[IC] Dyad: A Star Wars Story (Morose & BlueSky44)

Of the daughters dyad of Coruscant
One shall live and see the greatest darkness fall;
The other shall perish to save us all.

DYAD: A STAR WARS STORY

CHAPTER ONE: TATOOINE

[Morose]

CHAPTER ONE: TATOOINE

Speeders cruising down the main thoroughfare kicked up dust in little swirls, drifting along aimlessly. A raven haired girl stood next to her auburn sister, both of them human - even though the average life form in Mos Eisley was anything but. The Jedi Council, consisting of three members, had sent the twins to Tatooine in order to pay a visit to Rotta the Hutt and liberate one of his young slaves. They didn't know the individual's names or appearance, just what they were called in rumored whispers in the underground community - the Seer.

Clio eyes were amber, looking like flames when she was in a fury and like the sun when she was joyful. Her yellow lightsaber was sheathed, its color marking her as one who hoped to become a Jedi Sentinel. Rey had selected her for this mission that very reason. Should diplomacy fail, Clio's unconventional means could make the difference between saving the Seer or not and bringing them back to Ahch-To. It had been fifty years since the First Order fell and yet, there were hardly enough Jedi to bring peace to the galaxy. The bands of mercenaries and gangs were almost a more dire threat than the Empire they had replaced.

"If we have time, we should go to the site," Clio told her sister. She hadn't been to Tatooine before, yet she knew the exact coordinates for the site - the home of the late Luke and Leia Skywalker. "And then the Kenobi house," she added. It wasn't as important to her to see, but it would be nice if they had a chance to. She loved being a Jedi in Training - a Padawan - yet she also had interests outside of the Force. She loved history and she may not get another chance. Pulling her canteen, Clio took a swig of water, before offering it to Bellona.

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

Bellona was somewhat glad to not be at the Jedi Temple anymore, since in her opinion it got a little stale being there all the time. She glanced around the area that they were in, and hearing her sister's words next to her. Bellona twisted her hair slightly as she thought about the mission, and how best to respond to her sister. Since it would be nice to spend ssd's some time on Tattooine, but she also knew that they needed to somewhat hurry.

"That's a major if Clio, but I'm all for a little sightseeing, but of course, first we should see about completing the mission. That's a bit more important don't you think?" She said with a bit of a giggle. This mission was somewhat important, as they needed to find the Seer,, but she wasn't all too sure who it was. Taking the canteen from Clio, she took a swig as she thought about how things were going to go. Hopefully they would be able to resolve things peacefully, but she knew that there was a chance that they wouldn't be able to, and she was more then ready as she handed the canteen back to her sister.

[Morose]

Clio

"Do you think it's really possible - using the Force like that?" Clio asked, changing the subject. She knew that her sister probably was going to try a diplomatic approach to all of this, bartering with the Hutts in order to secure the Seer. Clio admittedly would have preferred to sneak in at the dead of night, pick the locks, free all the slaves, and take the Seer back to the Jedi Council without having to say a word to the crime lord. Her personal style was to dash in and out of the shadows as it suited her.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as she looked up and down the streets. They needed information though - and a contact in order to get anywhere with the Hutts. Eventually though, she spied a bar - a cantina. "There - we can figure out an in. I imagine you want to set up a meet," she said, a bit resigned. Hopping off of the bench she had been perched on and making sure her canteen was secure, as she didn't want to lose a single bit of precious water on this desert planet, she made her way quickly to the cantina. Her attire was weather appropriate, with little strips fluttering behind her in the wind as she walked. Aliens were all over the place, speaking in different tongues and languages, most of them drunk.

Clio walked into the cantina, squinting as her eyes tried to adjust to the relative darkness. It was cramped and small, with a badly out of tune five man band trying to play someone else's hit song. As if the lighting was somehow too much, most of the patrons were in the corners, their hoods covering their faces. The cantina reeked of booze and armpit sweat.

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

"The Force can do a lot of things Clio, the fact that you think otherwise says a lot," Bellona said with a slight laugh towards her sister. Her ponytail kept her long hair off the back of her neck, making it easier to withstand the heat of Tattooine. She didn't care much for the desert planet, the main thing being the heat that was caused by the two suns that were there. How people could live there all the time was a bit of a mystery to her, but thankfully they were dressed for traveling in the desert heat. Otherwise she bet that she'd pass out from overheating if she wasn't careful.

Glancing over towards the cantina that Clio pointed out, "Well that's as good a place as any... And you do know being diplomatic about things is a good idea, maybe you should try it out every now and then." With those words, she followed Clio into the cantina, glancing around the bar as she entered, trying somewhat hard not to make a face at the smell in the room. "...So, any idea who is this place would probably get us an in? Since something tells me that we have quite a few people in here who could..."

[Morose]

Clio

Clio knew that the Force was highly versatile, capable of doing remarkable things. The use of it to predict the future unnerved her, since it was a case for the absence of free will. Did she have any choices, if the outcome was already decided? Was she training to become a Jedi because she desired to or was it destined? Could they ever really avert a war or were the events simply meant to be? The mysticism of it all gave her a headache. Clio recognized it was the sort of thing her twin adored, diving into the possibilities of the Force.

She peered around the cantina, admittedly finding it difficult to single anyone out as a potential lead. "They all look like scum to me," she confessed in a whisper, careful not to let the patrons hear her. She wasn't in the mood for a barroom brawl. A fight breaking out here would most definitely ruin her chances at getting to go to the site later and pay her respects to two of the greatest jedi to ever live - Luke and Leia Skywalker. She was especially inspired by Leia's story, mainly because the oral legends portrayed her as one of the fiercest and bravest generals of the Rebel Order and later the Resistance. It didn't hurt that she was female either.

Unfortunately while Clio found it hard to single out someone, those in the cantina didn't have the same problem. A Cerean roughly slammed their drink onto the counter, its contents spilling everywhere. The alien then got up from his seat and turned, narrowing his eyes at the twins. "No jedi scum allowed!"

"But other sorts of scum are okay? That's really discriminatory. And just rude. What would your mother say?"

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

"Well I mean, you aren't wrong... That's kind of the point of what this sort of place is like in a nutshell..." Bellona whispered back to her sister with a slight giggle as she looked around the place. The cantina was more or less just a place where any sort of person in the galaxy should show up. Probably bounty hunters or the like if she really had to guess, or thieves and smugglers and every other sort of person imaginable. Everything was alright, they had stumbled across the place that likely would have a contact for them to go forward with their mission.

Of course, seems like they were the one type of person not welcome in this sort of place.

Then Clio's comments clearly weren't exactly helpful, since she more or less was instigating the conversation, and probably making things worse for both of them in the long run. She wondered if her sister was just looking for a fight at this point, but she couldn't do much about it now aside from maybe try to do some damage control. "You have to excuse her, she's not exactly the best person to hang around with sometimes," she said instantly, stepping in between her sister and the Cerean, "Though we aren't exactly planning on sticking around very long, I mean what's wrong with getting a few drinks or something?"

[Morose]

Clio

The Cerean looked at Bellona with suspicion, his head shaped like a pinecone, his eyebrows like bushy white caterpillars. "Just a drink?" he repeated. He didn't own the cantina, yet the music had stopped and everyone was looking at him for direction. His opinion clearly carried a great deal of weight. "It's never just a drink with the Jedi," he spat, before gathering up his belongings and he left the bar. Three other aliens followed suit, getting up and leaving - only one of them bothered to pay on their way out as well.

"Anyone else got a problem?" Clio asked.

Dead silence.

"Good," she said, before going up to the bar and ordering herself a strong drink. The bartender charged her double, explaining that there was a jedi surcharge - "For the damage." Clio didn't feel like arguing the point. She didn't believe in using outright violence and force, but their arrival had already caused some to leave the cantina. She would have been naive if she didn't expect some sort of fight to break out. Her drink came up and Clio took a swig of it, instantly coughing from the strength of the alcohol. Drinking wasn't an activity exactly condoned by the Jedi Order.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, as she saw a rather odd person watching her and her sister - a Gungan. They were rarely found outside of Naboo. Those found on other planets... they were exiles - criminals.

Exactly the sort of person who could get them an audience with the Hutts.

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

Bellona let out a bit of a sigh as the alien left the cantina followed by who she assumed were more of his cohorts. "Well I guess that could have gone better now couldn't it?" she muttered under her breath towards her sister, shaking her head slightly. She wasn't even all that surprised that the bartender charged them more for the drinks, just being where they were, Tattooine wasn't exactly all too welcoming towards the Jedi, that was a known fact. It meant that their job was definitely going to be more difficult, since they would have to deal with no one wanting to likely talk to them.

"You know that threatening people isn't necessarily the answer to all of your problems right?" she told her sister with a bit of a giggle in response to her more or less threatening the other patrons to not try to cause problems with them. This was definitely not the best way to make first impressions with the locals. However, her attention was quickly drawn towards the Gungan who had just walked into the cantina. "Why is there a Gungan way out here? I think we should see about going to talk to him, how about you Clio?"

[Morose]

Clio

Clio nodded, in total agreement with her sister. If a gungan was out in this sort of cantina in Tatooine, they were up to nothing good at all. They were likely the scum of the galaxy and that was exactly the sort of person they were here to seek out. Picking up her drink, she took another swig, barely able to keep herself from coughing this time. She wouldn't be able to inspire fear in the gungan based on her alcohol tolerance. Of course, talking with people and negotiating tended to be her sister's thing. Clio was more likely to threaten them, try a Jedi Mind Trick, or simply point a weapon at them. Maybe even offer to help them steal something in order to get the information they needed. There was more than one way to pick a lock, so to speak.

She walked forward and took a seat at the gungan's table, forcing a smile. "I'm Clio, this is Bellona. Mind if we chat?" she set her drink down, already settled in. Her body language was clear. They were going to chat whether he agreed to it or not.

The gungan narrowed his eyes. "Looky, yous goen find una empty table, Jedi."

Clio had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She wasn't intimidated by this dude at all. Sure, he was covered in scars and logically, she knew he was a threat but... She just couldn't take Gungan Basic seriously. "Nah, I think wesa like this table," she replied, mocking him just a little bit.

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

Bellona shook her head slightly at her sister when she started up the conversation with the Gungan who clearly was a long way from home. She just listened to what they were saying, and she couldn't help but wonder how the hell he had ended up way out here. Though his words weren't too surprising, and she knew that the Gungans spoke in a strange sort of language that sounded more then a bit funny, she had to admit it, however her sister deciding to somewhat mock the Gungan over it? That was definitely not the way to make friends.

"Clio, really?" she said towards her sister, shaking her head again before turning her attention towards the Gungan again, "We were wondering if you might be able to help us out a bit," she said to the Gungan, before taking a swig of her own drink as she sat down at the table as well. Of course, she knew perfectly well that her sister was just planning on probably trying to be threatening, but at least in her mind if you were going to try to get someone to help you out, don't mock the way that they talk. That was just common sense. Sure, Gungan Basic was a bit weird and sounded funny, but it was the way that they spoke. Mocking them was not going to end well.

[Morose]

Clio

Clio was trying her best not to snicker. She knew that this was an important mission, they were on pressing official Jedi business, but seeing a mercenary gungan in a cantina? It was just a little too much for her. She sat on her hands and bit hard on the inside of her cheeks, but that couldn't hide the amused twinkle in her eye and the irregularity of her breathing as she held in the laughter. "We can make it worth your while," Clio offered, amusement still clear in her voice.

The gungan didn't find it nearly as funny. "Do yousa think me am a joken?" he snapped. "Me no helpen jedi scum - and women shouldn't besa fighters."

Her eyes narrowed. The language was hilarious, but the message bothered her. There were some people in the galaxy that were hopelessly behind the times, doubting the capabilities of women. There was no reason a girl couldn't be a Jedi. Everyone was capable of doing anything they put their minds to, something Clio believed very deeply in. "Look, we need an audience with Rotta the Hutt. We can pay you to help us or I can cut your hands off with my lightsaber and force you to help us anyways. You've heard about the old Jedi Mind Tricks, right?" Her voice had a cruel intensity to it.

"Legends! Me know yousa're lying, girl!" the gungan scoffed.

"Oh they're not legends at all - they're quite real. The Force flows through us all, including you, and that means we can manipulate it to make you help us, gungan. So which'll it be? Money or force?"

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

Bellona let out a bit of a sigh as her sister clearly started getting into an argument of sorts with the Gungan. "Really Clio? I thought I mentioned that you shouldn't act like he's joking... Be nice, got it?" she said instantly towards her sister, since she didn't seem to be making the situation at all any better all things considering. She was clearly acting like the way the Gungan spoke was amusing (even though it was, Bellona knew better then to make it sound that way when she spoke) and was already to the threatening stage of negotiations. This definitely was a bar brawl waiting to happen, and unlike her sister, she was really hoping to avoid one.

Sure, the Gungan's words were more then annoying (in the way they sounded and in the sort of context) however she also knew that violence likely wasn't going to get them anywhere. "Look, we're sorry to bother you, however I ask that you accept the money and get us an audience with Rotta the Hut," she said with a slight wave not really sure what else to do. Clio would instantly recognize what it was that she was doing as the Jedi Mind Trick. Bellona with her specialty being the way of the Force as opposed to using her lightsaber to fight meant that she was pretty good at pulling off tricks like that regarding the use of the Force.

[Morose]

Clio

"Me will accepten da mula and getsa yousa an audience wit Rotta," Skoc-Skoc replied dreamily, as if in a trance. "Dee thousand mula," he declared.

Clio frowned deeply. She knew that her sister had used the Force on the gungan in order to make him cooperate, but even then, a thousand credits was a lot. Ten thousand credits could buy you a decent landspeeder, after all. They only had a hundred credits set aside for the bribery portion of getting an audience with Rotta - the rest they needed in order to purchase the freedom for his slave. "Fifty credits," Clio countered.

Skoc-Skoc glared at her. "Ninee hundred mula!" he demanded. "And me won't gos any more low!"

Clio waved her hand in front of the gungan's face. "You're going to accept a hundred credits. You're happy to do this for us. And you're going to get us an audience with Rotta." Her sister wasn't the only one sensitive with the Force. It helped that Skoc-Skoc wasn't a highly intelligent being, causing just the slightest use of the Force to be suitable for getting what they desired.

"Me will take a hundred mula. Me am smilin. Me will getsa yousa an audience wit Rotta," Skoc-Skoc said. Clio slid fifty credits across the table. He took them and shoved them into his pockets.

"You'll receive the rest when we go see Rotta."

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

Some time later, thanks to the help of Skoc-Skoc the Gungan (though more then a bit unwillingly) the pair were able to make their way to where Rotta lived for their audience with the crime boss. "So... Ready to see what happens sis?" Bellona asked her sister as they arrived at the meeting place. Despite preferring to deal with things diplomatically, she knew that there was the chance that they'd have to fight their way out of the place, especially considering that in other words they were walking into the lion's den of crime on the planet so to speak.

The doors were shut when they arrived, but it opened up after a few moments, allowing the pair to walk into the building of sorts. There was a lot of people (or well, more of aliens and other bounty hunters) in the large area as they entered. Bellona looked around, and glanced at her sister, "So... Remember, we aren't here to pick fights with anyone, we're here to see Rotta and get the seer out of here... Especially since we are kind of outnumbered here, so let's just try not to do anything to antagonize them unless we potentially have to switch to threatening in someway, okay?" she whispered under her breath.

[Morose]

Clio

Clio was a bit curious when they got to Rotta's palace. She knew from the historical records that Luke Skywalker had fought against Rotta's father, Jabba, here back in the days of the Empire. General Leia had even been disguised as a slave and General Solo had been frozen with carbonite. She glanced around at the aliens milling about, noticing the stench of rotting meat that flavored the air. It was a positively disgusting hive of villainy. Slaves were all around, large collars on their necks connected to chains anchored in the wall. "Got it, antagonize them," she whispered back to her sister.

The hair on the back of her neck was standing upright. Clio did not like this at all. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she then added, her voice still as quiet as the grave. She wasn't sure what to expect with Rotta. Would he let them purchase the Seer and liberate the slave? They didn't even have a name for the Seer or a description. They'd need to go around asking all of the slaves if they had latent force abilities and if so, to describe them in detail.

[BlueSky44]

Bellona

Bellona rolled her eyes somewhat at her sister, "Really? Are you even going to joke about that sort of thing? We need to keep the peace as best as we can, not destroy it or something. That would cause problems for us in the long run and you know it," she whispered under her breath as they walked into the area that housed Rotta and all of the people and bounty hunters in his employ. It definitely was not a place that she wanted to stay in for very long. It would be best for them to get in and out as quickly as possible. Hopefully for them they could just rescue the Seer and be done with this place.

Rotta was in the center of the room as the pair walked in. She took a bit of a deep breath as they approached the crime lord, and she at least had a bit of self-control when it came to a gag reflex considering how the place smelt. She was really hoping that they wouldn't have to fight or anything, or even have to use the Jedi Mind Trick on him. Since unlike with the Gungan, it would probably paint a target on their back if they figured out they were more or less. Taking a deep breath, when she figured she was allowed to speak, she looked at Rotta and spoke clearly, "Oh great Rotta, we've come to see about perhaps making a deal with you."

"Choy? Sort of bargon could do few jedai naga unko? U aren't chowbaso unko, but mee'll hear u nenoleeya."

[Morose]

Clio

Fortunately, Clio had prepared for this. She had spent a lot of time pouring over the archives, reading every bit of intel she could on those who were active forces in shaping the galaxy today and in years before. The Hutts were criminals and they had controlled the Outer Rim for ages, even being active during the Clone Wars. There was one story in particular that stood out to her, hopefully one they could use to garner good will with Rotta. Of course, the Jedi involved in the story was Anakin Skywalker who became the Sith Lord Darth Vader... Clio decided they didn't need to share those details. It was all about crafting a narrative here - one where the Hutts and the Jedi could be allies.

"Great Rotta, the Jedi have been friends to the Hutts for ages. As a child, your life was threatened by the Separatists - but you were saved, thanks to the noble actions of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his padawan," Clio said, doing her best to speak slowly and not to sound too eager. She knew that Rotta's father had been killed by General Leia Organa, who wasn't technically a Jedi, but she didn't know if Rotta would bear a grudge over it. "As we build the Jedi Order, we want to be friends with the Hutts once more. Our master has bade us to see if we could purchase a slave from you, as a sign of friendship and good faith."

She felt dirty, asking to buy a slave.