|
Post by Gamov on Aug 18, 2009 22:57:00 GMT -5
His senses gradually returned to him as the pain radiated out from his unusually tense shoulders and crept to the base of his neck, rudely welcoming him back to consciousness. Wes groaned in discomfort as his nerves reawakened, delivering a once latent ache that began to take its place in his head as he edged closer to full awareness. Bringing a hand to his forehead he rubbed his sore temples, attempting to alleviate the pain as he pressed his eyelids shut and winced beneath the effects of the dull throbbing in his skull. The ache was uncomfortable at least and nauseating at worst, accompanied by a twinge of sickness in the pit of his stomach. But no matter how long he massaged his head, the tension would not relent and for the time being he would have to endure it.
Covering his face with both of his hands, he moaned again before sitting up abruptly, only to have his bruised head collide with a thick, sturdy slab above him.
"Gaaaahh!! Son of a bi....!!" He cursed through tightly clenched teeth as he was immediately forced on to his back again, clutching his forehead as he worked with all his resolve to avoid vomiting where he laid. Suppressing the pain in his head to the best of his ability, Wes fought back the sickly pang in his gut before opening his bleary eyes, slightly at first to allow them time to acclimate to his surroundings, before he gave standing a second attempt.
This time he was much more cautious, taking care to duck under the obstruction above him. He swung his feet out over the edge of the stone slab he had been resting on, taking a moment to collect himself as he planted his boots firmly on the floor and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.
"Oh, what the hell happened?" He questioned, probing his mind for answers as he hung his head low, staring absently at the ground beneath his feet for a moment. But his mind would yield him no answers. Everything was an incomprehensible blur of nonsense inside his confused mind. All he knew at the moment was discomfort. Finally working up the nerve to stand, Wes hauled himself up from the edge of the slab and took a glance around his surroundings, finding them completely foreign to his perception.
"Well, this isn't my ship." He managed, groggily as he scanned the small dark room. "Where the hell am I?" He thought.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through his left eye, forcing Wes to bring a finger to it to press against it through his closed eyelid. The action managed to take some of the bite out of the pain, but it was still there, though just not as bad. With the discomfort momentarily repressed, Wes staggered his way towards a rusty door in front of him, slamming the opening mechanism with an open hand to open it.
The dimly lit room was instantly flooded with bright light from the outdoors, forcing Wes to shield his sensitive eyes until they could adjust. Once his vision had returned to normal, he took a few tentative steps outside into the bustling streets, the door sealing shut behind him as he slowly began to comprehend his location. glancing up and down the dusty, windswept main street, Wes began to recognize landmarks and scenery before it all clicked together for him.
"God dammit...." He said under his breath, finally realizing where he was. And though why he was here was not entirely clear, he had a pretty good idea as to who the culprit was the put him here. If it weren't for the fact that his head hurt so damn much right now, Wes would be fuming with hate. But, stranded with little more than the clothes on his back, he had to concentrate all of his skills on finding a way off Tatooine. And being angry wouldn't accomplish that any time soon.
With no other recourse of action, Wes headed off into the crowd in search of some way, any way, off of this rock.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 19, 2009 17:57:24 GMT -5
Ashley Leona Sparks was working on her ship when she heard a voice shout. She looked around and caught site of a man walking in the crowd. She had never seen him before. The sand began to pick up and a sandstorm began to whip up. “Great,” she said as she pulled her long dark brown hair out of her face. She began to walk through the crowd with her cloak raised over her head. No one on Tatooine was aware of her presence nor did they know that she was a Jedi Knight.
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 19, 2009 18:25:48 GMT -5
The coarse sands began to pelt the side of his face, lifted from the ground and tossed about in small plumes of irritating grit as the wind swept through the streets, their pace hastened as a windstorm began to billow up, forcing the rabble to begin clearing themselves from the streets. All around him people scrambled for shelter. Markets closed and folded in an instant as vendors hurried to protect their wares from the harsh sandstorm approaching. Windows and doors on various dwellings were quickly slammed shut and secured against the storm. Citizens scurried around frantically, using cloaks, hoods or whatever means they could to cover their faces as they broke for cover to ride out the tempest.
Wes squinted and held his hand in front of his eyes, attempting to deflect the dust as it slowly started to encircle him, choking the sunlight from the sky and completely obscuring the azure blue sky that was normally visible as the last remnants of life finally disappeared from view, either blotted out by the wall of dust and sand or hidden safely within the walls of nearby shops and buildings.
The winds began to quicken now, whipping the sand about with great ferocity, making Wes' attempts to shield his exposed face from the howling dust storm all but impossible. Riding out a sand storm outdoors on Tatooine was not his idea of a good time and he clumsily, yet quickly made his way to a nearby door, pressing against the wind as he neared the vaguely discernible shape in the distance.
He finally reached the door and plastered himself in the shallow archway as he pounded on the durasteel slab with his bare hands. "Hey, anyone in there?!?! Let me in!!" He shouted over the turbulent winds.
But his words went unanswered, leaving a despondent feeling within him as he cursed at the people he presumed to be hiding inside the structure. "God damn you! Let me in!" He demanded as he beat his fists against the door more feverishly. His words still went unanswered. Either the people inside were leaving him to die, or he had just wasted his energy yelling at an empty building. In either event, Wes had no choice but to try and find shelter elsewhere.
Turning back to the storm, he again tried to protect his eyes when a figure began to form no too far away from him, clad in white. Either he was hallucinating seeing an angel, or someone was foolish enough to be out in this crap with him. In any case, Wes slowly began to make his way towards the mysterious being.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 20, 2009 14:58:58 GMT -5
Ashley heard someone shouting at the top of their voice and she looked out through the crowd. Soon the sandstorm began to die down some. The wind was blowing less harsh than it normally was and the girl stood a height of 5'8". The hood of her cloak covered half of her face as she turned around to face the man who was standing in front a building obviously he was about to break down the door to get away from the sandstorm.
"Well, well, well," she said with a friendly smile on her face. “Look what the wind blew in. Hello there. Who might you be?”
The twin suns began to set in the evening sky, casting an orange color in the sky. She did not remove her hood from her face as she continued to look at the man who was leaning against the wall.
She leaned against the wall and asked, “Looking for shelter?”
As the wind blew, a strand of her dark brown hair came out of her hood and hung halfway in her face.
“Come on,” she said as she motioned him to follow her. “We can go find a shelter. No one is in that home, but they are gone.”
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 21, 2009 1:04:58 GMT -5
Finally, the winds began to subside, allowing for the tumultuous clouds of sand and dirt that once swirled through the streets to dissipate enough where he could see more than a foot or two in front of his face, enough to see the sky again. The binary suns of Tatooine set the distant horizon ablaze in a brilliant flourish of orange and red as their rays penetrated through the withering plumes of dust once more, casting long dark shadows down the main street in advance of the twilight that was soon to beset the planet.
Wes lowered his hand from his face, letting his guard down for the first time since the storm moved in, as a voice spoke to him. His eyes took a second to correct themselves after the maelstrom, but he would soon see who the voice belonged to. A young girl, probably around twenty or so, approached him and asked who he was, an inviting smile displayed on her lips as a slight breeze brushed past them down the alleyway, catching a lock of her dark brown hair in its throes to draw it across her face as she took her place next to him and leaned back against the wall, all the while her eyes fixated on him.
Wes returned her gaze, keeping his focus on her as she barely allowed time for him to answer before asking if he was looking for shelter. He had no idea who she was or what she was doing here, and frankly, he didn't care. What he did care about was finding a way off of Tatooine so he could catch up with those responsible for dumping him here on this rock. Although, at the moment, the company wasn't overly rough on the eyes and served to momentarily distract him from his feelings of resentment and anger.
He tried to answer her at first, but his words caught as an irritation in his throat caused him to cough unexpectedly. Most likely because he had unintentionally inhaled some sand during the storm while trying to protect himself from it. Not wishing to be rude, however, Wes quickly brought a hand to his mouth and covered it, a hoarse, unhealthy noise emanating from him as his lungs worked to dispel the irritants he had accidentally ingested. His cough persisted for a good fifteen to twenty seconds before letting up enough for him to reply.
Clearing his throat, Wes inhaled a deep breath of fresh air and finally answered the young girl, apologizing first for his brief coughing fit. "Sorry about that." He said. "Must have taken in some sand during the storm.... Anyway, you can call me Wes."
He paused for a moment, scanning the girl before him. His interest in her was not physical, not by a long shot. There was nearly a decade separating them in age, and he had not an inkling of desire to become that sort of creepy man. No, instead he was trying to figure her out. Someone as young as her on a planet inhabited by every kind of thug, criminal and miscreant you could imagine was out of the ordinary. And yet, in spite of that, she seemed calm and certain of herself. Something about her innocent appearance seemed a little out of place, though he couldn't quite figure it out. Nor was he sure he wanted to.
Picking up on his original train of thought again, he answered her second question. "I could use a place to stay for the night. Just long enough for me to find a way out of this place." He said. "You have any recommendations? Or, better yet, do you know any people who would be willing to get me out of here? I can pay, money isn't a real issue." He quickly asserted.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 21, 2009 14:20:37 GMT -5
The girl smiled and said, "That's okay. Here drink this. Don't worry it ain't got any alochol in it. It's just water."
She handed him her canteen to drink from. She figured he must have been out here for quite some time and was probably dehydrated from not having much to drink. It was starting to warm up even though it was almost close to nightfall.
"Nice to meet you Wes," she said as she extended her hand out in a friendly greeting. "My name's Ashley."
The sun was slowly beginning to fade over the horizion in the sky and Ashley tilted her head to the side slightly and then a big gush of wind blew and knocked her hood off her head as she looked at Wes.
"I don't know anyone on this godforsaken place," she said. "But if you are looking for a lift. I could give you one if you would like. I have a ship, but I need to get a new engine for it. That's why I ended up here. Besides if the only thing you have are Republic credits out here you up the damn creek without a paddle. They are useless out here." She laughed slightly and she pulled out her other canteen and drank from it.
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 21, 2009 14:58:48 GMT -5
Wes eagerly took the canteen from her hand and uncapped it and began taking a long drought of the refreshing liquid inside. Even though it was just simple water, he swilled it like it was the elixir of eternal life, gulping down a copious helping to hydrate his parched body before lowering the container from his lips and wiping the excess water from his chin with his coat sleeve.
Looking back at the girl, he felt himself blush slightly, embarrassed that he may have just made an ass of himself by overreacting to a canteen of water like an addict to drugs. Wes ignored his awkwardness, however, by quickly gripping her hand and reciprocating her gesture, shaking her hand twice as he repeated her name aloud to himself. "Ashley.... Well, it's nice to meet you, Ashley." He said, flashing a feint smile.
He put the cap back on the water canteen and handed it back to her. "Well, by the sounds of things, we're stuck here for the time being. Your ship doesn't work, I have no ship, and Republic credits are useless...."
Wes paused for a bit, his frustration growing at the ever increasing list of things that seemed to be keeping him trapped here on Tatooine. But he didn't blame Ashley, not at all. For starters, they had only just met and, if she could have left this place herself, she would have done it a long time ago and they would have never met to begin with. But at least she was willing to give him a lift when things got back on track, and in that regard, he figured it would move faster if he helped her out as best he could.
"So, if credits are useless, you don't know anyone, I don't know anyone.... What's the plan? I assume you've looked for places to find a replacement engine for your ship, right?"
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 21, 2009 15:16:41 GMT -5
Ashley hid her giggle with a snort, but a friendly smile formed on her face and she said, "You can keep the canteen. I don't want you dying of thirst."
She waved her hands and said,"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow it down a gear. Damn the sandstorm must have gotten to you shooting all these questions at me like this damn it." She was joking. Normally she would not be this friendly to someone who she did not know very well. But she was trying to turn a new leaf.
"Yes I have been working on my ship, but the engine I bought was a piece of shit," she said. "The way you get what you need around is by bartering or playing sabacca. And now that's what we're about to go do so I can get me a decent engine for my ship."
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 21, 2009 15:52:57 GMT -5
Wes smiled a bit, taking the canteen for himself at her request before he turned his mind to her suggestion. "Sabaac, eh?" He mused, nervously scratching his neck. "I've never really been one for gambling, too risky. I prefer more stable and reliable forms of income."
He thought for a moment, rubbing his chin as he considered his next words carefully. "So, what do you have to barter? I'd offer something, but I've got a whole lot of nothing on me." He said. "And there's no way I'm putting my guns on the line, my guns make my lifestyle. What I can do for you, though, is when you win whatever parts you need from your card games, I could pay you in whatever money I have for the trip off this place."
He sort of regretted not having anything to chip in here, but, hey, if Ashley knew the game and how to play it to get what they needed, he wasn't going to argue. "It may seem unfair, but it's the best I can do.... Or, I could shoot the next spacer who walks by and steal his ship. And I'd have done that already, but I don't want to chance taking a freighter that might have an illegal transponder code. Last thing I'd need is the Empire coming down on my head for a ship that isn't mine."
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 21, 2009 16:25:28 GMT -5
Ashley smirked and said, "Well now let's see what I got on my ship. I could offer my bad engine but I wouldn't get enough for it. Besides what's life without taking a little risk eh?"
She began to think about Wes's offer and said, "Let me look and see what I can dig up on my Dragoon before I go off and play cards with a bunch of scum bags."
Ashley walked over to her black and gray Dragoon and said, "No need to go to drastic measures to get a ship. I would have the let the Empire keep you if you did something as stupid as that. That may sound cruel but that's the way things work around here."
She began to throw things around. "Ah-ha," she said with a smirk. "I found some liquor that I know will get a shiny penny for. Looks like sabacca it is." She grabbed her bag of money. "I keep credits and money with me in case," she said as she began to walk to the bar.
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 21, 2009 21:14:29 GMT -5
Wes allowed for an amused chuckle to escape him as Ashley went to her ship and began rummaging through some miscellaneous items in search of something suitable to barter with at the gambling tables. "Well, for me, not taking a risk is often the difference between life and death. I don't mind admitting that I'm a little more reserved than usual." He said, moving to take a seat on the hood of a nearby speeder, crossing his arms as he relaxed his posture a bit.
He watched Ashely as she looked through the items in her craft, tossing random odds and ends out of her way on to the ground with seemingly little care as she continued talking to him. Telling him about how she would just assume leave him to the Empire if he ever got caught piloting the ship of a murdered man. "I understand how things work in the galaxy. You've got to cover your own ass first, I get it. And, truthfully, I wouldn't have much in the way of expectations for a person I just met if they went through the trouble to save a stranger from their own mistakes." He continued. "If you can't take care of yourself, who can you care for?"
He didn't expect his words to be well received, but Ashley seemed the type to understand the concept of "every man for himself".
Ashley suddenly blurted out a statement, apparently because she had found something useful to gamble with. Wes looked on as she collected a small satchel of money and a large bottle of liquor. "Well, if that will get us what we need, then let's get to it." He said enthusiastically as he pushed himself up from the hood of the speeder and followed Ashley to the nearest bar in town for some Sabaac. With any luck, she was at least a half way decent player and they'd have what they needed in no time. Then, he would have his ticket out of here.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 21, 2009 21:39:15 GMT -5
Ashley listened as Wes talked as she was throwing things around. “You can’t take of anyone if you can’t take of yourself,” she said.
Then she smirked when she entered the bar and said to Wes, “I’m not an expert at playing but I know I’ll get lucky. Just sit at the bar and order you drink while I improvise a plan.”
She grabbed the bartender’s arm and said, “Skky Vodka on the rocks for my friend here and a Corellian Whiskey for me on the rocks with a shot of Crown please.”
The bartender made them their drinks and she looked around the bar for some people. She saw a crew of freighter pilots and shook her head. “Too risky playing with them,” she said. “We’ll hang in here for a bit until I see some decent people to play with. Just try not to get too drunk,” she joked as she flashed him a smirk. Her hazel eyes changed to green as she smirked.
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 21, 2009 23:14:34 GMT -5
Wes took his place at the bar, which was, admittedly, an all too familiar venue for him. Before he really knew what he wanted out of life, he would spend nights and weekends wasting what money he had made on frivolous things. Things like alcohol, women and gambling, if he could find a willing participant that was. And that wasn't always the case. For him, a bar stool brought back a myriad of memories from his younger years when he liked to live fast and cheap, wheeling and dealing wherever he could on his father's dime to support his eclectic lifestyle. But that all changed when his father stopped supporting him and his habits. Suddenly, he was forced into a world where he had to take stock in what he had and treat it with care and utilize it wisely, not the least of which were the skills he had eared while in service of the RAF. They eventually proved to be of more use to him than the bottle, pazaak and call girls ever were.
"Ah, this brings back some memories from the old days." He mirthfully said, privately recalling his youthful years as Ashely grabbed the bartender's attention and placed an order for the two of them. A short time later, the bartender produced their drinks, placing them on the counter in front of them. Wes wrapped a hand around the crystal glass and eyed the clear liquor inside. "Ah, vodka. Not the most expensive drink you'll ever find, but damn fine none the less."
He tipped the glass to his lips and sipped at the drink. Most people would rather drink all they could in one shot. But not Wes. He preferred to enjoy his vices to their fullest, getting from them as much pleasure as he possibly could. He set the glass back down and looked to Ashley who was scanning the crowd for an easy mark to hone in on for a game.
"So, what brings you to these parts?" He asked rather nonchalantly, just making conversation to pass time as he took another drink from his glass.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSaber on Aug 21, 2009 23:41:49 GMT -5
Ashley smirked and took a drink from her whiskey. She licked her lips and said, "This is missing something." She motioned for the bartender to come over after she finished her drink. Though her glass was not big. "Make me another drink, except add Vodka, Rum, and Jack," she said.
The bartender nodded and made her drink and gave it to her. She took a sip from it. Ashley looked around the room. She took another drink from her glass and leaned back slightly.
Ashley looked at Wes as he asked his question. "My ship," she said. "It needed repairs done to it so I ended up here for now."
Ashley saw some people who were playing Sabacc and she smirked. "I think I found me a couple of suckers," she said. "Order yourself a drink while I play. This may get ugly if I win first hand."
She got up and grabbed her money bag and liqour. She walked over to where a few pilots were playing and said, "I'm in."
The man with blonde hair looked at her and said, "ALl right let's get started."
She drew five cards and so did the other three men. She motioned for the bartender to bring her another drink.
|
|
|
Post by Gamov on Aug 22, 2009 13:19:30 GMT -5
Wes gave Ashley a nod as she instructed him to sit at the bar and order drinks while she gambled with a nearby group of pilots seated no too far from them in a corner table.
He placed an order for another round and turned in his seat to watch their meeting from afar as the bartender delivered his drink to him. Wes picked up the glass and took a drink, keeping his ever watchful eye on Ashley as she introduced herself to the group of spacers and took her seat at the table with them. It wasn't that he really cared whether or not she got jumped, he did care, however, about how well she could gamble. And she certainly couldn't do that if she was outnumbered by a gang of thugs who were unwilling to participate. For that reason, he felt obliged to keep a close eye on the unfolding scenario.
Placing the glass back on the bar behind him, Wes unclipped the strap on his right side holster, freeing the grip of his pistol should he need to use it in a pinch to help Ashley out if trouble suddenly came her way. The whole notion of playing the "noble defender" amused Wes to a degree and he couldn't help but crack a slim smirk at the thought. It was completely out of character for him. But then again, his "character" was easily changeable, conforming to suit his needs whenever it was so deemed by the individuals he was dealing with; even if it meant kissing ass or playing servant for a while. He was willing to do it to get what he needed.
|
|