Log:A Diamond in the Scraps

A Diamond in the Scraps

OOC Date: December 30, 2015
Location: Niima Outpost - Jakku
Participants: Jictor Gubyls, Rey

-- Niima Outpost - Badlands, Jakku --

       This is a small scavenger settlement, it rests ontop of a flat-land hill amidsts the endless dust fields of Jakku.
       Here one will find a series of many tents and mud-adobe strectures setup inside the metal walls that surround the compound. This settlement is one of the small hubs for inter-planetary travel and scavenger markets. People come here to buy the parts scavenged from the old Ship Graveyard to the east. 
       Some people do indeed call Jakku home and this is one of the small settlements that they live within. Safety here is not a promise, as there are no official law-enforcement officials on Jakku, one is left to defend themselves.
       Unkar Plutt's Roadhouse is the most traversed place for people looking to relax, and scavengers can often be found outside of it turning in their daily 'finds' to attempt to receive food handouts from Unkar Plutt himself.

---

After landing on the adjacent dust fields, Jictor Gubyls makes his way into the small Niima Outpost settlement. This is, surprisingly, his second trip to the remote planet and outpost in recent times, and so he is already familiar with the layout. He heads straight towards the merchant tents, planning to ask some additional questions about the object that has brought him back here.

Sitting at a table with junk laid out in front of her, Rey scrubs ferociously at some piece of scrap metal. It's a bit early and she's one of the only ones here at the moment - everyone else out attempting to get their rations for the day. She can hear the ship land, stopping her work as it happens. Ships coming and leaving Jakku matter quite a good deal to her. The scavenger follows Jictor's progress as he moves toward the merchant tents, right past her. The scrubbing slows to merely a cursory buffing, head tilted curiously as she watches him. He doesn't look familiar.

Jictor glances down at the young woman as he passes by, scanning her but making no acknowledgement as he continues over to the tents. When he reaches them, he pulls a blaster pistol from underneath his cloak and holds it out -- not pointing it at the merchant, but turning it over in his hands, showing it as part of a discussion. He's there for a couple of minutes, talking in hushed tones, before the merchant points a finger at Rey. Jictor slowly turns and stares at her for several seconds, his head tilted curiously, then begins to retrace his steps back towards her table.

The exchange is watched with curious eyes and a furrowed brow. As the merchant points at her, Rey suddenly straightens in her seat. The cleaning of her part is mostly just for show now as Jictor approaches her table. Her posture is of someone unused to such attention and wary of newcomers. Also, something slightly anticipatory. She shifts a few times as she watches him come closer. It's only when he's close enough that he doesn't have to shout that she greets him. "I'm not sure what he told you," she replies. "But, he usually cannot be trusted." To start with, she's defensive. She can't help it.

Jictor comes to a stop in front of the table and crosses his arms, staring down at Rey. When she speaks, he raises an eyebrow slightly, then responds, "Are you not one of the scavengers? I can't imagine any reason for him to lie about that." His face is expressionless; he just watches her.

Rey's eyes move from Jictor to the merchant, still wary. A hand comes up to shield her eyes from the sun as she looks upward back to the tall man in front of her. "People lie for all sorts of reasons," she tells him. But, from the scraps she's cleaning and her her dirty clothing, it might be quite obvious that she's a scavenger. "What do you need a scavenger for? All they do is bring parts to be sold. You'd most likely be better off with someone like him."

"Of course they do. But almost no one is good at lying to me. Not to mention," Jictor motions towards the scraps in front of her, "the visual evidence." He moistens his lips then grabs a chair to take a seat at the table across from Rey. "A very rare item was found here. The merchant could not tell me who found it or where, but indicated I should talk to you." He leans forward and folds his hands together on the tabletop. "Although it would be ideal if I could find the person who discovered it, I am mainly interested in finding someone to look for similar items. And to contact me about any that are found, rather than handing it over to the merchants."

He's got her there. As Jictor pulls up a chair at her table, Rey stops scrubbing, studying him intently. She doesn't confirm or deny anything, but she watches him, almost hopeful for a moment. But, then, she looks disappointed at his request. She looks down at her part and then resumes scrubbing. "A rare item? Here?" It's certainly possible, though unlikely. "What was it?" She can't make an informed answer without knowing what it is that he's looking for.

Jictor considers for a moment, then once again pulls the blaster pistol out and shows it to Rey. "This. I am very interested in any other weapons of this make... or, really, any similar technology whatsoever." Although he's holding the gun out for her to see, he keeps a firm grip on it.

"The whole blaster?" Rey can't help but sound incredulous as she says it. The scrap around here is not usually quite that lucky. It's clear by his grip on the pistol that she's not going to be able to hold it, but she can certainly identify that it's old. Other than that it's not like anything else she has seen - and she's seen quite a few bits and pieces in the scrapyards she digs through. The disappointment she feels slowly starts to change into curiosity. "I've never seen anything like that," she replies. It's hard to keep out a bit of wonder in her voice. It's clear she was not the one that found the one he heard about. "It must be worth quite a bit, for you to be searching all the way out here for it."

"It is," Jictor answers with a curt nod. "However, the monetary value is not the reason for my interest." He slides the blaster away beneath his cloak and refolds his hands together on the table. "So. Do you think you would recognize other similar technology? If someone was on Jakku with this weapon... there may be other pieces out there. Not only of this pistol, but of other items of similar make."

Rey watches him put the blaster away before looking back at Jictor. Her hand remains on her scrap, but she sets the brush down. "I would," she replies confidently. She knows quite a bit about scavenging and never forgets a piece of equipment. "It has a distinctive molding style." She studies the man for a moment more. "People don't often come to Jakku. If someone brought that here, it was most likely awhile ago. Anything else might be long gone." It's a warning, though she has yet to agree to the job that has yet to distinctly be offered.

Jictor nods slowly in agreement with Rey's words before responding calmly, "I know. This planet is... remote, to say the least. Most people would never have any reason to come here." He studies her face for a moment, briefly wondering why SHE is here. But instead he continues, "If someone with this gun was on this planet -- or crashed here -- it was almost certainly as part of the Republic forces batting the Imperials. Thus it's been here for a couple of decades. I don't expect you to find much, if anything, else, but I would like to know if you do."

Remote. That's a good word for it. "Unless it's quite a good one." Rey's eyes drift to where Jictor hid the blaster again, as if making a point. There are reasons for people coming here and staying here. She looks over to the side, to where the remains of one of the last battles between the Rebels and the Imperials took place. "Then this certainly seems a likely place - if there truly is anything else like it." She sets down the part on they able in front of her as she considers. "Are you offering me the job, then? Find anything similar to this rare item and then hold it for you? And in return...?"

Jictor leans back in his chair and is silent for several seconds as he looks away from Rey and to that same wreckage. His eyes remain there when he finally answers, "Yes, I am offering you the job." Turning back to Rey, his rolls his shoulders in a long, casual shrug. "What is it that you want, Miss...?" he trails off questioningly, seeing as how he does not know her name.

The confirmation causes Rey to give a few nods, processing the information. "Rey," she replies as to her name. "Just Rey." Her eyes remain downward toward the table when he asks what she wants. What she truly wants is impossible for him to provide. "Must I answer right away?" It's not a question she's asked a lot. "Mr...?" If she's to contact him, it seems best to have a name.

"Jictor Gubyls. I can give you a Holonet address, although..." he trails off, looking around the sparse settlement. "I can't help but wonder if you even have access in this place." Living on Jakku must be a miserable existence. "And no, you do not have to answer right away. Having a general idea of what you might be looking for would be useful, however."

At the idea of a Holonet address, Rey gives a soft laugh. "Someone out here may, but I do not." Not when she's still scrounging parts for food to survive. It's a remote place, harsh and full of danger and sand. But, it's also home. "A general idea? Hard to find parts to fix my speeder. Cache of water. Things along those lines." Credits only stretch so far out here.

"Those things would be simple for me to acquire and bring to you, should you find anything noteworthy. But... I am curious. How exactly would you contact me? I will not be on Jakku." Jictor raises an eyebrow questioningly.

"Leave me a communicator," Rey replies simply. If he's willing to come all the way to Jakku to find what is essentially a needle in a sandy haystack, he's more than likely willing to leave behind a communicator. "I'll contact you when I find something. You can have it back when you come to retrieve it."

Jictor stands up abruptly and looks over his shoulder before turning back to Rey. "That is a reasonable request. I can retrieve one from my ship and give it to you now, before I depart for more... civilized locations. To attend to other business."

As Jictor stands, Rey automatically does, too. Her fingers remain on the table, splayed and as if keeping her balance. His abruptness has put her on edge. "Civilized," she repeats, studying him again. "Yes, alright. I'd be stealthy about it. The people around here have a nose for new parts. They'll try to steal it."

"I have no doubt about that. I watched a group try to rob earrings from someone a few days ago." He looks over at Unkar Plutt's Roadhouse, and takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Fortunately for her, we happened to be acquaintances. The odds of us running into each other in a place like this are so astronomical as to be beyond comprehension, but..." Jictor shrugs. "Nevertheless it happened. And so they left her alone." He turns back to Rey and adds, "If you find anything, and that thing is then stolen from you... all you have to do is tell me who took it. I will have no trouble retrieving it from them."

I'm sorry for your friend," Rey tells Jictor, glancing toward the roadhouse in question as she says it. Something tells her this is the same offworlder whose earrings she noticed the other day. Frowning, she sighs and shrugs her shoulders. "People do what they think they must to survive out here. I'm glad you were there to help her." And she truly sounds like she means that. As for someone trying to steal something from her, she gives him a small, confident half-smile. "People don't steal from me. I don't let them."

"I wouldn't call her a friend. More of a business associate." Jictor shrugs again, totally nonchalant about the whole situation -- there may not be a single being in the galaxy he would call a friend. There's a chance he would have just let the whole thing happen if he hadn't needed to talk to Alana about something. "And, to be honest, I did nothing at all. It just so happened that one of them recognized me, and after seeing I intended to speak to the woman... they dispersed. It was certainly fortuitous for her." Long distance to Chewbacca: Rey hugs!

Rey shrugs back. Friends, what are those? She doesn't really know where the threshold for calling one lies. "I see. Yes, it was." She doesn't really know what else to say on the matter. Rey doesn't have friends. She has contacts and names. Dealing with someone out for his own interests, though? That she understands. It's what most people on Jakku do. She pauses, glancing around. "I wouldn't worry about anyone trying to steal the communicator or the items from me. I've been here long enough to look after myself."

Jictor gives a curt nod to Rey. "Good. I do not like to work with incompetent people." He starts to walk off towards the dust fields, saying, "I'll go retrieve the communicator."

Rey stays by the table, rolling her eyes at Jictor's statement. "I'll be here." She doesn't follow him, watching his progress as he moves into the dust fields. Her following him would only set more scavengers to watch him.

Roughly 15 minutes pass before Jictor reappears in the settlement, striding purposefully towards Rey with a spare communicator in hand. He comes to a stop a couple of feet from the younger woman and holds it out unceremoniously. "Here." And that's all he says.

Rey waits patiently. She's no stranger to waiting. She doesn't do all of it standing, of course. That would be far too suspicious. Instead, she sits back down, focusing on cleaning the part she was on when Jictor appeared. Only when the tall man reappears does she stop and stand. Carefully, she plucks the communicator from his hand and quickly makes it disappear. "I'll be in touch when I find something." She seems convinced that she will.

"Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you, Rey." Jictor nods yet again, then starts to turn away to head back towards his vessel. He pauses mid-turn, however, and looks back at her. He's quiet for a moment, considering, then says "I have another request. If you find anything else that seems especially interesting, or if you overhear any conversations that seem like they might possess useful information... contact me with that as well. And I do not mean simply about the technology we discussed... I mean about anything at all." He idly motions towards the ship graveyard. "I realize that seems unlikely here, but I collect information, and even insignificant snippets can be useful as part of a larger puzzle. People who visit here, things you hear discussed... I'd be interested in all of it. And of course I am willing to have water, parts, or whatever else you require brought here in exchange for that service."

As Jictor turns away, Rey sits back down at her table. Just because she's made a contract mean that she gets to stop working. There's still rations she needs to bargain for and water that she needs. She picks up the brush again to start scrubbing when she turns again toward the mysterious man who wants a rare item. She listens to him as he speaks, no interrupting. Her eyes squint a bit as she watches him in the bright light. "I'm not a spy," she tells him. There's no contempt in her voice as she says this. It's pure fact. The parts, the water, the rations...it's all quite a good incentive. But, it's not who she is.

"That's not exactly what I'm asking you to be... but I understand. However, I do hope you will at least consider letting me know if you hear anything especially interesting -- on a case by case basis. I would, of course, pay you well for it." Jictor offers Rey a faint smile, although it doesn't really come across as pleasant -- it actually makes him vaguely resemble a wolf. But it disappears quickly, and he continues, "But I have business to attend to on Nar Shaddaa. I need to be on my way. It was a pleasure to meet you, Rey, and again, I look forward to hearing from you."

The answer that Jictor gets may be one that he will respect. Instead of a verbal confirmation or denial, all he gets is a shrug. A noncommittal response that means that she may if she needs the parts or the water or the rations. But, she's not someone who wants to find herself relying on anyone. Not out here. Instead of telling him it was nice to meet him, she just nods her farewell. "I'll be in contact when I find something," she assures him. Then, she turns back to her parts to get her days earnings.