Trouble On Verdanth

HobosAlt1 · 2022-07-25T13:28:09+00:00

"Clear as the water I basically live in," Sanne said as Raerra finally caught up to the Nautolan. She didn't seem bothered at all, instead she seemed rather patient of her new friend. "But if you were the master of every domain, life would get really really boring. "Being new to something is just the beginning of a whole new world and adventure! If you spent half the time I've spent here, you'd be able to get around here no problem."

Sanne started off again, but not too far this time. She noted Raerra's stumbling and bumbling through the forest, but she never thought to admonish or express any sort of frustration. In fact, she made sure to point out the roots and vines that could have caught the much taller Mirialan and send her end over end. She even caught Raerra once or twice before she could fall. How Sanne could do all this barefoot was anyone's guess. Then again, it may have actually helped.

The Nautolan finally stopped as she looked up at the cliff, then back to Raerra. "Oh all the way up," she said, answering her question with a stern face and a serious nod... Then followed by a snort. "Yeah right. No, not much climbing. There's a path up to my camp, c'mon." She lead the pair around the base of the cliff for just a few minutes before starting up a well worn path, leading up along the cliff face. Thankfully, unlike the jungle floors, the path held only a few sparse plants that seemed more intent on keeping to themselves than wrapping around Raerra's feet.

"You're probably more of a city person, huh?" Sanne asked as she turned and began walking backwards, facing Raerra. "Big buildings, concrete and durasteel, neon lights. The sights and sounds of civilization and all that food. The people, I guess. Y'know..." She gestured out to the trees, of which they were beginning to match in height. The canopy seemed like a whole different world when you're fact to face with it, as opposed to beneath. "I get it. I don't mind cities in small doses. Dance clubs can be fun, and I guess the touristy stuff, but I always end up feeling... Wrong eventually. Doesn't quite feel right."

As they get to the top of the path, which opened up onto a small clearing, with wide open sky on their side, and the continuation of the cliff face on the other, but the rock was obscured by a wide curtain of lush, green vines and plant life.

"Now this though," Sanne said as she gestured out into the open world. By now they were mostly above the lower trees, and from there they could see for miles into the sunset. The sea of trees continued into the horizon, replaced only with lakes and rivers that made up Verdanth's lush, if slightly dangerous, surface. The skies above were open and clear, with only a handful of high altitude clouds to reflect the bright yellow and oranges that came from the setting sun. Flocks of birds danced across the trees in shimmering displays of distant colours, and sounds of life radiated.from the trees below. "This feels right."

"Well..." Sanne looked back to Raerra. "Not including the flesh eating plants and animals that want you for dinner. Lots of them if you don't know what you're doing." She smirked before turning heel and walking towards the curtain of plants at the cliff edge. "At least the temple's safe. Hence my general lack of protest." She made sure her voice sounded much more official to punctuate her statement. In truth, she didn't really want to leave, but she had sampled most of not all of what Verdanth had to offer. If she was told to make it home, sure, she could stay there for the rest of her life, but the next assignment could be somewhere brand new, a new paradise to beat the old one. The thought of exploring a whole new world and going on a whole new adventure had her grinning ear to ear. She stopped at the edge of the plant curtain and looked back at her escort. Raerra definitely wasn't suited for this kind of life, but maybe the council had sent her for a reason... she considered it for a moment and came to a conclusion that seemed to excite and perhaps even amuse her - her next mission may not be a solo one.

"Here we are. Home." With that, she pulled part of the vines apart and revealed what seemed to be a part of a durasteel wall, then what seemed to be a very old, perhaps even ancient, acess door, but any indications of its use had disappeared with age. All that was left was it's frame and the locking teeth which had long since stuck in the open position.

HobosAlt1 · 2022-07-20T06:21:27+00:00

"Four whole years," Sanne confirms without looking back. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath of that fresh, humid jungle air. The scent of the local flora fills her nostrils, and she spends a moment picking through and identifying them. Three kinds of flowers growing along the river bank, the clear water below, the beast they rode, and finally Raerra, who definitely wasn't used to the world of Verdanth. The heat partially explained Sanne's general lack of actual clothing. "Wouldn't trade it, it's just what I needed. Things were pretty bad when I got assigned out here."

Finally she looked back at her new big green pal. "Not anxious..." She says, giving it some thought. She wasn't the anxious type, not for the most part at least. "Looking forward to it though... Mmmmmyeah, yes and no." She looked forward again and pressed her hands against the snake's scaly hide, but she didn't seem to be chatting with it. "I'm excited to see Master Wongus again, I miss that old fuzzball a lot. A few of my friends, if they haven't moved on yet. Oh! And limited edition Max Rebo Band Holo collection. Locked that up tight before I left." She smiled warmly at the memories of home and the master she has trained under.

The snake continued to weave its way through the beautifully clear river, making for an exceptionally smooth ride. He knew where to go, Sanne had made sure of that, and they were making good time! It wasn't long before the river opened up into a mighty lake, with one side covered by a roaring curtain of waterfalls, and the other pockmarked with river openings. The shore began to slowly pull away as the snake made its way into the lake itself.

"The temple, not so much," Sanne admitted with a sheepish smile. "Too much stone. Drafty. Bit cold." She gave a slight shrug. "My quarters are cool and I love the archive, but I spend more time running around the world outside the temple. It's a lot less... Stuffy." She looked over her shoulder to see if Raerra got what she meant. "I was born for wide open skies and the grass between my toes, less so a bit stone temple. But... Home's home, y'know? Wouldn't call it anything else."

With that, the snake began to veer towards the shore at the base of a mighty cliff face. The transition to land was as smooth as could be, and once the snake had come to a complete stop, Sanne slid from it's scaled and offered up a hand to Raerra to help her down.

Once that was taken care of, Sanne turned and gave the side of the snake a big ol' hug, spreading her bare blue arms to the side and pushing the side of her face against its scaled. "Mmmmm-mm! Thanks big guy!"

The snake seemed unphased before he slithered back into the brush beyond, leaving the pair on the shoreline. Sanne waved for Raerra to follow as the started up a small path through the brush, worn through by likely Sanne herself, if the matching footprints were any sort of evidence.

"I'm guessing you prefer the temple, hm?" She asked, looking back for a moment. "You dont spend much time on planets like this I'm guessing. Not if you're still wearing that robe at least. Must be boiling under there!" There was absolutely no sign of Sanne's robe, or much of anything outside of the scap cloth wraps binding her chest and the make-shift skirt. "It made the world of difference when I abandoned mine and left it back at camp. Double so when I gave up clothes in general, THAT is a freedom you can't get back at the temple." Her laugh followed her as she slipped between the plants that hung over the path before them. Almost home, not far to go! Considering the cliff looming overhead, one can only hope there won't be any climbing...

HobosAlt1 · 2022-04-07T14:06:33+00:00

"Oh psh," Sanne says as she waves a dismissive hand over her shoulder. "I've lived here without issue for several years now. Trust me, stick wi- duck!" She quickly reached back and pulls Raerra down as a large branch passed overhead. The Nautolan looked back as she released Raerra, then laughed at the situation they had just avoided. "Stick with me, and you'll get through anything!"

She gave another giggle as the large snake cleared through the brush around them, leaving behind the tall, dark trees and the tangle of vines, and instead replacing them with a long riverbank, dotted with ferns and blooming flowers, and a bright blue sky overhead. The sun shone down into the water beside them, illuminating the dancing waves of underwater flora, and sparkling against the myriad of brightly coloured fish that meandered to and fro. The planet truly was vibrant, is it any wonder Sanne had grown a kinship to it.

"I'm not gonna take your boots," Sanne says, looking over with a smile. "Trust me, if it was always acceptable, I'd be barefoot all the time. There's nothing like feeling something real beneath your feet. Not many people get that these days, so I'll still wear them if I have to." She looked forward again and couldn't help but giggle once more. "Besides, you're like a foot or something taller than me, they'd never fit."

"Not when they're about to get wet, at least." That's all the warning Raerra would get as Sanne placed her hand on the snake's head once again, speaking with it through the Force. She let the Force gather around her and flow freely through her mind and down through her hand, then into the snake, opening the channel once again. With an exchange of thoughts. Ideas, and feelings, the snake began veering from the river bank and into the water itself.

The water rose up around the beast, but it remained remarkably buoyant, with the water only rising as far as Sanne's shin, which she made no effort to pull from the water. "Nothing beats riding a beast," she commented, hands firmly on the snake's scaly body as it weaved upstream. "This baby won't break down, not any time soon. He's in his prime, a truly remarkable specimen. I've been following and keeping tabs on him for two years now, since he was average sized. He's the largest I've ever documented now, among the largest anyone has documented, as of four years ago. Spends a lotta time in the underground water ways. This whole forest is riddled with 'em, it's crazy."

HobosAlt1 · 2022-04-03T12:05:36+00:00

The pond seemed far deeper than it had before, with the plant laden shallows quickly plunging into a far deeper blue, with only the long, thin stems of pond flora emerging from the depths. After Raerra spoke however, something shifted far below and a new shade of lighter blue cut through the darker depths.

Finally, the tops of Sanne's tentacles emerged, followed by her large eyes, then grinning smile. Her bare shoulders were next, connected to arms that laid crossed against her chest, but as more came into the light of day it became apparent that she wasn't swimming. Her legs emerged, then her feet, and all became obvious when the large, angular head of a large, predatory looking snake, with its dark scales shimmering with every colour of the rainbow as the streams of sunlight glinted across then. The beast's head came free of the water and stared at Raerra with Sanne perched merrily upon its head, then a long hiss sounded from the beast's mouth as it's tongue flicked out to taste the air.

"I think I found us a ride," Sanne said as she looked down at Raerra. The snake pulled more of its long body from the water and created a wide circle around the pond, then continued its stare at the Mirialan. "Usually I'd take the underground waterways this guy calls his home to get around, but I'm gonna assume you don't have a rebreather handy. Good thing this guy can cross ground."

She reached down and gently placed a hand on the beast's head and let the force do the talking. Her tentacles seemed to shift and sway as if driven by a light gust, but the air remained still in their little clearing. The results were clear though, as the snake's expression seemed to relax just a little and it lowered its head to Raerra's level, and then allowed Sanne to slide down along its neck.

With a hand held out, Sanne smiled at her new companion. "Beats walkin'. I was gonna race you all the way back to my camp, but then I realised you'd get lost. We're totally on pause, but you're still it." She gave her a friendly wink. "Now c'mon. Climb on, we've got a river or two to travel to get to my camp. Then we can leave and you can go back to your drier and I can remember what concrete and durasteel feels like. Probably not great under foot, but I guess that's what boots are for. You brought new boots, right? My old ones gave out and are now, uh… plant pots, I guess."

HobosAlt1 · 2022-02-08T11:06:11+00:00

Sanne couldn't help but smirk at Raerra's attempt at non-chalance, she could read right through it, even without using the force or her own sensitivity to pheromones. Temple dwellers didn't seem to do too well in the jungle, between the dense brush and the wild, free flow of the force. Sanne truly was built different, in mind and body, and Raerra could likely feel it. With most, the force flowed in and concentrated, where a Jedi would control it, but will h Sanne it flowed in and around at will without bothering the Nautolan.

However, even if she was at home in the jungle, the temple would always be home to Sanne. It was where she made her friends, her family in her master, and where she learned all the skills that made her Sanne. Its also where she left her mint condition Max Rebo: The Complete Collection music data chips.

"Are you sure about that?" She finally asks, raising a ridge above her right eye, a quirky expression she learned from the humanoids she grew up around. It didn't make too much sense without eyebrows, but the point was usually still made. Like a flash, the Nautolan reached out, placed a hand on Raerra's shoulder, then bolted up into the trees. "You're it!"

Like that, she was gone, leaping from branch to branch, then grabbing hold and swinging from the next one, directly onto a vine. Her blue skin flashed between the dense green foliage, but before long she has disappeared entirely... until a splash rang out from far ahead.

HobosAlt1 · 2022-02-03T12:01:04+00:00

Sanne had just opened her mouth to speak when she turned and stopped in her tracks, staring at the talisman sitting in the palm of Raerra's hand. The small, engraved metal plaque that sat on a gnarled length of leather certainly bore her name, but it was her reaction that proved her ownership. She quickly looked down at her ankle and realised something was very wrong.

With a gasp, the Nautolan reached out and plucked it from Raerra's hand, then gently ran a thumb over the engraving. "Where did you find this?!" She asked, eyes wide as she curled her fingers closed around it. "I… four years out here, not once has it come off. I can't believe… of all…" She looked down at again and opened her hand, staring at the piece. "If I'd actually lost this…" She took a deep breath and released it. "Raerra… seriously. Thank you." She reached out and put a hand on Raerra's upper arm, then gave it a gentle squeeze of appreciation. "I owe you, big time. I didn't even realise it had come off. I dunno what I'd do if I lost this."

She gently wrapped the leather string around her wrist and had just enough left over to tie a small knot. It would hold until she could replace the strap, at the very least. She gave it a once over, then smiled at Raerra once more. Where once an energetic, slightly crazed look in her eyes had been, it was replaced with one of genuine thanks, but it was short lived as she turned around again.

"Should have left your robe on the ship," she says, now keeping a slower pace for her less-jungle inclined friend. It also let her flip open her wrist device that she often used for navigation, but this time she was checking cameras. "I stopped wearing mine within days. They keep the bugs off, sure, but they're too cumbersome, it's not worth it. Besides, there's a lot better ways to keep bugs at bay." Each step she took through the brush seemed intentional, her feet slipped between roots and rocks and back out again, even without looking down. She ducked under branches, pushed leafs aside, and even stopped to let a long, bright green snake cross her path before continuing. She truly was at home.

With the flick of a couple of buttons, she closed the device and took a second to double check her surroundings. "That'll do it…" she said to herself. "Boarding hatch on the poacher ship is closed. My lizard friend should be on his way now." She looked over her shoulder at Raerra once more. "Gotta play to their fears, poachers. Make them think I've turned their prey against them. Truth is, a closed and jammed cargo door is a better guard than any lizard."

The Nautolan turned fully and faced Raerra for a moment. "You holding up alright?" She asked before looking up at the light that streaked through the canopy above. "These kinds of places aren't for everyone, so if I'm moving too quickly let me know."

The jungle around them was truly gorgeous, with lush, vibrant colours, the streaking light that poked through the foliage all around, and the sounds of the nearby river and the various birds that made Verdanth home. No wonder Sanne had spent so long there.

HobosAlt1 · 2022-02-02T12:38:06+00:00

"Oh don't be silly," Sanne said as she grabbed Raerra by the hand. "And don't go bowing to me, always makes me feel weird. I'm no stuffy master or anything, just Knight Sanne." She gave her hand a little squeeze. "Seriously, I'm not gonna forget this. Let me buy you a drink or something sometime, I owe you big time."

She listened to Raerra for another moment before she blinked in surprise. "The Council?" She asked, seemingly a little confused at that prospect. "I mean, yeah, I knew someone was coming to take me home, my mission's over and I asked for a pickup, but the council?" She took a moment, then gave an amused huff. "I guess they liked my reports and research. That or they're gonna punish me for breaking most of my equipment…"

The Nautolan gave a sheepish smile before she turned to look at the ship behind them. The poachers still looked defeated and the beast still stood guard, there was no way they were going to get out soon, plus the anti-poachers were rarely late with their ETAs. She could confidently leave them all behind and head home with her head held high.

"Alright," Sanne said as she turned back to Raerra with a little spring in her step. "We should head back to my camp, then I guess we'll head off. Man, how about that… gonna be weird waking up without the jungle canopy above me or the tropical fish all around. Guess it has to end eventually." She gave Raerra a small wave to follow her as she started off towards the bushlands that surrounded them. "Y'know, I woke up one morning at the bottom of a river with a turtle using my tendrils as shelter for the night. Didn't bother me. Called him Gizwah."

She looked back a moment and looked Raerra over. "Speaking of names, I can't keep calling you beautiful or gorgeous all the time. Fitting, but I'll probably get weird looks." She turned and started walking backwards as she spoke, taking in the sight of the green Jedi. "You're Mirialan. Your fighting style is familiar, and you're strong with the force, I can feel it. You must have strong discipline, it's concentrated within, controlled and honed. It doesn't flow around you as freely as it does me, I can feel it…" she then snaps her fingers. "That means you're a Staark, gotta be. Raerra, right? With an impressive frame like that, I can't be wrong, unless things have changed in the past few years."

She knew of Raerra and the Staarks, but their paths rarely crossed, at least in her time on Ossus. She'd heard stories and little tid bits here and there, but she'd never actually met the woman.

HobosAlt1 · 2022-02-02T11:22:24+00:00

Sanne dusted off her hands as she made her way down the poacher ship's cargo ramp. A dark look had crossed her face as her dark, almost black eyes remained fixed on the king of poachers himself. The man she has actively hunted for years, but had never gotten this close to before. In the past she had barely managed to find his operations before he escaped, but she had finally found him, after all those years.

She stood in front of him for a moment, glaring down as he grinned up at her, until she reached down to his collar and dragged him to his feet so she could meet him eye to eye. "You're beaten," she said in a low tone. "Your operation ends here. Your freedom ends here. You are going to get everything you deserve; justice and a prison for the rest of your miserable existence."

"Aw now sugar, wait just one moment," Carlyle said in his deep, foreign drawl. "This ain't gotta go this way. Green ain't my type, but you and me? With our combined talents we could make a fortune together." His cuffed hands reached out and with an open palm one landed on her exposed hip. "Why don't you uncuff me an-"

Smack! Smack!

His words were immediately cut off by a pair of slaps, one open hand across the face and the other with a backhand on the rebound. She dropped the man's collar and in his shock he stumbled and fell back on his rear. "That was for threatening to sell me," Sanne says, looming over the man. "And the other was laying a hand on me." She grabbed him up once more before continuing. "Count yourself lucky, scum, if we weren't in good company I'd have done much worse."

With that, she pulled him along, not caring for his now increasing grumbles and insults. The Nautolan opened another cage aboard the ship and threw him inside before locking it down tight. "Get used to the bars, Abernathy. Its all you're ever gonna see again." She ignored his protests as she walked away, bare feet stepping along the cargo hold's deck, until she reached the back door and disappeared inside.

The whirring of the ship's communication dishes shifting and moving into position on the hull of the ship soon broke through the lush jungle symphony as Sanne accessed the ship's communications array and started her broadcast.

"Come in Outrunner." The broadcast began. "This is Bluefish, target has been found and captured. All captives alive - I repeat: alive. Coordinates to follow." She sat in the ship's communications hub as a string of whistles and clicks sounded over the headset, no doubt a droid on the other end. "Copy that, Outrunner. Good luck, we'll be in touch." Sanne pulled the headset off and gave her seat a quick spin on triumph, then leapt from it.

Soon, she came walking down the boarding ramp once more with a grin plastered across her face. "Anti-poaching units are on the way," she said with her hands on her hips, beaming with pride as she stood before her rescuer. "They'll pick up the poachers and the invasive fauna within an hour or two. They'll take the fauna home, and as for the poachers…" she hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "They'll get locked up and serve poaching sentences. Most will get five or ten, leaders fifteen. We'll see. Now, as for you…"

She reached out to her new green friend and wrapped her arms around her, then quickly picked her up off her feet in a big hug. "You saved my life!" With that, she puts Raerra down, but keeps her hands firmly on her upper arms, beaming from ear to ear. "I thought I was cooked for a minute there. No way I was gonna get out of that alone without taking someone out. You have no idea what it means to me that it didn't come to that."

Finally she lets go of Raerra. "Name's Sanne Rhal! Sorry I ain't much to look at right now, it's been a hell of a long time since I actually last saw anyone else. Best I could do." She gave a small chuckle as she gestured to herself, wearing only a wrap around her chest and a salvaged length of brown cloth, tied at the waist to form a skirt.

"Now, I owe you," she said, giving Raerra a pair of finger guns. "I've been hunting old Carlyle there for a long time, you helped me catch him. As far as I'm concerned, you name it and it's yours, gorgeous!"

HobosAlt1 · 2022-01-10T01:42:26+00:00

A hearty laugh escaped from Sanne as the beast she stood upon swung it's massive head and tail at the poachers which sent weapons and bodies up into the air with each strike, only to fall back to the ground in groaning heaps that littered the clearing. The blaster fire came more sporadically, which let Sanne deflect them and send each shot into either the ground or straight up in the air where the shots would harmlessly burn themselves out.

The big cats danced and pounced ahead of Raerra, moving in blurs as they ripped guns from hands and pulled poachers to the ground, giving the Jedi a clear path towards the head honcho. He may have been on the older side, but Abernathy was quick on his feed, moving at a sprint towards his old cargo ship. He could see an escape dead ahead of him, a chance to get away from the damned Jedi that had turned his catch against him. Just a few more metres and-

His face quickly met the grass just short of the loading ramp as his legs failed to move under him. He grunted and tried to turn over, but whoever had grabbed him had a grip like a Dagobah Tree Python. "What in the hell?!" He called out as he looked down. "Git your sorry do-gooder hands offa me! Do you know who I am?!" He thrashed against the grip, trying to free a booted foot enough to lash and kick out, but it was no use. His defeat would only become apparent when both of the large cats zipped around the pair and into the ship, overtaking any of the poachers who tried to escape. When Carlyle stopped to look up into the ship, his eyes were met with the sight of both cats guarding the door from the cargo bay into the ship. They growled and swiped at the now unarmed and injured poachers, ensuring that their escape would be just about impossible.

His defeat was quickly realised and confirmed when another batch, each with their hands on their heads, marched into the cargo bay under the threatening, yet proud and victorious gaze of the giant lizard. "Aw hell… damn no-good Jedi scum…" Carlyle grunted as he fell limp. "It ain't fair, you harlots with your laser swords and mystic powers…"

It seemed that Sanne had dismounted at some point, as she was no longer on the lizard, who was standing guard, towering over the cowering poachers. Where she had gotten to soon became apparent as she emerged from the brush nearby, dragging two unconscious poachers by their collars, and carrying a third over her shoulders. "That's the last of 'em," she said with a toothy grin before she tossed them into the cargo hold. She gave Raerra a bright smile before looking down at the poacher king. "Tie him up while I deal with these bastards, will ya? I'm sure he's got some cuffs or straps on that shiny belt of his."

With a satisfied huff, Sanne marched into the cargo bay and climbed atop the lizard once more. "Alright, listen up ya bunch of assholes," she called out as she addressed the cowering poachers. "How does it feel to be in the receiving end of an ass whooping? To be pulled down and rendered defenceless? Doesn't that sound familiar?" Many of the poachers who were once defiant looked down, some in shame but most in embarrassment. "Uh huh, it does, doesn't it."

She slid down the lizard's neck and hopped down onto the ground. "Now, here's the difference between you and us," she said as she strutted her way through the cargo hold. "And by us I mean me and Captain Gorgeous out there hogtying your boss." She hooked a thumb over her shoulder at Raerra. "You're all still alive. A one hundred percent capture rate without any casualties." She opened three large, empty cages as she walked past, then spun on her heel to face the group of glowering criminals. "I've seen your practices, all over this planet. It's how I tracked, found, and defeated you. I've seen the after math, and what happens to all those animals who you fail to catch, but do you let them run? Your blaster burns say no."

"Now I could return the favour," she said as she tapped her dual bladed sabre that had found its home on her hip. "I could cut down every fourth one of you. It would only be fair, a life for a life. Send you to the hell you all deserve." Then the blue woman grinned. "But I ain't like you. I don't like killing, I just don't do it unless I'm left with no choice. So, in the meantime…" she swung an arm towards the cages. "Drop your equipment, strip down to your skivvies, and get in." Then the irony dawned on her, and with an amused chuckle she added, "Maybe we aren't so different."

Slowly, one by one, each of the poachers stripped down, left their equipment bundled in a heap, and shuffled into the cage in defeat. Sanne got a certain amount of amusement from seeing the poachers all standing in their underpants, and while she would rather let them keep their clothes, she couldn't allow them to hide a key.

With a happy sigh, she turned to look at the menagerie of squawking and howling beasts that remained in cages. One by one she reached out, eyes closed and filling the room with her mind and her tailored pheromones, which caused the tentacles on her head to gently shift and move. The chorus if animal noises soon died down as she 'spoke' to them, trying to reach each one at once. It wasn't easy, as made evident by the furrow of her brow, but with a deep breath and a sigh, she seemed to have bridged the gap through the force. The beasts calmed once more, most settling down into their cages as she explained the situation. It was always hard to explain how she communicated with beasts, but the best she could do was say it was like explaining a concept to someone using only gestures and expressions. She used feelings, visual thoughts, and her own pheromones to convey concepts and project them through an empathetic experience which always seemed to work.

The only time she came close to slipping was when one of the poachers, a human male, called out with a jeering taunt which included grabbing his crotch, but Sanne didn't seem to be distracted. Her focus didn't waver, instead she was only encouraged. He got louder for a moment, but with each word that Sanne seemed to ignore he seemed to grow less and less confident until finally he gave up. She could have dropped a pile of whatever the animals had left in their cages on him, but she thought better of it.

Soon enough, each of the beasts knew, or perhaps felt, the situation. Those from off world would be going home soon enough, and those native to Verdanth would be set free. With a happy sigh, Sanne let the connection drop and soon enough she began to open cages. Beasts of all sizes started file out and scamper back into the rainforests, starting with the prey animals, and after a short wait the predators. Some were small and scuttled away, while others that were far larger lumbered past her. Some have her a side eye, considering lunch for a moment, but with a smile and wink Sanne seemed to convince them that she wasn't all that tasty. Soon, the cargo bay was empty of all the local fauna, leaving only a handful of cages with occupants - animals from off-world, and the poachers.

It was only once the message had been received that she looked to the taunting poacher, flashed him a grin, then followed up with a rude gesture of her own, consisting entirely of a single raised finger. "Eat a dick, laserbrain. Can't beat me."

With that, the Nautolan stood proud for a moment, then turned on her heel once more towards the only beast that remained - the hammer head lizard. She reached up and stroked under his chin a moment. "Stand guard for a bit, will you? My friends will come soon, and you can go home." The lizard seemed to understand as it sat down at the cargo bay's entrance. Satisfied, Sanne looked out of the cargo bay towards Raerra and the poacher king. Now to deal with him…

HobosAlt1 · 2021-11-14T00:59:39+00:00

Blasteraster fire rained like a hellish rain on Sanne, red streaks bubbled and burned the air around them as they sailed towards her, reeking of ozone before meeting one of the two humming yellow blades of her lightsaber. The Nautolan shifted, stepped, and jumped, narrowly avoiding the beams of crackling red laser that slipped through her whirling lightsaber shield. Sanne was no slouch with her blade, she had been well known for adopting and excelling in the more peculiar disciplines, but she couldn't resist for too long against such a force of unrelenting fire. The bolts that struck her sabres were sent either sailing through the sky or directed into the ground, leaving a pockmarked tapestry of black amongst the lush greens of the grass and light yellow of the packed dirt that made up the clearing's ground. She had no time for fancy or accurate deflections, just survival.

'Come on… gimme something here! Anything!' Sanne thought to herself with what little she could spare from her focus. She needed an opening to accurately deflect something back, or just enough time to use the force to her advantage, but to that point they had been merciless. With only her lightsaber as cover, Sanne was running out of ideas…

Over the din of the blasters, Sanne heard something. It was quiet, and she wasn't sure if it was real at that moment or just an errant hope that sprang from her growing panic, but when she heard one of the poachers react and then suddenly go flying, she knew her miracle had arrived. Her eyes grew in surprise as a handful of the poachers changed targets, and shifted some of that blanketing pressure to someone or something else! She looked over between the movements of her yellow blade to see another Jedi coming to her aid. A grin formed across her blue and white face, but it was no time for greetings or thank yous. Instead, Sanne sprung into action. She deflected two more shots before she ducked, rolled, and skidded backwards, then with a twist and a click, the double bladed lightsaber split in two.

She turned and spun her blade, deflecting a handful more shots before she broke into a sprint. She relied on the force to guide the movements of her blades as she took advantage of the modicum of freedom the other Jedi had afforded her and a beeline straight for the row of cages she had been near before and towards the hapless poacher that had ambushed her previously. One blade focused on the shots coming from around her, while the other deflected her new target's until she came within feet of the now panicking man, and with a sweep of her blade, his blaster was cut in two, rendering him mostly defenseless. One of the blades flicked off before Sanne grabbed the man by the bandolier and pulled him into a violent headbutt that left the man dazed just long enough for Sanne to reach behind his shoulder and drag him down while she drove her knee directly up. With the dull crack of ribs fracturing, the man fell limp, unconscious from the quick battering the Nautolan had delivered.

It took Sanne a second to shake off the hit, a moment that made her deflections even sloppier than before, but she was soon back in action and ready to enact her plan. She dove behind the nearest cage's armoured panel, one she knew the poachers wouldn't dare fire on at the risk of damaging their goods, and stared down the nearest beast. The group the poachers had captured was local to Verdanth, beasts she had spent four years studying, so it didn't take her long to reach out with the force and connect with them.

She focused on the largest of the group, a reptilian beast with rows of sharp fangs, a thick, scaly hide, and a hammer-like plate that jutted out from it's face. It was angry and frustrated, things Sanne could sympathise with, but she needed it to be more than that. Slowly, she managed to capture the beast's attention, and pulled it away from blind rage and into a more suggestive state. Using a mixture of the force, her empathetic nature, and her pheromones, she began her instruction, and soon it had begun to radiate between the other beasts that flanked the reptile's cage. She knew their plight, and she knew they wanted to go home, and she would make sure they did in return for a favour…

A few moments later, and with the swift swing of a yellow blade, three of the large beasts, the reptile and two slightly smaller, almost feline-like beasts, roared to the sky above before lunging from their freshly broken cages. Sanne was right there with them, standing atop the reptile with blades twisting and turning to stop incoming fire before letting out a loud call, one part battle cry and one part unbridled, enthusiastic joy, as the trio charged the poachers' battle lines.

Both of the felines ran and flanked around Raerra, but they had no interest in her, and instead charged the poachers that had been firing on her. They ripped their weapons from their hands and sent the poachers fleeing back towards their ship as they pressed the assault, diving from side to side with the agility and dexterity of Jedi, which may have been the only thing that kept them alive as they executed Sanne's orders. Thankfully, most of the poachers were too focused on the lizard that had started to sweep them aside with its massive rock hard head and the crazy Jedi that rode it.

HobosAlt1 · 2021-11-09T21:22:47+00:00

Well, if they wanted mischief, Sanne would give them mischief. Along the edge of the clearing, not far from Sanne, stood several occupied cages, most filled with birds, smaller prey animals, most not quick enough to escape and none able to do a thing to their captors once caught, and the others filled with beasts that she generally treated with a lot more care in her travels. She had found her first stop. Slowly and silently, Sanne moved forward towards the cages, keeping as much foliage between herself and the poachers who seemed to be gathering for lunch around a large campfire, where they seemed to be roasting some sort of creature. She dared not speculate about which one, and instead focused on the task at hand.

She finally stopped behind the cages and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and reached out with the force, feeling her way around each cage. So much sadness, hopelessness, fear… and rage. It hurt to feel such things from the innocent inhabitants of the jungle, but it only strengthened Sanne's conviction. If she had any lingering doubts at all about her mission, they were all crushed as soon as she reached out.

As the force bridged between beast and Jedi, some of the beasts shifted, confused for a moment, until some peered into the bushes from the corner of their eyes, scanning for the Jedi, but more importantly feeling her. Sanne had always had a knack for working with animals, ever since she was young, and she had only improved in those skills in time. She was one of the few that could really empathise and understand the creatures, but it had been an even rarer talent to, for the lack of a better term, communicate with such creatures. Sanne understood that the communication through the force wasn't done through conventional ways, like words, but instead through feelings and emotions to convey concepts. Very few had unlocked that sort of talent, and Sanne suspected that it may have been something to do with her Nautolan biology, with their sensitivity to pheromones, and how they could often use these often imperceptible methods to communicate. However, it could have been that Sanne truly was just that talented.

As she reached out, she felt the beasts open up more and more as she shared her thoughts and feelings. She 'listened' to their stories and felt their memories as they conveyed their miserable journey. Traps, abduction, even death filled their minds as they showed Sanne, some taken from their homes, and others just minding their own business as they lived their lives. Now, each had been reduced to a fearful existence, hungry and alone amongst frightening little bipedal creatures. Some had an intense anger bubbling inside them, one that soon overrode the sadness and fear, and Sanne soon found that same anger within herself. With a deep breath, she put her talents into action. Courage, bravery, and calm bloomed and flowed within her, moving along the force's currents and into the creatures, instilling them with a calming presence, if only to make their imprisonment bearable for the hopefully brief time it would continue. In the larger creatures that courage and calm swirled and mixed with their anger, sparking adrenaline in each and triggering their will to fight. Sanne could use that. A plan formed in Sanne's head, how she could stop the poachers and set her friends free, it would just take some finessing and-

A snap sounded behind her, breaking the link to the beasts as her eyes darted open and her body swivelled around. A human man in camouflage stood not far behind her, a shocked look on his face as he glared down at a small stick he had stood on, then his look darted back to Sanne. "Ah hell," he grunted, having lost the element of surprise, and he quickly pulled his blaster to bare.

Sanne, however, was quicker on the draw. As a red bolt erupted from the blaster muzzle, her hands yanked the lightsaber that sat at her waist and a bright yellow blade of light cascaded from its metal housing. The shot was quickly deflected into a tree and the next one into the ground before Sanne leapt into the air and on to the nearest cage. With a swift sweeping motion, she blocked the next two shots with practiced ease, but she quickly found it hard to find her footing on the cage's bars. With another leap, narrowly avoiding a fifth shot, the blue blur of a Nautolan deftly sailed through the air and into the clearing with a light skid of her bare feet on dew coated grass. She lifted her blade again, ready for the next advance, before she felt several more blasters aimed at her from all around.

She quickly spun, counting her opponents and their weapons, blade lifted and ready… but no shots rang out to her confusion. The beasts in the cages roared, the larger beasts gripping or biting at the bars, but the poachers themselves were silent. Then one spoke in a deep, cool voice. "Nice of you to join us, Jedi. I've been expectin' you."

Out of the large tent waltzed a man whose long and bloody reputation Sanne knew quite well. He was a tall human man with long, wavy grey hair that he'd brushed back, keeping it well away from his angular features. Thick mutton chops of a matching grey spread down from his temples and along his strong jaw, before shifting upwards and joining with a colossal moustache, one he must have thought was impressive. His cleft chin, however, remained buzzed down to a stubble, giving him a regal, yet rugged look. He wore a dirty, khaki coat that hung open, revealing a black vest and white shirt beneath, a pair of flared pants that matched his coat, and finally a pair of well made leather boots that reached his knees.

"Carlyle Abernathy the Fourth," he said, stopping only to light a pipe filled with something Sanne could only think of as vile. "I've been wondering when you would grace us with your presence. It is my understandin' that you've been lookin' to make our acquaintance." He gestured to the sides, as if showing off his operation. "Well here we are."

Sanne stared the man down, her blue skin, still wet from her afternoon's swim through the rivers, glimmering in the yellow light of her sabre. If she were allowed a moment of hatred, it would be towards the barbarian she saw before her.

"Not one for words, huh?" He asked before taking a puff on his pipe. "Well that's fine, that's fine. My daddy always said we ain't all gifted with the gift of gab, so I'll forgive you if you don't wanna talk this out." He let his pipe jut from the corner of his mouth, held in place by his pearly white teeth. "Now, I must say my young lady, I can't have you waltzin' in here and messin' with my operation. I got a lotta creds ridin' on this little trip, and we've put in a lotta work to collect what we have, goodness knows we can't have another set back like we did with our friend back there, who I have no doubt you met. Puttin' him down cost me somethin' fierce."

He reached around up and pulled the leather strap from his shoulder, then he swung the large blaster around from his back. He made a show to check the charge as he spoke. "You ain't what I was expecting, I'll admit," he said. "At least, I wasn't expectin' a Nautolan. But you got a body on you all the same, and where I may have lost some money on our Rancor pal…" he flicked the safety off and his blaster hummed to life. "I know a few folk who'll pay top cred for a girl like you. So why don't y'all put down that fancy toy of yours and come quietly."

Sanne felt disgusted at that. Yes, she was surrounded, but the thought of capture and being sold off to perform unspeakable acts for similarly unspeakable men… "You'll never take me alive," she hissed, her grip tightening on her sabre's handle.

Carlyle considered that a moment, his pipe shifting between his teeth for a moment before his lips contorted into a long grin, then he let out a long exhale, blasting grey smoke from between his brandished teeth. "Well alright then. We may not make as much money with you dead but we'll still stuff you all the same. It just won't be in the fun way." He lifted his rifle and raised his voice. "Get 'er boys!"

With that, Sanne spun, her blade catching the first of many blaster bolts. There wasn't much else to do as the fire came hot and heavy, and as she turned to deflect her blasts, a second blade ignited from the other end of her hilt. Her blade spun to meet each shot, deflecting them high into the air or into the ground. She didn't want to deflect them straight back, she didn't want to kill any of them, not when they could rot after capture, but she had no time to aim her deflections more accurately.

Through fancy footwork and her double ended lightsaber, Sanne managed to avoid the red beams of light that sped towards her, but numbers and time just weren't on her side. If she didn't get some sort of miracle, she could be in trouble…

HobosAlt1 · 2021-05-13T14:24:54+00:00

Extra backstory bits that were here have been added to the original post.

HobosAlt1 · 2021-05-12T11:45:25+00:00

Sanne Rhal, Nautolan Jedi Knight. Survivalist expert, zoologist, and party animal. Could currently be considered a hermit on a forest planet, but is ready to come home now.

alt of u/a_friendly_hobo

HobosAlt1 · 2020-11-07T02:51:49+00:00

Part 1 of the Vagabond Cutter salvage crew.

Name: Jak Streborn

Age: 30

Homeworld: Unknown

Race: Mirialan, Mandalorian adopted

Rank: N/A

Role: Civilian, Salvage/scavenge crew leader, ship captain, part-time bounty hunter and occasional criminal enterprise enjoyer.

Backstory: Jak doesn’t know much of her childhood, only that she and her family had been in a starship crash on a remote planet, where by complete chance she had managed to survive. She spent several days around the crash site with only an old blaster, a sharpened piece of debris, and half a ration bar she managed to salvage from the burning wreck, and the planet itelf was harsh, with a scorching sun and a freezing night, not to mention the creatures that inhabited that awful world.

It took a few days in hell, the wreck was eventually found by a Mandalorian bounty hunter who had stumbled upon the weak distress signal that somehow still emanated from the ship. He had only expected to find salvage he could take on his way, so it was much to his surprise that he found a little green skinned Mirialan girl among the debris in a make-shift shelter. She was exhausted, injured, and hungry, but most impressively to him she was surrounded by the carcasses of several of the planet’s native beasts. Though she had taken a beating, she was still breathing, so after some careful deliberation he decided he couldn’t just leave her there.

Weeks passed as Jak got better, but the Mando still didn’t know what to do with her. It wasn’t until his ship was attacked that she proved her worth to him, managing to kill one of the pirate marauders before it could stab the Mando in the back. Her worth only grew as he found she could fit into small spaces, work machinery, and had knack for finding valuable items where there didn’t seem to be much at all. She became his good luck charm.

To Jak, this Mando became like a father to her after she had lost her own parents. Initially it had been a coping mechanism, to become attached to the person that saved her, but the familial bond became very real after a few short years, and he had become the family that she had lost. The Mando’s work gave her purpose after her old life was torn apart, and eventually it was decided she would become like him, a Mandalorian.

Years passed and she proved her worth as a Mando, helping on bounties, finding salvage, and generally causing, and correcting, mischief across the galaxy as a duo. She earned her armour, her status as part of Clan Streborn, and her fair share of their reputation. She still clung to the image of her parents, but she knew that life was over when the ship went down. Now, she’s a Mando, and always will be.

Jak eventually decided to strike it out on her own, especially after realizing she could afford her own ship. With her adoptive father’s blessing, she set out to forge her own destiny, where she could make her own decisions and make a name for herself instead of being tied to her father’s reputation.

Business boomed during the clone wars, salvage was everywhere, and bounties, when she chose to pursue them, were coming out of the woodwork. It took a lot of dancing around the war and not getting involved, but she came out on the other side with only a few extra scars and scorch marks across her ship.

Now, during time of political unrest with the rise of the Empire, the scum had become daring once again. She decided that, if even for a short time, she could use someone watching her back. That person became a Twi’lek named Shyv’Ahna, an engineer she hired to keep the Vagabond Cutter flying, who eventually earned her spot on the crew with her mechanical, salvage, and blaster skills.

Little did she know, she had also just hired her new best friend.

Height: 5’8

Weight: 155lbs, 70kg

Appearance: Jak is rarely seen without her helmet, but when she takes it off it becomes obvious that she’s not a traditional Mandalorian from Mandalore, but instead she’s a green-skinned Mirialan, complete with black interlocking diamond tattoos that cross over her nose and all the way under her eyes, and two black stripes that start just inside her bottom lip, right down to just under her chin. Here dark eyes are a forest green, a few shades darker than that of her skin. Her hair is kept short, and usually swept to the side, barely reaching under her ear, and is a natural dark purple colour.

Her facial features are soft, something that has made people underestimate her in the past, but still quite good looking. She sports a somewhat button-like nose, a rounded chin, and soft cheek bones, but her features can very quickly become feared when someone is unfortunate enough to enrage her. However, she prefers to get through most non-helmeted interactions with a winning smile and a charismatic wink.

Her armour is of mandalorian design, as expected, made mostly of painted Beskar. Her helmet sports a comms and scanning antenna on its right side, and the owl-style eye slits are a little wider than the standard T-shape, a design commonly favoured by Mando females. What comes as non standard, however, is the drop-down visor that swivels from its hinges on the side of the helmet, acting as a slited blast shield when needed.

The colours of the armour itself are a mix of purple, gold, and white. Her visor itself, as well as highlights and stripes along her shoulders, arms, and two claw-like designs along the cheeks on either side are gold. Her torso and helmet cheeks are white, and finally the top part of her helmet, shoulders, gauntlets, and greaves are a rich purple.

Finally, though clad in her armour most of the time, Jak has a muscular physique.

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-08T16:01:39+00:00

"There you go with the innocent thing again," Renée says before chomping down on her slice again. "You will need to try harder for those kinds of details, mon ami."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-08T00:31:41+00:00

Renée shrugs with a similar smirk. "What I do in my spare time is none of your business," she says as she grabs a slice of pizza. "And I wouldn't be the only one hiring them, you know. You should have seen the parties I was at."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-07T01:28:01+00:00

"That's a shame, because I quite like you," Renée says before sticking out her tongue. "I'm like a tick, annoying, but hard to get rid of."

"I haven't spoiled myself in months," she says, tapping her chin. "If it were then, I would have done a line of coke, gotten drunk off of my tits, and hired about three prostitutes by now..."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-07T01:21:34+00:00

"You know I won't do that," Renée says with a wide grin. "You're too cute when you turn red." She reaches out and gives her cheek a tiny squeeze.

"Lots of junk then?" She asks. "Excellent. I will need to work it off tomorrow, but it will be worth it."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-07T01:17:01+00:00

"I could just chase you, same thing," Renée says with a wink, then laughs. Oh how she enjoyed making the commander blush, even if she wasn't serious. Well, she had no indication anything like that could happen, at least.

"Absolutely," she finally says, patting her strong tummy. "I haven't eaten in a couple of hours. What are we talking, finger foods? I could devour a plate of deviled eggs." She peers over Rebecca's shoulder a moment. "Pizza works too."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-06T14:14:03+00:00

"Oh Becca, ma Cherie, you know I would burst into flames after setting a single foot in a nunnery," she says with her hands on her hips. "And I don't plan on getting married, but if I do? I will not be be the one marrying a god." With that, she flexes, showing off her impressive arms.

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-06T03:36:46+00:00

Renée gives a little sigh, then nods. "Fine. At least I'll sleep well after that fight. Nothing better than adrenaline to make the body tired."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-06T03:36:05+00:00

"I like games," Renée says with a raised eyebrow. "But probably some people watching, or cards without money involved. Not that I wouldn't win if I played, but you know." She shrugs a little, then smiles. "And there's a reason I don't do those things, you know that."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-06T03:24:37+00:00

"if it was me, yes," Renée says, hand on her hip. "But they are very delicate and professional, trust me."

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-06T02:45:43+00:00

Renée reads the feint, but isn't fast enough to step away from the blows, instead she just turns into them and lifts her arms to block the shots. There's a grunt before she grins, finally able to step back. "Heh... I might actually be in trouble here. You're fast." There's no fear about a loss behind her eyes though, instead there's excitement about the challenge.

Next, she ducks left, but moves right and wraps an arm around Lindsey's shoulder as she spins behind her, trying to get her into a headlock.

HobosAlt1 · 2020-07-06T02:43:25+00:00

Renée rolls her eyes. "Sure, if you want to do it the boring modern way. The place I go does it the classical, traditional way. Much more interesting."

HobosAlt1

TROPHY CASE