Log:From Moon to Desert

Jakku: From Moon to Desert

Location: Jakku
Participants: Raim Shah, Sirus Yume, Suoh Yume, Rheisa Dirleel

At the gentle knock upon the polished high gloss of the door of his penthouse, Raim moves quickly over and disengages the high security lock and pulls the door open. Scarlet eyes settling on Rheisa and Suoh, he dips his head in greeting and extends a hand out to take Rheisa's packs and gestures them inside. "Come on inside. The ship is prepped and ready to make the jump to Naboo and then on to Jakku. Is everything on your end ready to go?" Once the two step inside, Raim swings the door back closed and then interfaces with the security system of the penthouse to engage the security system before leading them out to the landing pad where rests the Screw Loose, a modified YT-1300, and the Felicity, a large SoroSuub Deluxe Yacht. He leads the way onto the smaller ship and as they travel up the loading ramp and past the cargo hold, they can see the crates of foodstuffs and other cargo for the trip.

"Yes," Rheisa looks to Suoh for confirmation, following closely on the Chiss' heels since he does now hold possession of her things, after all, and it would be wise to note where those are placed.

The Echani sort of gauges the space. He has an eye on the details. Nods to Raim. "Nice to see you again. Been a while since I hae left Nar, since we arrived." Suoh is in his traveling gear, light armor and the like. He rubs his temple. "Sirus will meet us there, he left early, slow ship and all."

Raim nods as he turns and presses a few buttons, the loading ramp closing behind the three of them. He moves toward the cockpit and places Rheisa's bags on the floor by the Captain's chair as he launches the Screw Loose from the deck of Dacon Tower and off into space. After the ship has made the jump to hyper space, he moves to retrieve Rheisa's bags and moves toward the lounge. "So we will be in hyperspace for a brief moment until we touch down into Naboo, and then on toward Jakku after retrieving the seeds and plantlike we are picking up there. What is the plan once we arrive?" His question seeming to be directed toward Rheisa as he moves into a seat on the couch at the far end of the lounge.

Rheisa's taken up occupancy at one of the chairs around the table, folded arms supporting her chin. "Visit big trading place. Find Reestkii." She's not exactly an experienced traveler, but the concept seems simple enough, in her mind. Say hello and deliver the goods to the appropriate village. A shared meal ought to be enough to gain trust among new faces, right? Letting slip a little yawn, she stretches one arm across the table.

Suoh nods to Raim, "Sounds good." He paces for a moment in silence, in thought. He settles himself down on a chair. He exhales slowly through his nose. "It'll be a new adventure." He shrugs slowly. "I'm sure we can handle what will come our way." The Echani is a bit relieved to put some distance between himself and Nar Shadda for the time being.

After an uneventful flight, the charity-tasked freighter arrives in the Badlands of Jakku, making use of what may pass for a tarmac near the outskirts of Niima Outpost.

Dust Fields - Badlands, Jakku The dust fields of Jakku are a broad expanse of nothing but sand and dry lifeless dirt. The daytime temperature here can reach nearly unbearable levels for most forms of life, though the species of animals native to the planet seem to do just fine. However, travelers from off-world may find the entire experience of being on Jakku to be one of displeasure due to the insane day-time heat. The dust fields themselves are a drab sea of gently waving hills, sand and sun-bleached rock being the primary thing for one to see here. Occasionally there is a rocky canyon or the carcass of some long deceased animal, but otherwise the Dust Fields are the sort of place one does not want to be stranded in.

Lucky Strike steers further inside the area, and then maneuvers toward a berthing spot. Only its repulsors remain online, keeping the craft steady, just above the ground.

The whine of the repulsorlifts coming from the Lucky Strike quieten as it gently touches down to the ground, the ship's systems powering down soon after.

As his Ship touches down on the planet kicking up some of the sand and dirt Sirus lights his pipe as he unstraps himself slowly raising to his feet. He then goes to check on his own cargo making sure it is all hidden well the spice. The new batch picked up from a new contact and that he will be feeding to the natives. Get them addicted and new market with this grand excuse and then he opens the ramp and heading down dressed in just black pants and a t-shirt."Man it's hot." He then looks around trying to find the others at the meeting spot.

The Screw Loose had landed on Jakku some time before, the loading ramp descending into the sand. Raim is the first down the ramp, dressed in a simple thin shirt and breeches, a scarf spun around his mouth and nose to ward away the blowing sand. He lets out a sigh at the heat, scarlet eyes lifting to regard the brutal sun before he moves to the side of the ramp for the others to come down. "Well... we're here. Don't have a heart attack when you see how glorious it is," he says sarcastically back toward the other two.

Suoh is wearing his light colored body armor. So he's pretty cool and covered. He shields his eyes from the sun as he comes out of the ship. He chuckles seeing that Sirus made it. "Hey bro." He waves and comes down the ramp. He then pulls out a cigarette to smoke. Too long in the ship without it. He rustles the white tuft of mohawk on his own head. "That didn't take -that- long to get here. I am surprised."

"I hope no," Rheisa says softly, glancing to the device monitoring said heart from her wrist. Staff held tightly in hand, she rap-taps down the ramp, stopping /just/ shy of the sand to take in the surrounding view. The green whorls in otherwise lilac irises shine brightly, pupils shrinking to mere dots while the rest of her eye seems to bulge in awe. Quiet puffs of breath bring some humidity to her shroud while she surveys the lay of the land. Nervous fingers flex around the wood of her walking stick. "Jakku." She states.

"Jakku land of sand and wrecks and battles." Sirus's voice booms out of the ramp next to them with a soft laugh."I wonder how this will go." He then runs down the ramp and towards the sand leaping off into it with a loud smack of his boots on it."Time to get dirty and time to get these supplies out. Did you guys bring any type of ground craft?"

Raim shakes his head and motions toward the settlement. "Let's journey to the settlement and see if there is livestock to purchase to haul our goods. I feared that the sand might hinder a speeder, but one never knows. We may be able to rent one." With that, Raim glances back toward Rheisa and once she has stepped from the ramp, presses a button on his wrist computer to send the loading ramp closing behind her. He nods and then begins to walk toward the settlement, his feet sliding and printing in the sand with each step.

Suoh frowns as they are going by foot. He glances back to Rheisa. "Are you going to be okay walking that far, Rheisa?" He asks in a neutral tone. He exhales his smoke in the other direction and stubs out his cigarette in the sand. He offers to lead and offers a hand. "Slippery terrain. You can lean on me if you'd like."

The Togruta's the last to disembark, by a landslide. Timidly, she pokes one toe into the sand and watches as it gets mostly swallowed. There's a great deal of poking and tapping involved before she finally plants a foot firmly and wiggles her toes through the sun-scorched grit. It's hot. That's a fact. Gingerly, the other foot follows and she sucks in her breath, steeling against the initial shock. Fortunately, twenty-three years of barefoot existence has toughened the soles of her feet considerably.

"Am okay, I think," Rheisa relaxes her tensed shoulders to fire Suoh a fleeting grin. "Is like...is like river. But not wet." The staff stabs into the sand, helping to stabilize her as she takes her first few wobbly steps over the ever-moving substrate, towards Suoh.

"Well then the gang is all here." Sirus laughs softly and then he looks around at all of the sand."So then where to first?" He then slides out a datapad slowly through his fingers quickly and then he starts to tap it slowly reading over the cargo."I figured hire someone to unload."

Raim chuckles to himself at Rheisa's timidity as he continues to walk toward where he saw the village on his nav computer. He travels up a dune, and then begins to descend the other side.

Suoh pulls up his hood to cover his semi bald head from the blinding sun. "Come on guys. We have some charity to bestow to a village." He follows along but keeps an eye on their Curator. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to make sure she doesn't slip."

So far, Rheisa's toes seem to do a decent job of digging into the sand as she goes, catching the hang of it. Hot though they may be on the outside, beneath the crust is a cool, barren feeling. The land is indeed desolate. Few souls have passed through before her, leaving little trace of lifeborn energy behind. Moisture collects between the Togruta's lids. Perhaps it's the wind.

She follows along silently, keeping stride with Suoh easily enough, but not hasty to quicken it and catch the others.

Sirus moves slowly almost as he is use to the sand with each step he adjusts his weight."Brother this reminds me of a few years ago." He chuckles softly as he lifts the cig to his lips again taking a long pull of the smoke into his lungs. He then exhales a few moments later as the sun beats down on his pale body."This is rough man...."

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.

Suoh treks up the dune and waits for Rheisa and offers his hand to help her up and over toward the town. "Easy Rhesia...footing up here isn't even." He shifts the weight on his feet so he doesn't go sliding down or cause the sand to avalanche.

Rheisa takes hold of the proffered hand, even if just to be polite. But it comes in handy when she slip-staggers once on the way down. The flapping of tents and clanging of wares capture her attention before the shouts and mutters of local voices can be heard. "Must be Niima," she announces, a bit muffled through the shawl.

Raim leads the way down the large dune toward those flapping tents. He lifts a hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright sun. "Well, at least we landed in the right place. At least we found people that we can ask for advice," he says as he moves toward one of the tents that contain a fair few people milling about.

"Well then...." Sirus watches around the camp slowly and then the smoke is shot through his nose slowly with a content sigh."Good stuff...." He then stops in the center his eyes drift around slowly through the area and then he nods slowly."So then where to first?" Suoh loses his footing a bit but was able to keep upright until he got to town. He peers around cupping hands over his eyes. "Seems like the place. Good going guys. Let us bring charity before our ships are stripped for parts." He looks around for where to go.

"Reestkii is 400 kilometer away, says map," Rheisa notes aloud, leaving Suoh's side to wander as casually as she can between merchant tents, towards what she assumes to be a well. It doesn't take long before the locals spot and identify the outlanders for what they are. There's a mix of stares pointed in their direction - innocent curiosity, resentment, hunger, suspicion. Rheisa's own eyes watch back nervously in the shade of her makeshift hood.

Raim's hand drifts to lie casually over the grip of his blaster where it is holstered on his thigh. His eyes gaze back at the villagers that are taking more and more note of them. "Whatever we do, we better do it fast," he says quietly to Rheisa. "If we don't then we may not make it to Reestkii with our haul. It will be a different set of hungry people reaping the benefits of our goods."

"Well hungry people are hungry people right." Sirus laughs softly with a shake of his head and then he exhales the smoke from his lungs again slowly."But then tell me what’s the next step. I'm here for the ride mostly." He then rubs his neck slowly with his fingers.

Suoh scratches the back of his head looking around. "A native?" He frowns. "Rhesia, no one knew we were coming did they?" He looks at her from under his hood, and crosses his arms. Eyes going to the natives. He takes out his tazer just in case.

Rheisa mumbles something, concentrating on the buzz of activity around her, around them. She pivots sharply on foot, shawl snap-fluttering in time with the tents to reveal a bared belly beneath. Staring eye-to-eye with a hunched Nu-Cosian leering at her from beneath his tattered awning, the Togruta leans forward on her staff. "Tooka Katz? Where might we find this person?" She inquires softly, reaching to her belt to procure some pretty, glass beads. Many other shiny, reclaimed things sway and clatter from the frame of his tent, so perhaps he'd enjoy a few more.

Sirus moves right behind her slowly and then he drops his smoke slowly into the sand and smashing with one big black boot. He then watches around and slowly reseting his hand on the vibroblade with a worried look."It's a bit cagey here. We might wanna drop and run."

The Nu-Cosian tilts his beaked skull aside to eye her closely. His long neck bows to inspect the beads she offers up. "Who askssss..." he challenges, not overly intimidating. "You are not from here." But he's right back to eyeing the shiny, hand-blown, hand-painted beads, taloned fingers itching to take them into his own.

"We have friend who know. We come with things to give, but must get first to Reestkii. After talk to this person." Rheisa retracts her hand a few inches, showing that the offer is not on the table for long.

"Oh okay then...."Sirus listens and then his own plans are clicking down in his head and then he listens for a moment his fingers tracing the vibroknife and then his eyes wide on the girl trusting someone random."So just needs basic directions and we will be right out of your hair man."

Raim steps forward, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches the transaction between the Rheisa and the other man. He glances around occasionally, likely to ensure that the locals don't get too close without him knowing they're there.

"Tooka Katz. She has tent over there. Sells refurbished oil and synth fluids," the bow-necked alien confides with a very vague gesture to the northern end of the outpost before snatching the beads out of Rheisa's hand as payment.

The Togruta remains still, palm upturned and goods for the taking. The snatch doesn't cause so much as a blink. "Thank," she says softly, casting Sirus a sly look from beneath the hood. Backing slowly away, Rheisa motions Raim nearer to and tips her head to whisper between the two men.

"Tooka Katz is my mother's sister. This one tells lies. We move on, yes? Maybe after drink." And she heads for the well.

Sometime later...

The night of the troupe's trek to the planet of Jakku finds the residents of Nar Shaddaa back at their ships. Darkness has settled over the planet, giving an unobstructed view of the seemingly limitless supply of stars above. The ramp of the Screw Loose stands open, presumably the Yume brothers aboard their own ship. The shadowed form of Raim can be seen, sitting in the sand just at the bottom of the boarding ramp, head tilted back to the sky above.

"The Daaark has cast his many eyes into the sky to watch over his shadow children..." Glittering eyes shine almost as bright in the darkness, bobbing nearer and nearer still from the Lucky Strike. Rheisa has cast aside her hood, leaving her skull and its sensitive bits exposed to the whispering sands and meagerly dropped temperature.

Raim's scarlet eyes glow like beacons in the darkness as he looks toward the sound of Rheisa's voice and then over her shoulder toward the Lucky Strike. He nods, his eyes going back upward to the night sky as he says, "I had thought that you might be sleeping aboard the Lucky Strike." There is no anger in his voice, more so just the casual noting of what he had assumed, though the astute observer might of course notice more there in his body language.

"Why?" Rheisa gathers the drapery about her shoulders and thrusts her staff into the ground not far alongside Raim. She settles into a crouch there and tips back her head to gaze upward. This is a view impossible to glimpse from the Smuggler's Moon. "I do not feel like sleeping."

Raim considers the simple question for perhaps longer than is needed. He finally shrugs at length and then says, "No particular reason. When you went toward the Lucky Strike I had just assumed that I would be making it through the night alone." His glowing eyes move back to Rheisa and he says, "Why don't you feel like sleep? Are you nervous?"

Hugging her knees, Rheisa studies the twinkling beings overhead. "Is not much to fear, not /many/ to fear, here." She speaks softly, lowly, conscious of the distance one's voice can carry in such open, endless sky. "Small numbers, like my village. These peoples are hungry. They are tired. But when I look, I see many bodies, working for selves. There is no unity. No system. In this way, they are broken." The akul teeth hanging from her head rattle together quietly, shaken. "Not much to fear."

Raim nods his head and scoots closer toward Rheisa in the sand. He puts an arm around the Togruta's shoulders without hesitating and pulls her comfortingly to his side. "And you feel bad for them?" he infers from her statement, questioning her further.

"I feel..." Rheisa tips her head, knocking briefly against Raim's shoulder before dipping forward to inspect the sand between her fingers. She scoops a small handful and lets it dribble out atop her other hand. "Is little honor to be found, among those who live in such way. And I do not understand why." She rubs at the grit, massaging it over the back of her hand, between fingers, up her forearm. When it has all been ground in, stuck to the oils of her skin, she blows/brushes it away.

Raim nods his head and says, "I am sure there are those who are not able to leave this place. Those that won't allow others to leave. But the ones who can escape, I do not understand why they don't. They have to know there is something better for them out there." He pauses as he glances sideways toward Rheisa, and then moves a sapphire hand toward her face and if she allows, lifts her chin so that both eyes, natural and cybernetic, are looking toward him.

Rheisa obliges, staring unblinkingly back. "Maybe they do know. Maybe, they only wait for a chance." Shifting her gaze beyond him to the ship, she nods pointedly. "This is the reason we must listen, even when asleep. Some may seek to leave with us...or without."

Raim dips his head and says, "That is why I was sitting out here, keeping a watch on things. I had thought you three gone to sleep, so I thought that I would stay awake and keep a watch on things, just in case." He pauses as he considers Rheisa's first sentence for a moment. "Perhaps they are afraid to take the chance?" he questions thoughtfully.

"Perhaps." Rheisa faces forward again, watching with more than just her eyes in the darkness that lies beyond the slope of the dune. "Until they watch us long enough. Learn how we move. When we move." It takes a hunter to know a hunter, after all.

The Togruta's breath goes still in her chest, suddenly. Her head cants aside, listening. Very, very cautiously, she leans forward and palms flatten lightly upon the sand.

Stilling as well, Raim's hand leaves Rheisa's chin to trail down her arm, placing one hand flat atop hers in the sand. His eyes turn outward to the darkness as he listens intently. "What is it?" he whispers toward her. "Did you see something?" he questions further, his free hand drifting to his thigh and the blaster contained there.

One slender finger rises to press against the Chiss' lips. It's a universal gesture. Adopting a controlled, methodical pace to her movements, she presses her cheek to the sand. Long seconds pass, her breath scarcely stirring the tiny grains. Very carefully, she pushes up and stalks thirty degrees to the right before freezing a second time.

The faintest of shifts occurs under the sand, as though something shrugs beneath it. Her left elbow rears back, right arm trembling faintly under her suspended weight while she prepares to strike.

Raim blinks in surprise as Rheisa's finger covers his lips and he can't help but smile. He slowly pushes himself to his feet as well and creeps along in her wake, though he is no doubt louder than she, his booted feet causing disturbances in the sand. His hand is still on his blaster, and his eyes scanning the darkness and sand, not understanding. Clearly he thinks there is still some danger about. He continues walking, and so caught up is he in his search of the darkness that he doesn't notice that Rheisa has stopped, and walks flat into her back.

Rheisa's hand plunges forward about the same time she gets stepped upon, fingers angled to cut like a knife through the loose layer of drifting sand...but it's just not quick enough or quite that graceful to catch the uber-sensitive creature tunneling through. Instead, she's bumped forward, hand plunging awkwardly to the tune of her own pained squawk, rear headtail caught a bit beneath his boot treads. For a brief moment her fingers graze something leathery, sparsely bristled, maybe the width of her arm, but it's too late to correct course for a better grip. The nightwatcher worm gets away and she's left sniffing at traces of its flesh snared beneath her nails.

A low note of displeasure rumbles in the Togruta's throat and she possessively pulls what little length she can of the rear tail over her shoulder for examination after she gets to her feet.

Raim gasps as he hears that pained noise coming from Rheisa and he is quick to backpedal. As she stands and cradles her stepped on head tail, he walks forward and attempts to touch her arm. "Rheisa, I am so sorry. I didn't know what was going on. I thought that you had heard someone creeping in on us and I didn't want you out in the dark alone." There is clear regret and apology in his voice as he attempts to get a look into the Togruta's eyes. "I'm sorry."

There's a flash of teeth, almost as bright as her stare. "So much noise," Rheisa accuses with a hiss, releasing her headtail in favor of tapping his forehead, "in here." She brushes past, but doesn't bite him at least! The headtail flattens as much as it can against her neck and spine now, but doesn't appear to be damaged in anyway. "Maybe next time," she sighs and plods a slow retreat up the ramp.

Evidently his infraction's not enough for her to leave him by his lonesome through the dangerous night.

Raim blows out a sigh as Rheisa moves past him and then heads up the ramp into the ship. He looks after her for a moment, but doesn't follow. He moves back to his position before, at the bottom of the ramp and ease himself back down to a seated position at the bottom of the ramp. He will stay there, staring out into the darkness for a while, possibly an hour before he moves up the ramp and finally taps the buttons on his wrist computer to send the ramp closing behind him and to engage the modified locks he had installed on the ship for this trip. He will move about the ship, curious if Rheisa awaits him in his bed within the Captain's quarters or if she took a bunk in the Crew quarters.