Sskveesh sat back in the captain's chair and drummed his fingers on the armrest. He had to make a decision of where to go next. He wasn't under any type of contract now that his business on Ryloth was over, he had to decide on how to proceed with his rather unusual cargo. There were certainly no Jedi left to approach, and the good-for-nothings would probably have told him 'charity was his own reward' or some garbage like that. Plus, why would the Jedi put one of their own in a carbonite prison? The alternative was far easier to locate, but just as undesirable. One simply didn't just show up at a Sith encampment either without proper cause, or else his ship would end up a fiery pile of scrap. He'd need some kind of go-between, and someone who could confirm that he had a real Jedi in his cargo hold. Sskveesh decided to plot a course for one of the most famous underworld locations in the whole galaxy: Nar Shadaa. The moon of the Hutt homeworld would surely have a slaver or humanoid broker he could pull the wool over the eyes. Once he plugged in the coordinates and let the navigation take control of the flight path, he got up and headed back to the cargo hold.
He strolled through the ship, glancing at each of the doors and making sure each and everyone was closed. He had already done a sweep of the ship to double-check he had no unintended stowaways, but a little paranoia in this regard didn't hurt. It was how you stayed alive these days. Sskveesh finally allowed himself to relax as the door to the main cargo hold opened. He had to take another look at the carbonite piece again. Maybe in his rush to check for traps there was some kind of identification or readout that would give an idea of who was within. As he approached it, he gave it a very close analysis.
The first thing he noted was just how unusual the technology was. Carbonite freezing was already a dangerous prospect with the best technology, but even more so in a state like this poor soul. The dials and buttons were practically rusted. Some were even missing! There were no modern readouts whatsoever. This crap belonged in a museum, not in the hold of a bounty hunter's ship en route to the Hutt Space. It was a miracle that this carbonite prison was even in one piece and was keeping the enclosed prisoner alive...IF he was alive. He squinted his eyes at a dark line along the casing...was that a crack? That could prove to be fatal to the prisoner and mean he was little more than an undertaker. He tried to rub the dirt off it for a closer look, and accidentally flicked a switch with his clumsy, thick claws. As sound as the sound echoed throughout the holdout, the Trandoshan swore loudly.
Some of the screens flickered on and off weakly as a loud, whiny hum began to resound. Some smoke began to arise from the casing and main carbonite block, and Sskveesh instinctively backed against the wall, suddenly fearful that he missed some hidden explosive after all. The figure began to glow red, then pockets of bright white light as the carbonite began to melt away. What had he done?
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
Treatment was necessary. The patient agreed. Theoretical sedation with anesthesia, to be administered via extravenous fire. The patient agreed. Treatment… was.. unconscious here… like… The patient could not remember when it… But… the patient had agreed.
The sedated patient floated in sensory absence. The patient had monitored successful… sedation… in.. an unknown quantity… of other patients… recently. The patient was a physician? The physician was qualified... Still.. The physician became a patient. Patience was necessary. The physician agreed. Treatment… Began…
The patient… The patient’s agreement… wavered. Analgesic dosage was inadequate for this patient’s body mass. It must be. The patient's experience had become… Suffocation… The experience was… unwanted. There must be a goal, but the patient had lost sense of… of… What was the reasoning? The patient had agreed? To…
A physician floated. Deep sedation burned into a patient.The fire froze at cellular level. The sedation ached to breathe. The systemic processes experienced paralysis. There was a floating void. Treatment was wrong? Was it? The unknown was necessary. Patience… The physician agreed. The paralysis agreed. The Force agreed? The nerve fire agreed. The memory agreed. The sedation agreed. The consciousness… forfeited… a patient?… a void?
STORM.
The surge of awareness punched Zhi's nervous system back into registering into every sensory input. He would have gasped, but his system failed spectacularly at even that. What were his senses? He pushed back panic and tried to identify anything in the chaos of sensations.
Hearing: High pitch—inner ear throbbing—bloodrus—thunder—squeal—beating. Stop. What else?.
Touch: Hot-ice-fiery-coldburn-shock… Firing pressure receptors or temperature sense across every millimeter of his skin—like his body was submerged into liquid—what was this?—and ripped it from his skin while someone was rapidly flicking a switch between flame and cold—What was this? Pause. Sensations. Go back.
Smell: Acrid. Coating. Tibanna vapors permeating his… (Sister! Master?) Memory flash-burned across his consciousness. He knew it would leach in—he knew that—that..? They… He pushed the memory chaos away. Soon. First, he tried to breathe again. His lungs were begging to — but his tongue was dry and thickened in his mouth… or stuffed with a cotton… or… lungs and trachea stuffed… coated? Stuffed with… Too thick.. Wait a moment. What else?
Taste: Powder coating—thickened—tongue replaced with talc? He felt himself reflexively swallow but the unsuccessful motion turned into a clumsy gag— either his brain wasn’t communicating or…. The dry mouth metal sensation was… Nausea—felt his body demanded that he vomi—. Pause.
The Force: Was... It was. But he wasn't enough for it yet. His senses were... too.. much— That's fine.
Conscious thought: Pounded across his mind one memory and another and another like so many hailstones dropped into his brain, with each shattering into smaller memories that exploded into activating smaller synaptic connections upon impact. The barren world. The sunlight. The cavern. His sister. His sisters. His parents. The losses. The tibanna. Carbon dust. His Master. All of them. Were they awake? They shouldn't be. He'd be first, and screen it out from their systems. It would have leached. He should... He'd get... a blood sample before his body started to screen it... He would need... He should ask for...
This wasn't right.
* * *
Archaic control panels on the side of the carbonite storage apparatus crackled erratically from obvious power surges. Somehow through luck or a miracle, the equipment faltered three times but otherwise completed its flash-heat burn decarbonizing sequence almost exactly as calibrated. A human or near-human, frozen with hands willfully relaxed, became visible. The rapidly melting carbonite evaporated into a thick chemical off-gas. The fog quickly set off a piercingly loud atmospheric alarm on the ship, causing various vent systems to activate.
The figure freed from physical entrapment appeared to be an adult male, long-limbed and tall, but no older than early twenties by most human standards. He was clad in most rudimentary of homespun shirt and pants, mended numerous times over. No longer held in place by the storage casing that laid on its side in the cargo hold, the youthful human crumpled onto the floor with a small thud. His dark hair was tied back, skin tanned and weatherworn, hands calloused. He was thin.
The lanky human laid motionless where he'd landed, eyes closed. When Zhi trusted his system enough, he began breathing shallowly. He slowly rolled onto his back, rubbed at his forehead with a shaking hand, waited out the disorientation. It helped once the alarms stopped blaring. His lips curled experimentally around the shape of a word, and he spoke in a cracked and careful voice a few moments later.
“Oh… kay. I should.. hear you now.
Last edited by Zhi Jonan on Wed Oct 04, 2023 11:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
As the bright white light began to intensify, Sskveesh instinctively covered his eyes and aimed his gaze downwards. If he kept his eyes on the feet, he could at least get a sense of where a blow would come from for the best chance at avoiding. The chance that there was going to be any sudden strike was infinitesimal, but the hunter couldn’t turn that part of his brain off. He had his mother and the Old One to thank for that.
As the light subsided and faded away, Sskveesh’s eyes re-adjusted and saw a form slump forward from the carbonite cell and collapse in a sprawled-out heap on the floor. It was a humanoid male, tall and thin. Like a beast searching for the right moment to strike, the bounty hunter circled the collapsed form never once moving his gaze. There was no movement from the ground. Did he really obtain custody of a corpse? No… the signs of life began to appear. There was slight, ragged breathing that Sskveesh’s trained ears picked up. The chest cavity began to rise and fall. The Trandoshan was satisfied that his new guest was alive, however this created a new set of questions and problems.
“What to do… what to do…”
Suddenly, the man began to stir. Sskveesh’s eyes narrowed. He no longer had the luxury of being a worry-wart. Now was the time for a sudden decision. Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten a chance to visit his own cabin yet and was still carrying his Slavemaster Stun carbine from earlier. The slurred first words of the prisoner bubbled up from his subconscious.
“Sso… you’re now a free man!”
He cocked his weapon and pointed it at his new passenger with a sickening smile on his face. When faced with a difficult decision, any good Trandoshan knew how to solve it: with violence.
“Welcome aboard the Sskahra’s Ssmile.”
He fired a stunning bolt point blank at the unfortunate soul and watched him crumple onto the floor and remain still. Sskveesh took a deep breath and let it exhale, placing the gun back in its place. Now it was time to investigate. The still smoking remnants of the prison cell with some fluid leaking out onto the floor. Glancing back and forth from that to the unconscious man on the ground, he shook his head.
“What a messss….”
The first thing he did was check the carbonite container. While it was smoking and had some sparks, the thing was basically scrap metal. It contained no explosive after all. On the ground, he saw a small, what-appeared-to-be leather pouch. Curious, he opened it up. The Trandoshan wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but he figured it would have been more valuable than a broken, handmade comb, what appeared to be a worn-down shaving kit, and a few other odds and ends. He grunted and tossed the pouch over his shoulder carelessly, having completely lost interest in it. Perhaps the man’s valuables were stored on his person.
The bounty hunter crouched down and plucked up the man’s head by means of the tattered and loose hair combined with some bizarre braid. An interesting choice of fashion, but totally unnecessary for his species. Looking at the features, he couldn’t help but notice the traits of youth. This prisoner was basically a child! Dropping the hair, he let the head fall back and hit the ground. He looked at the man’s clothes, seeing how plain and simple they were. The outfit was completed with a worn, pair of brown shoes. Was that an intentional choice for the carbonite freezing process, or was it simply a matter of poverty? The answer was unimportant, and Sskveesh continued his investigation.
He flipped the body over and immediately noticed a glint near the man’s chest. Bending down to pick it up, he realized it was a pair of eyeglasses, with a slight crack in the right lens. Perhaps that had been due to the sudden and unexpected collapse onto the ground. Sskveesh knew how important eyesight was, particularly on the hunt. The man couldn’t be much of a warrior if he couldn’t see straight. There weren’t any real pockets or anything…not even a single credit chip. However, it was this glance and search over the belt that showed the real prize of the day.
Sskveesh picked up the metal cylinder. He knew that THIS was no scrap metal. Carefully aiming it away from himself, he flicked the switch and brought the treasure to life. A static hum paired with a mesmerizing green glow erased much of the doubt in his mind. This was a lightsaber. He had seen what the Old One could do with these mythical weapons personally, but not just anyone could wield them. If this man wasn’t a Jedi, he certainly knew one. The relic was a danger to both wielder and foe, but at least THIS could provide some profit to the right collector.
“Just who are you, sstranger…”
Of course, the Trandoshan knew the question fell on deaf ears. There wasn’t anyway he was going to expect an answer right now. He extinguished the saber and held it in his hand. Sskveesh knew that he didn’t have the deductive reasoning skills to determine this man’s past from merely a few trinkets. He was a hunter, not a detective. He’d get the answers straight from the prey’s mouth. He lifted up the unconscious prisoner and slumped him over his right shoulder. Walking back towards the living quarters, he picked up the brown, discarded sack with his free hand.
Sskveesh carried the carbonite visitor to the passenger’s quarters and dumped the young man unceremoniously onto the bed. He looked down at the lightsaber in his hand, and thought better of keeping it in the room with them. Powerful Force users could summon the weapon to their hand at will, and Sskveesh did not want to suddenly find himself at a huge disadvantage. He walked out and chucked the weapon outside, closing the door behind him.
Sitting down on a bed opposite of the passed out young man, he held his stun carbine on his lap and waited for his guest to awaken. After a little bit of time, he noticed some movement again and prepared himself.
“Time to wake up, hm?”
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
When the young Jedi found himself becoming conscious again, Zhi kept still and continued his slow breathing pattern for a minute or two. Sifting through the confusion of his memories, he silently took stock of himself… Again.
His whole body ached, but his nerves had stopped randomly firing from hypersensitivity. He was pleased that the worst of the shock was easing up, and to find that his sense of the Force felt less blurred. There was a sore knot on the back left side of his skull, presumably from hitting the floor. His heart rhythm was a little off (stun symptom; not carbon sickness), but there wasn’t real damage to it that he could sense. There were a half dozen minor problems across his system that needed attention, or at least time.
But — He could breathe. He could hear. He could sense. He’d be able to move well enough. And, he could remember.
All in all, Zhi assumed that he’d been free of carbonite for hours, but not yet for days.
He noted that he’d been slumped onto a softer new surface. He could tell that his weapon was gone, but he wasn’t restrained.
Nomi wasn’t here. He'd been dropped onto a bed; not moved to one by a physician. They were on a ship? The other being in the room with him seemed… agitated… while he said something about waking up. Zhi didn’t recognize the speaker’s voice or accent, and he felt confident enough that his companion wasn't human. Their ship had gotten somewhere then. But obviously things had gone wrong.
“Yes… I’m awake.” He replied calmly after a minute. Cracking an eye open towards the ceiling, the lanky healer confirmed that eyesight was still unhelpful for the time being; not that vision was really his keenest sense.
“Thank you for the bed… I appreciate it. Ideally, I'd like to stretch, but I would also rather not be stunned again… How do you feel about that?”
Sskveesh too was taking stock of the situation, and had come to a few conclusions of his own. The first was that the boy was not just a run of the mill con man. There were no useful possessions and the lightsaber was legitimate. The second was that he was quick to recover. A stun bolt shortly after carbonite animation should have kept a bantha out for a week. This kid was recovering very fast. Almost too fast. It was not even an hour after the accident with the carbonite container and he was already talking to himself. The third was that the boy seemed to be addressing the ceiling, so his senses either hadn't been recalibrated yet or he was really that blind. The summation of all of these things led Sskveesh to conclude that he had the upper hand in this situation.
Sskveesh almost snorted. What a first response to being shot with a stun carbine! The words of appreciation seemed to have actual sincerity and not a drop of sarcasm. Perhaps this man didn't really understand the situation he was in.
"You're quite welcome."
The question that followed was a little more vague. Perhaps the young man had a backbone after all. Either way, this was certainly not going to be a boring interrogation. He shrugged, though he doubted his captive saw the action.
"By all meanss. You're not in the brig...yet."
His violet eyes glinted dangerously as he emphasized that final word.
"You can hardly blame me for using a sstun shot on you, conssidering you are a complete sstranger fresh out of a carbonite tomb. You're lucky I wass feeling generouss. I could've ssimply killed you."
Sskveesh sat back and continued on.
"No, I wish to have a bit of a disscussssion with you. If you remain ssivil, then so will I. If you choosse NOT to remain ssivil... well, that'ss what the Sslavemasster is for, yess? Let'ss sstart with the bassicss: who exactly are you?"
Last edited by Sskveesh on Mon Jun 15, 2020 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
The twenty-something year old nodded in polite thanks when his… host?… granted him threat-laced permission to move around. Moving gingerly at first, Zhi rolled his wrists and shoulders, then raised his arms to verify that his sense of space wasn’t off. Good; he had enough clearance to sit up without hitting his head on anything. Finally, the lanky Jedi eased himself upright and swung his legs off of the sleep surface.
“Well… Then.. let’s stop being strangers? I already appreciate that you didn’t kill me.” Zhi replied again with a faint grin that didn’t quite hide the carbon-sick wave of nausea and disorientation he was experiencing. He wasn’t trying to hide it, though. He rested the back of his head against the wall, mindful of the bruise low on his skull.
He inhaled slowly through his nose until he’d adapted to the discomfort, then turned toward his companion and inclined his head slightly.
“Zhi Nang, but I’d go be Zhi if you like to use the first names… I assume you found my lightsaber? So saying ‘Jedi’ shouldn’t surprise you? Hm… ‘Slavemaster’ was… a Trandoshan style? I don’t think I’ve met one of you before, so you’ll be the first.”
The young man began to seat himself up and position himself against the wall. The grin on the Trandoshan's face began to fade. The former captive was adapting to the surroundings incredibly well. This was happening too quickly for his tastes. Any normal sentient would show fear and shrug away from their shooter, or at least lie still and try not to antagonize them. Sskveesh couldn't discount the fact that this man might suddenly try to launch forward. The distance should give the bounty hunter the advantage, but a little paranoia got you a long way in this galaxy.
"Zhi Nang, eh? If you ssay sso."
Listening to the immediate follow-up, Sskveesh outwardly scoffed. He was no closer to determining whether he was talking to an amateur or a professional.
"A clever boy. Indeed, I am Trandoshan."
He let his finger shift slightly to the trigger, ready to fire again at a moment's notice, but kept the weapon folded across his lap. He either wasn't as blind as he thought or he was smarter than Sskveesh had been giving him credit for to recognize his race solely from the style of his weapon. This Zhi Nang also immediately inquired about the lightsaber. Best to keep him in the dark for now and tell a little half-truth. Deception was a necessary skill for his line of work, and the words flowed from his tongue and naturally as a river flowed downstream.
"Yess, I found your little toy. It iss probably floating around in deep sspace by now. I don't usually harbor ssuch dangerouss relicss."
The bounty hunter tapped his foot against the floor, the claws making a clack against the hard metal.
"And yess, I have heard of the Jeedai. If you are going to lie to me, at least make it a plaussible story."
He leaned forward and tilted his head to the side.
"While we are on the ssubject, I musst admit I'm curiouss how a rather unimpressssive looking young man ssuch ass yoursself acquired ssuch a dangerouss thing. Now, I assk again. Who are you? What iss your purposse?"
Last edited by Sskveesh on Mon Jun 15, 2020 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
“It’s my name,” Zhi replied with another faint smile, keeping the expression genuine. Strictly speaking, he’d given the Trandoshan a less traceable surname, but it was his in truth and legalities just the same. “Let me know what you'd like me to call you.”
He let the subject of his lightsaber drop with a mild shrug. The healer doubted the other man would have done any such thing. Lightsabers were too valuable and interesting for that, but there was no sense antagonizing the Trandoshan about it. Zhi didn’t expect to do much dueling in the next several hours anyway.
Mentally, he tried to come up with scenarios that made sense of where he was now. What had become of the others? The Trandoshan didn’t seem to have much information. Zhi didn’t even get the sense that he’d seen any other stasis pods. Had his become lost somehow? Something terrible could have happened to the ship. Was Nomi alright? Zhi couldn’t sense anything of the sister who’d only been born thirty minutes before he had, which he found strange and unnerving. But whether it was an emotion or something deeper, he didn’t feel at all ready to assume she was dead. What had happened here?
Keeping his movements calm, predictable, and untaxing on his own recovering system, the raven-haired Jedi carefully swung his right ankle over his other knee. His senses weren’t at their sharpest yet, so he set a hand on the back of his calf as a focusing aid and deftly prodded along the back of his leg. His jaw ticked and his nostrils flared a little at the throb of heat and soreness, but Zhi felt the outlines of the damaged veins and femoral embolism easily enough. Drawing the Force through his system in small ways, and feeling encouraged by how readily the energy responded to him, he began gradually tending to the cryostasis injury. He wasn't showy about it, but there were times during even minor healing when the Force might make itself known to observers. If the Trandoshan came to believe Zhi was Sensitive after all, so be it. If he didn't, then that was what it was.
“I was born on Caltinia, though I never had a connection to that world. I lived my life among Jedi from the beginning. I crafted the saber with my Master years ago, the same as most Jedi I know of. We lived mostly on Coruscant until.. everything changed? But if that’s not plausible… Forgive me? I’m working to make sense of it. I don't know where we were, or when it is now... Or where we are now? Some of the others would be in danger. Maybe injured. Do you know anything about them?”
Sskveesh threw his head back and sighed, looking up to the ceiling panels.
"A wisse persson once ssaid 'Namess are for tombsstoness."
He wondered if this conversation was going to be going anywhere at all. It didn't seem to be producing any information of value. He flickered his eyes back on Zhi again.
"However, I am Sskveesh."
Sskveesh leaned forward again listening to the supposed Jedi's story in regards to what had brought him here. Through the brilliantly weaved tapestry of bantha fodder spewing out of the young man's mouth, he supposed there were slight pangs of truth. There was no way that Zhi had expected to wake up on the ship of a bounty hunter heading to Nar Shadda. He began to rub his face with his hands exasperatingly.
"What otherss? I earned your carbonite prisson off a gangster on Ryloth. There iss no one elsse aboard but you and I."
He suddenly started getting a strange feeling in the air. Sskveesh couldn't exactly put a finger on it, but something was changing in the little room. He didn't like the sensation he was getting, and kept a close grip on his gun, ready to fire it a moment's notice. He was upset about the complete absurdity of Zhi's story.
"And again with the Jeedai story? I may not know much about you, but you are far too young for your claimss. Unlessss you consstructed your relic when you were an infant, of coursse. Try again, Zhi. There iss no Jeedai temple on Corusscant, and hasn't been for agess."
Last edited by Sskveesh on Mon Jun 15, 2020 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
What would have brought him to Ryloth? There had always been a slave market there; that was true enough. The ship could have been attacked by pirates and then the stasis cases taken to Ryloth for sale, Zhi supposed. Nomi wouldn’t have liked that much, let alone Master Hirius and the others. It was possible they were dead... but whether he sensed his sister or not, something in the Force nudged him to think she was alive. And if she'd gone to the Force already, then panic wouldn't help. She could well be in danger though. They all might be.
How would they have been overpowered unless by Sensitives? He supposed there could be roving space gangs of Darkside Force-using pirates… But that seemed overly convenient. Their ship could also have been destroyed by another vessel, but in that case Zhi was surprised that his pod would have been preserved at all, let alone collected and carted off to Ryloth.
There could be a new Purge that set out specifically to rid the galaxy of Jedi, or even other Force wielders… If the last Jedi were totally gone from Coruscant now… that was… uncomfortably possible? When was he? The possibilities all gave Zhi pause enough that he took a moment to simply breathe.
The lanky healer weighed a hundred ideas in his mind, and didn’t have enough valid information to rank any of them. He sighed quietly and finished with healing his veins. When he was ready enough, Zhi looked up to where he knew the agitated Trandoshan was sitting a few feet from him and let Sskveesh watch his face without distraction for a minute. He dipped his head in an echo of a bow, and shrugged his shoulders in an accepting sort of motion.
“Thank you for your name, Sskveesh. I have no better ideas just now, so I appreciate that you are listening; even if it’s only because you want information as badly as I do. Something happened to many Jedi around 229ABY. I was twelve then. I could describe it to you, but it’s metaphysical and you won't like it. Honestly I think that trying to would frustrate you and waste our time in this situation. Maybe ten years after that… we weren’t needed anymore, but we were alone and far from home. We guessed it was in the far north of the unknown regions. There was an abandoned planet with enough resources left to cobble an archaic ship and the carbonite pods… I don’t know how many years ago that was, but I’d be dead now if it was more than fifty? If I could even if have survived stasis that long. We did our best to calibrate them for longterm, but the technology was never really tested. Some of the others would be in worse shape than I am. They will need help. And the few who guarded the ship — I worry for them even more. Are they captured somewhere? If some slaver on Ryloth tries to revive some of the others, they will die.”
Zhi avoided the instinct to rub at his eyelids. It wouldn’t help, and he was sure the sensation would make him nauseous again. He rubbed the back of his neck to give himself a different sensation to focus on, smiling in calm frustration about this whole thing.
“What year is it, please? I expect that you didn’t ‘earn’ me with the intention of being charitable. But you know more than I do. I could be helpful or make much better suggestions if I understand any of this.” He paused and wryly added. “I could use some water if you don't mind. And food, but I'd gratefully settle for water.”
Sskveesh could feel his right eye twitch as the man talked. And talked. And talked. And talked. It was almost like listening to a droid give a status report on a ship's hyperspace drive. For such a bombastic story, it was delivered in such a benign manner. Maybe there was some truth to this Zhi's story after all, for who would really claim such a tale as truth? Zhi had to be a lunatic or a con man...or maybe both. Sskveesh wasn't closed-minded.
"Uh huh."
Still, this was going nowhere fast, so the Trandoshan decided to give a little and stop blatantly contesting Zhi's explanations. In order to get more of a sense of who this person was and what his agenda was, he'd revisit the obvious lies later.
"Well, at leasst you're conssisstent in your sstory, that much I credit you with. Fine, 'Jeedai', I'll play along. However..."
His eyes narrowed as he hissed out his next sentence. The veiled insults had not gone unnoticed.
"Mind your tongue and remember that I am no ssimpleton. I know of what you sspeak. Mosst anyone in the galaxy would be able to tell you of the Dissssapearansse."
He leaned back and continued with his own explanation. Now it was his time to talk, and he didn't want Zhi to have a moment to interject. The lanky man seemed to be the type that if you gave an inch, he'd take a mile in terms of conversation.
"Of coursse, not everyone callss it that. There are plenty of people in the Core and on the Rimss that call it the Exssoduss. I'd be careful where you ssell this tale out there. Plenty of people feel abandoned by the Jeedai. For good reasson too, ass the yearss to come were not exactly pleasant for the common folk who wished only to ssurvive the variouss factionss’ sskirmishess. Without the 'protectorss of the Republic' or whatever to keep them ssafe, many livess were losst in the power vacuum of your Order'ss exsstinction."
He held up his hands and shrugged.
"However, it makess no difference to me, you undersstand. I know not the reasson the Jeedai left their posstss, and do not care either. It didn’t effect me much. I'm sure your people had their reassonss. Let'ss see now that wass… hm...."
Sskveesh tapped his chin thoughtfully trying to get the exact calculations down. He didn't really subscribe to the standard galactic calendar more than he had too, preferring instead the ways of the Scorekeeper and the Trandoshan timeframe. Years didn't matter as much as points did to the purists of the faith. It was therefore more suitable to exist in terms of the planet you were currently hunting on to match your prey's mindset. Also, he could set any amount of reminders to keep potential deadlines for his occupation fresh on his mind so he could set his own conscious thoughts solely on the hunt at hand.
"...twenty yearss ago? It iss the year 247 now."
He allowed his gaze to level back towards the tall man who was still improving far too rapidly for his liking. What was going on here that he wasn't understanding?
"Therefore if what you ssay iss truth, you've been in that sscrap heap of a pod for ten yearss. I for one find thiss laughable. There should be no way you ssurvived in that relic of carbonite technology that long. It wass practically falling apart! And I repeat mysself: I didn't get you off a sslaver. A local gangsster wass ussing you ass a coffee table for the passt who-knowss-how long, and he bought you off of ssome underworld trader or ssuch nonssensse even before that. Ass far ass I know, there are no otherss."
Sskveesh stood up and cricked his neck.
"There have been no reportss of any massssive ship containing frozen corpssess of Forsse priesstss on any of the Chansselor's holonewss in the lasst decade, nor have there been whissperss amongsst the Huttss and black market. Therefore you can ssee why your sstory iss sso hard to digesst. Sstayy here."
Sskveesh shook his head as he shut the door behind him, locking it just in case. He didn't want his new visitor free reign of the ship while he was still blathering on about being a Jedi. However, this left him in a very precarious position. He wasn't a slaver by trade usually, and had no means of getting his prisoner back into carbonite, particularly when the casing he came in was essentially garbage at this point. There weren't many major bounties anymore, and none of the active ones he remembered seeing matched this young man Zhi. Therefore, any money this man was worth went out the airlock now that he was awake. In the refreshed, he picked out a large mug usually used for alcohol and filled it with water. He reached into a cabinet and got him some basic rations too. As Sskveesh was about to pick up the tray, he thought better of it and reached into his cloth pocket, placing the broken eyeglasses on the tray as well. At least the con man was being polite, so perhaps he merited a smidgen of kindness. As he returned to the room, he was happy to find that Zhi hadn't set up an ambush as he walked in. The bounty hunter placed the tray in front of his guest and retook his seat.
"I figured you didn't want mealwormss. Now, where were we?"
He clapped his hands together, the claws clacking in the air.
"Oh yess! Sso where were you ssuppossed to be heading? One of your templess?"
Finally, Sskveesh gave Zhi room to reply.
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
Sskveesh left the room. The left corner of Zhi’s mouth twitched in a bemused smile when he heard the door mechanisms locking behind the cautious Trandoshan. The lanky Jedi Healer took a slow breath in through his nose. He waited motionless for a moment, then he exhaled and stood up. He couldn’t see much of his surroundings yet, but that wasn’t so bad. His other senses supplied him with most of what he really needed to know.
Alright. Assuming that everything the Tradoshan told him was accurate (and Zhi had no sense that the reptilian was trying to deceive him):
He’d learned the year.
He’d been in stasis for approximately a decade.
The galaxy was unbalanced.
The Homeward was lost: with it his sisters, their family, their allies.
The remaining Order was lost.
For some reason right now, he was alone. That was immensely concerning, but he felt strangely calm.
The Force was with him anyway.
For better or worse, he had no reason to believe anything was dire in this instant.
He could take these hours and recover.
And… then?
He needed to think about it all. About who to contact.
He should consider making his way back to Ryloth. From there he might be able to glean more information about the others, or what happened to the ship.
Zhi continued working with his muscle groups while the Trandoshan was away, appreciating the brief reprieve from the agitated stare of his host. He put his palms on the ceiling after a moment — the relatively shallow room height was a bit dissatisfying, but the ceiling served as functional counter pressure for his stretching anyway. The olive tan Jedi returned to walking the small room a bit, satisfied to recover his balance.
By the time he felt the Trandoshan returning, Zhi paused beside the bed and turned towards the unlocking door with his hands resting non-threateningly at his sides.
“Thank you,” he told the bounty hunter simply and appreciatively; though he nearly grinned at the comment about mealworms. “That was kind.”
Sitting down, the Jedi found the water glass first and took a slow drink. When he noticed that his eyeglasses were also folded neatly on the tray, Zhi smiled and his hand folded around the familiar shape of the worn frames. They were a bit small for him now, and the right lens had been cracked in a mishap years ago, but they were his and he would much appreciate having them once his carbon-blind optic centers started to work with him again. For now, he tucked the eyeglasses back into the neckline of his shirt. Soon enough Zhi’s fingers found the ration bread and he began breaking off pieces; eating with a half-balanced mix of discipline lest he overexert his system and become nauseous again, and the gusto of a youthful adult who was only a few years past his adolescence.
“Well… The destination was Coruscant, more or less. I’m not sure if that’s still the best choice. We were on Ryloth? Sooner or later, I suppose we need to stop avoiding and discuss what your current hopes and intentions are. I’m a bit confused about them and not sure what you consider our status to be. But I do know that I appreciate your kindness, Sskveesh, as far as its gone. And thank you for returning for the lenses.”
Sskveesh considered Coruscant as the Jedi's final destination. He supposed it made sense if Zhi's story wasn't a load of bantha fodder. Coruscant always had a strong Jedi presence in the tales as they worked closely with the ancient Galactic Republic. The ruins of their grand temple remained. Those in power probably did that as a warning to others of what meddling in higher affairs could cause. The chaos that the Old One had created there so many years ago would likely be a monument of destruction for generations, housing only the occasional looter. This man would only end up finding disappointment on the Core planet.
The Trandoshan shrugged at the modest thanks.
"I couldn't usse them. Think nothing of it. Ass for my hopess and goalss?"
Sskveesh hadn't been really thinking about the situation in truth, but now the question was forced in front of him. The man did no good as a trophy unfrozen, and he wasn't sure how he could really figure out how to enslave a Jedi Knight. If the stories were true, it would end up being a nightmare to subdue this man once he healed. The Old One had truly been past his prime once Sskveesh had met him, and even then his power was staggering. It wasn't worth the small amount of credits he had lost from his bonus to try and fight without a better understanding of what this man could really do. Thus, the bounty hunter decided to answer honestly.
"I have none. You came into my possssessssion though a matter of happenstansse. You were a trophy for ssale. Now, you are bassically a sstowaway until I get to where I'm going, even if my planss for Nar'Shadaa have changed. I ssupposse it'ss fair to ssay I have no usse for you asside converssation."
Sskveesh's eyes narrowed again as he stared at Zhi cooly.
"However, make no misstake, 'Jeedai', one wrong move or attempt to wresst my ship for me and I'll ssend your worthlessss corpsse out the airlock."
He finally decided that the man was some kind of monk, not a warrior. Surely he would've made a move by now. He flicked his safety on and let the gun rest against his chair and stretched out.
"Yes, thiss current flight originated from Ryloth. Kala'uun, to be pressisse. However, I'd ssteer clear of there for the time being. Nassty buissnessss iss happening there right now. Best to wait until it iss known whether the Chansselor's troopss will involve themsselvess."
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
The Jedi nodded attentively and continued eating, gradually increasing in pace until he’d polished off the meal of rations and set the tray neatly down on the foot of the bed. Zhi hadn’t felt any need to comment on it, not wanting to call particular attention to it and irritate his companion’s pride, but he offered a genuinely relaxed and appreciative smile when the trandoshan laid down the stun rifle. They’d made so much progress in the last half hour.
“So… We’ve left Ryloth…” Memory was failing him. Ryoth was in the Outer Rim, obviously. Which sector had it been in…. Gaulus? And they were going towards Nal Hutta?
A thoughtful frown creased Zhi’s features and he rubbed his temple, shifting slightly so that he could rest the unbruised side of his head against the bulkhead again. “Nar Shaddaa is fine if you need to go there. If you would drop me off in the spaceport, I’d be very grateful and find a way from there. If we’re not already too far past the Hypori route to make the hyperlane correction… Would you take me to Tatooine? I would guess Tatooine is still like it was, and that it’s no special danger to you? I would do my best to return the favor to you someday.”
The bounty hunter noted that Zhi had managed to eat the entirety of the impromptu meal. It showed that he was indeed making a rapid recovery.
The Trandoshan heard the 'Jeedai' mention Tatooine. He hadn't been back to the planet in five years, and certainly a return would be for a different purpose. Or would it? Could the con man have known about his connection to the Old One? Sskveesh shook his head, shaking the foolish anxiety out of it. There was no way this man entombed in a carbonite bath could know that Sskveesh trained under the Old One, or even that the Old One was dead. Playing it off like he was answering his guests query, he responded.
"I really have no need to go there anymore now that you are up and about. It wass merely my desstination upon leaving Ryloth."
Squinting his eye and tapping his foot claws on the ground again, he made a rough guess as to where they were on the hyperspace lane.
"Tatooine, eh? We should be able to make an adjusstment to vissit the dessert planet. Even if we've passssed that particular interchange, it wouldn't be overly difficult to get there."
Sskveesh's eyes and red skin glinted in the fluorescent light as he shifted his position.
"While I appreciate your concssern, there iss danger on every planet, but none are a threat to me."
Not afraid to boast a little, the Trandoshan continued on.
"Tatooine iss Tatooine. Not much hass changed, nor will it ever with the current political climate, I ssupposse. The question, of course, iss..."
The bounty hunter leaned forward, genuinely interested in the conversation now.
"Why would you want to go there?"
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
Zhi did little to fight the smile that crept across his features as he listened to the Trandoshan go on about the desert planet. Sskveesh took satisfaction in his skill set and survival abilities, obviously. But was he also taking a personal pride in the desert planet itself? The Jedi found the reptilian’s tone fascinating, but he prudently didn’t say anything about it for the moment.
“It’s more manageable for my purposes than Nar Shadaa,” he said with a light grin. “Like you said; the desert doesn’t change much.”
In a pinch, Zhi even felt possible that he had resources there. Not Jedi, but other — if they were still alive. There was no sense assuming anything, though. Regardless, he did’t plan to discuss it with the Trandoshan.
Stretching politely to give the Trandoshan visual cue that he intended to move again, Zhi returned the empty dishes and utensil to the tray, and stood up slowly. He rolled his back and shoulder muscles again, and then towards his host. The young Jedi inclined his head gratefully.
“I can’t commit to a debt because I have nothing to repay you with, and the situation of the galaxy is… unknown from the sound of it. But know that I’m thankful, Sskveesh. I’ll return the favor if I can. For now… I hope you will let me clean up. I have a lot of carbon dust to wash off apparently.”
He might sleep again after that, frankly. But one thing at a time.
He tilted his head at the unresponsive answer. Clearly if there was a plan for Tatooine, he wasn't included. Sskveesh let his jaw open and ran his tongue across his spiny teeth.
"Uh huh."
It was fine that the man wasn't trusting him implicitly. It showed he wasn't a complete idiot to trust an armed stranger with all of his secrets. The fact that the plan wasn't obviously painted out didn't bother the bounty hunter terribly. He would get to the bottom of things one way or the other. Sskveesh also had zero intentions of letting this 'Jeedai' out of his sights.
"Do not worry. At the end of thiss I will scertainly earn what I've losst for freeing you."
Sskveesh stood up and shouldered his rifle.
"I'll handle the navigation change. Feel free to usse the refresher. Do whatever will prepare uss for the desertss quicker. If we arrive during a ssandsstorm, we'll want to be moving quickly and keeping indoorss. I'll be in the cockpit."
With that he headed out of the room, not bothering to seal it behind him. There was nothing of worth currently to steal in the cargo bay. Well, perhaps there was ONE thing. He went to where he hid the lightsabers and collected his own two and the one he looted off Zhi, hiding them in his armor. Satisfied, he headed to the bridge and began altering the hyperspace course in the navigation console. Once the course for Tatooine was set, he stretched out and began inspecting and cleaning his Slavemaster.
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
The Panathan-human Jedi took general note of the directions his host headed, filing it into his hazy mental impression of the freighter layout. Soon enough, Sskveesh’s shuffles and grumbling presence were far enough away that Zhi felt reasonably alone. Of course he was still just as likely being watched at any given time, but that was no matter really. He didn’t have much to hide that he could think of.
Zhi felt for the bunk rail to his left and leaned against it. The lanky young healer set down the invisible weight that he’d woven into his identity from childhood and sighed in relief. He ran a hand through his hair, allowed himself a moment…
Okay.
And then he let go of the bunk, grinned faintly, and went on.
The cabin was more or less exactly what Zhi expected. He found the storage drawers containing what felt like the basic ‘spare’ clothing that was more or less standard stock on humanoid vessels. He wasn’t entirely confident they’d fit, but he took his pouch and two garments to the corridor with him, and found the refresher without too much difficulty.
The Jedi had scrubbed the oily metallic sensation from his skin within the hour. He shaved, combed his hair, and then twisted the Padawan braid around the base of his ponytail for subtlety purposes. Zhi felt clean, if a little flushed from overindulging in hot water. He wore his own trousers (which he’d compromised by washing out and repelling the water from), but the borrowed shirt fit well enough and felt in far better condition than his had been.
With his pouch returned to his belt, Zhi followed the corridor wall back to the guest cabin and left his old shirt atop the dresser. He found the forgotten meal tray that Sskveesh had brought earlier, and used the excuse to again return to the corridor until he found a kitchen-lounge area. Once his hands located the work sink, the healer washed the dishes and left them in a drying rack. He thought about finding the cargo hold, familiarizing himself with the freighter, finding the cockpit, or doing... anything. But his body was still exhausted, his photoreceptors remained on carbon-sick strike, and something told him that this bounty hunter's ship was the most calm he'd find anytime soon. He was still a young enough man that it wasn't difficult to talk himself into sleeping while he could.
Finding the cabin again with a hand occasionally trailing lightly against the deck wall, Zhi laid down and let his eyelids close. He thought about years, lives, and family until sleep met him.
Minutes turned to hours as Sskveesh finished not only cleaning but disassembling and reassembling his rifle. The Trandoshan was accustomed to flights alone for the most part, so the lack of stimulation and conversation did not affect him much. What's more, the sensors only signified activity in the Refresher and then the passenger cabin with a brief flutter of activity in the galley and lounge areas, which he assumed was his guest doing exactly what he had stated he would do. The cargo holds, engine rooms, and his own personal quarters remained unopened as far as he knew. Admittedly, the bounty hunter had no idea if this supposed Jedi would be able to hoodwink instruments he didn't even know were there, but Sskveesh remained unconcerned. He felt the read he was getting on this lanky new arrival's personality.
The fact that the plan for Tatooine wasn't clear was the only thing that gave him pause. Zhi hadn't even said where on the endless desert they were to land. Mos Eisley Spaceport was a common destination, but risky considering the potential value of his cargo. Mos Espa was much safer, but much less likely to yield any information or profit regarding potential buyers or whatever it was that this Jedi was looking for. He certainly wasn't about to park at the Old One's stomping grounds.
Sliding the firing bolt back into place, he sighed and settled on landing near Mos Eisley. While there was risk involved, there was also potential for greater turnout. After about another standard hour, the navigation let him know that he was reaching his destination. Sskveesh put the now-reassembled Slavemaster Carbine down and began pushing some buttons and preparing to exit hyperspace. There were no complications as they returned to normal space, and the Sskahra's Smile found itself in Tatooine's orbit. With controls in hand, he began to navigate into the atmosphere to a small and secluded area in the outskirts. The key to finding a place to land when you wanted to avoid the traditional docks of the spaceport was to avoid places that the Jawas frequented if you were unable to leave a sentry, or else one would return to find a scrapped hull.
There was an alcove that was close enough to an old Krayt dragon nest that would keep the pesky scavengers away. It was, of course, completely empty, but it made for a great hiding place from the outside world. Sskveesh also had the tendency to leave added security measures of placing sensors and explosives near his landing zones just in case. Once the ship touched down, he flipped off the ship and walked into the passenger cabin.
"We've arrived."
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
The tall twenty-something Jedi finished fastening his pouch to his belt. There hadn't been much motion on any of the internal sensors prior to the ship's landing, so Zhi likely hadn't been active for particularly long. He seemed fine though. Healthy, even. The Force and a decent six hours of sleep had been put to good work. He'd smoothed his hair again, fastened his worn shoes, and it was enough.
Now energized enough, his systems recovered, and for the first time with any remaining pains or carbon sickness well below his tolerance threshold, Zhi turned fluidly towards the door in the seconds before Sskveesh entered. The young healer’s eyes weren’t yet focusing well, nor was he wearing his glasses. None of that kept him from nodding his head in greeting and looking to the Trandoshan with a sincere smile.
“Good morning; or whatever ship's time you use.”
Of course he was still unarmed, and neither the borrowed grey shirt nor his worn trousers were the best fit, but the lanky young half-human seemed fully capable and at peace in his present circumstances.
“Sskveesh, thank you for letting me get the rest. I appreciate it more than you know. I'm ready now. You'd like to walk together, I assume?”
Sskveesh looked over the lanky man in front of him with a slight frown, not of disapproval but of concern. The fool was dressed like a tourist, rather than an adventurer. Was this Zhi really a Jedi? He certainly still didn't look the part.
"Of coursse. While I am pleassed to ssee that you have recovered sslightly, anyone who hass been in a Carbonite bath for a decade iss not prepared for the dessert ssandss unaccompanied."
He nodded to the pile of clothes that Zhi had changed from.
"May I ssuggesst you at leasst grab your robe for cover?"
The Trandoshan had already donned his black cloak. The scales of his skin weren't likely to be affected by the sands, but ocular and aural cavities could still be plagued by the planet's traditional weather if one wasn't careful.
"Meet me in the cargo bay."
With that, the bounty hunter headed for his cargo bay, leaving the door open so that Zhi would know where to follow. Of course, if the Jedi rumors were true, then it should be no challenge for the humanoid. Sskveesh stopped by the weapons locker and grabbed a few charges before opening the airlock with the Jedi in tow.
Last edited by Sskveesh on Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
They have given me a ssecond chance...My giftss shall pleasse the Sscorekeeper and the Old One...
----------- Profile
A bemused smile played on the Jedi’s lips while he listened to the Trandoshan grumble off down a corridor. Zhi had had no intention of leaving this vessel for blazing sands and moisture-starved atmosphere without at least picking up the spare resource he had available, but it was both fascinating and even a little touching to hear the… concern? in Sskveesh’s reaction.
Musing over the odder contradictions and apparent honor system of his host, the young Jedi picked up the folded shirt from the bed and tucked it into his belt. He found something like a water container in the gallery area, and then joined Sskveesh in the cargo hold and beyond. Time to go.
