik's on the other.

At least now, whoever survives the Rancor can write the memoirs. C'mon, guys. Let's find Durak and Worra, and get this show on the road.

Sitting in the workshop of the Golden Hind Shard is busy with salvaging the mangled K9 unit.

...yes. Let me finish up with this Droid and I'll be ready.

...oh, Durrak's not back yet? We looked for him... Well sort of looked... Wonder what he's gotten into, try the com?

Leave the past behind, shizz ain't worth thinking bout anyways. Just cutters up everything and frags up the brain.

Shard starts sorting the Hunter Droid parts, he makes a pile of charred plating, mangled actuators, wires and burnt servos.

What a frelling mess... what's the morality of saving something made to be disposable? What's the right choice here? I'm not sure if their is enough personality matrix left to save...

Yorik smiled in response to Astrid's familiarity and then laughed. Yes, this was definitely a good crew and they were all bonding nicely together.

"Yeah, well it's much better to be priviliged and learn from others' experiences, Doc, so congrats to you as well! & I'll drink to that! Here's to "Our Quest for Answers! May we continue to ask the right questions, find what we seek, and frell everything else!"

Kriff it, hand me one too...

Here's to a fragging shizzy life and to those that can vendor from the "wisdom" of suffering! Here here!

He clinks cans with Yorik and Astrid.

So if your gonna benefit from the shizz we've been through your gonna have to endure and endulge me pestering you about your field from time to time!!

Skol! (clinks cans)

Please do! There's nothing I love more than casual discourse on archaeoxenobiological analysis... Actually, I do want to see what the dumpst... I'm going to call it "Fridge." Even for a utilitarian droid, calling it a dumpster seems... disrespectful? Hmm... and naming it after a kitchen appliance is less so? Whatever.

Anyway, I want to see what it makes of the bone shards inscribed with runes. Determining the origins of the bones may prove invaluable in helping me to decipher the markings themselves!

Strangely enough, Astrid seems genuinely excited at the prospect.

I will be sure to return the harassment, when it comes to items with moving parts.

And Yorik! My martial prowess is mostly limited to carrying this "Lancer" on my hip, and hoping it's determent enough, to not need to use it. Given the nature of these assignments, I wouldn't mind some light sparring while we're under way, just to get me up on my feet? I might even learn something!

edit to add:

And " light sparring" isn't a euphemism for anything, just so we're clear.

" beep bop... beep boop ... you havea Collect holocall from...". #click # "Acolyte Kull " #click# "Do you accept? "

I was waiting on @jnrschulz however ill backdate any posts to him,

(Is this incoming to the Hind?)

Shall we answer? I daresay we've lost the element of surprise, if we ever had it.

1 hour ago, Edgehawk said:

Skol! (clinks cans)

Please do! There's nothing I love more than casual discourse on archaeoxenobiological analysis... Actually, I do want to see what the dumpst... I'm going to call it "Fridge." Even for a utilitarian droid, calling it a dumpster seems... disrespectful? Hmm... and naming it after a kitchen appliance is less so? Whatever.

Anyway, I want to see what it makes of the bone shards inscribed with runes. Determining the origins of the bones may prove invaluable in helping me to decipher the markings themselves!

Strangely enough, Astrid seems genuinely excited at the prospect.

I will be sure to return the harassment, when it comes to items with moving parts.

And Yorik! My martial prowess is mostly limited to carrying this "Lancer" on my hip, and hoping it's determent enough, to not need to use it. Given the nature of these assignments, I wouldn't mind some light sparring while we're under way, just to get me up on my feet? I might even learn something!

edit to add:

And " light sparring" isn't a euphemism for anything, just so we're clear.

Yorik grins mischievously in response to Astrid's allusion. "Hey, Doc, two humanoid species in close proximity to one another? We'll just let nature take it's course. I promise not to pursue if you really don't want me to but cut me some slack. After all, I am a red blooded male of Dantooine's finest! & like my dad used to joke, "Horseplay leads to Foreplay!"

But then again, you're the one throwing out big words like archaeo... xeno...biological... stuff... & I remember what my mom used to say about that & she was usually right about everything! "Wordplay leads to foreplay... " & on Dantooine, females are usually the initiators...

"uh oh... Acolyte?" Yorik sighed as he recalled the threat on New Taris. "Sure, let's answer the call."

27 minutes ago, TheShard said:

(Is this incoming to the Hind?)

(ooc yes)

11 minutes ago, Edgehawk said:

Shall we answer? I daresay we've lost the element of surprise, if we ever had it.

(so that is a yes?)

"Hello, who is this?" Yorik answered and motioned for Shard to work on tracing the call and any info if that was possible...

I have a bad feeling about this...

Shard jacks into the Hind and attempts to trace the signal.

Keep them talking... He whispers.