just a note after writing that post: it's occurred to me that I'm writing characters within the character of Sai as she adapts different personas for different scenarios. Her true personality that I have for her is definitely bleeding through, but it was an interesting process trying to write out that "showtime" paragraph.
not sure what point I'm trying to make, maybe I'm just saying writing a smuggler that "moonlights" of sorts as a con artist will be a bit more difficult than I expected. so if Sai's character seems a bit shaky at all in the future (or even at present and I've just completely missed some glaring character inconsistency), that's probably just me struggling with writing her!
edit: also, I think I'm playing too much Batman these days. I'm reading Sai's speech almost like a less homicidal Joker.
"You came for a show, you got yourself a show," Sai whispered to herself. Her headcount began to shift as some people entered, some left, and one was killed. It was like a game of pazaak, but Sai was counting faces instead of numbers. "Flip the +/-5 card and see how crazy this game really gets," she continued whispering. Sai couldn't help but grin at her little joke.
In any case, the headcount began to seem irrelevant. The only people left in the cantina were stupid, dead, or they stood out so much that they had to have been part of this team that datapad had mentioned. Sure, it was a jump in logic, but it was one Sai was willing to take. There was no other explanation for the amount of crazy left in the room.
Sai kicked her knees up and down slightly in her seat, ensuring that her pistols and knives were attached to her harness as they should be. All equipment accounted for, she took a silent, deep breath, settling her composure so she could get into character. Let the show begin, Sai thought, going over her typical pre-con ritual. She wasn’t planning on conning this fun bunch, per se, but she needed to develop a persona in order to speak to such a diverse group if she wanted to have any chance at some semblance of conversation. All she needed to do was keep a level head.
Ultimately, she decided it would be best to play it safe. And by Sai’s standards, playing it safe meant attempting to take control of the situation and perhaps cool it down. But she was no fool; she knew she’d have to craft her sentences carefully and deliver them perfectly in order to keep everyone happy. Or at the very least, keep them from killing her. Between the three established killers, the Gungan, the, uh, lizard, and the unknown factor that was the Twi’lek, Sai had quite the task on her hands.
Sai turned in her booth, remaining seated but facing outwards in the cantina. Showtime. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and folding her hands together. Her pistols, holstered each at the waist, and her vibrodaggers, sheathed on her back, stood out to anyone looking her way. With a friendly, but eerily confident smile, Sai began.
“Okay people, before we all end up dead, let’s just address the bantha in the room and admit that we’ve all been invited here for a particular reason. Except for, say…” Sai glanced around the room, careful to keep a friendly face until she found the people she was looking for. She pointed at the few crew members left in the cantina, scowling. “You over there. You just watched him kill someone! Get out of here!” Sai motioned towards the Mandalorian that had ruthlessly executed the Besalisk - Kal, if she heard correctly - and eagerly watched the crew members scuttle out of the cantina. “That’s more like it. Now, what say we try not to get ourselves killed - and I’m referring to you two,” Sai drew one of her vibrodaggers and used the tip to point at Kal and the shirtless one, “and how about we acknowledge the fact that we’re, almost beyond all reasonable doubt, supposed to be working together! So let’s let the death end with this poor sod,” she motioned to the Besalisk, “and at least pretend we like each other, hm?” Sai leaned back, sheathing her vibrodagger.
Turning back to the booth, Sai added as a final afterthought, “Besides, she, uh, has a point.” Yet again, Sai found herself motioning towards someone in the cantina; this time, it was the big lizard in the booth across the way. “If the Crimson Assassin just disabled someone trying to hit on her, shouldn’t you - and here’s a crazy idea - not hit on her? Just a thought, honey.” Sure, she was maybe pushing her luck with that last bit, but Sai was confident that her skill and mastery in social contexts would at the very least garner some support and keep her alive.
“Listen, laserbrain, I can get you just about anything you want from just about anywhere you want it from. But I don’t deal in slaves. Find someone else to entertain your desire to traffic living sex toys,” Saiyanna Jhee dismissed her potential client nonchalantly, walking away as the noble was left scowling by himself in the Coruscant undercity. Sai didn’t particularly like Coruscant very much, but it was a great place to be to find a well-paying job. If she could only get around all the sex-hungry nobility that were looking for talented smugglers to help feed their little power fetishes, maybe a client would actually come up.
She continued to wander Coruscant’s lower levels, taking in the artificial lighting in all its glory. She much preferred Nar Shaddaa’s undercity to Coruscant’s; much like the lighting, the seediness of Coruscant felt artificial and manufactured, as if placed there by the Emperor himself just to appease the darker elements of society. At least on Nar Shaddaa there was the serious threat of being robbed or killed.
In any case, Sai continued her search for work. Or, more accurately, she continued her aimless wandering, hoping to reel in a client that would pay her well for good work. Most people that needed some smuggling done these days knew Sai, or at least of her, and would know how to find her. It only required one simple, word for word query:
“Is this where I can place an order for a mynock?”
Sai raised her eyebrows and couldn’t help but smirk. Her little code of choice never failed to amuse her. A quick glance around to note where any surveillance systems may have been placed, then Sai turned to face her potential client. A Quarren, dressed in a formal manner. Nobody Sai was familiar with, but he knew the code, so he seemed to want to employ her. Fortunately, Sai had a second line of defense, just to be sure this was a serious request for business.
“That depends. Your nock or mynock?” Sai kept a straight face, but inside, she was having a blast.
“Mynock. You lost yours on Onderon.” The Quarren looked a little annoyed, being forced to play Sai’s game, but he did what had to be done. On the inside, Sai was dying of laughter. Making fools of potential clients never failed to amuse her.
On the outside, however, Sai nodded without a hint of a smile. “So what can I do for you today?”
“Nothing for me. But I represent your true employer.” The Quarren offered a datapad, which Sai took cautiously. “Everything you need is in there, including coordinates, instructions, and the offer. Don’t look until you know it’s safe.” The Quarren glanced around shiftily; he was just as aware of Coruscant’s relentless surveillance system as Sai. Then again, who wasn’t these days? There were just too many stories of good smugglers and criminals being caught unawares by the Empire’s elaborate surveillance system on the planet. Everyone was careful, these days.
Sai simply nodded in response, stowing the datapad away. She wasn’t completely sure, but the mystery and intrigue behind the offer had already caught her attention. Besides, she had a good feeling about this job, and the Quarren sounded certain she would be taking the offer. The two parted ways, saying nothing else to each other.
Despite several more approaches that night, Sai rejected all of them, heading straight back to the landing pad where her ship waited for her.
--
“Hey, uh… I don’t know exactly who I’m asking here, but this is Sai Jhee of Drifter IV requesting permission to dock. I’m invited, apparently,” Sai spoke hesitantly into the comm channel provided to her on the datapad.
“Docking code?” A lone, rough voice asked on the other end.
Sai took a moment to consult her datapad. “Docking code DCI Three Thr- Hey!” Sai rolled Drifter IV to the right, narrowly avoiding a laser cannon round. “DCI Three Three Oh Four, you son of a bantha,” Sai barked into the comm.
“Gotta be quicker than that if you don’t wanna get shot at, girlie. Permission to dock granted, sending docking procedure to your nav computer now,” the voice returned, ignoring Sai’s insult.
“You aren’t the friendliest of people, are you?” Sai asked rhetorically. She wasn’t expecting a response, as her ship computer informed her that the comm connection had been cut. She pulled Drifter IV into one of the ship’s hangars, following instructions from her nav computer.
--
She had spent the last several hours in the hangar tinkering with Drifter IV, but Sai grew bored. She had been on this damn ship for almost a full standard day, and besides aimlessly wandering the ship, tinkering with Drifter IV, and sleeping, there had been no word from this “employer” of hers. Suspicions began to rise, and Sai needed a way to get her mind off of things and relax.
And what better way was there to relax than a couple hours at a cantina?
Sai wasn’t one for drinking or vices of any kind, as she liked to have as much of a level head as she could at all times, but she appreciated the atmosphere of the cantina nonetheless. Upon entering, Sai took a headcount of those present and made a mental note of everyone’s faces and positions in the room. It was Sai’s personal rule of thumb to know as much as she could about a situation. It made adapting to changing situations that much easier.
Of those present, however, only four people in the bar really stood out to Sai: the big-ass lizard looking thing falling out of its booth, the pretty little Twi’lek that was strutting around like she owned the bar, and the drunk Human and Rodian males that couldn’t take their eyes off of the Twi’lek. They looked as if they were going to make a move on her; Sai mentally willed them to go for it. She could use a show, and these two were most definitely about to make fools of themselves.
Sai took a seat at a moderately lit booth towards the center of the cantina. She never understood why those of the underworld preferred the dark booth in the corner; as much as you wanted to be discreet, you were just so out of place. If you really wanted to blend in, why would you pick the place in the bar that was the most out of the ordinary? Sai personally believed the best place to hide was in plain sight.
Well done on limiting yourself to mainly piloting. Perhaps not an "ace" sniper. Just encase someone wants to specialize in that later on. Other than that I'm fine with it.
not a problem! I'll turn down her sniping skills accordingly.
Personality: Known to be incredibly hotheaded and passionate about many things, Sai often lets her feelings get the better of her. She’s smart enough to keep herself compartmentalized, not letting her emotions affect her work too drastically, but more often than not Sai finds herself in trouble for acting before thinking. She’s calmed down considerably over the years, though her reputation tends to precede her - those that know her or know of her typically recall her more fiery youth than how she is now. That is to say, she is still a loose cannon, but a significantly more controlled loose cannon than her reputation would suggest.
Beyond that, Sai is a drifter. She never stays in one place for too long or works for one employer for long stretches at a time, going wherever the galaxy takes her. Sai is also known to avoid physical conflict when she can, usually talking her way out of hairy situations or finding some other nonviolent means to avoid conflict.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Sai is a top notch pilot - no matter the scenario, there aren’t many other people you’d want at the helm of a ship besides Sai. Years of practice and experience have allowed her to develop her skill as a pilot. She has plenty of experience with different classes of starship, though few pilots are more talented flying a YV-560 freighter than Sai.
Her strength at the helm of a ship is complemented by her skill in persuasion and coercion; Sai can convince someone to do anything she wants, and she can talk her way out of just about anything. She reads people like a book, and can adapt herself appropriately when she has to, making her an excellent con artist. Furthermore, she is skilled at stealth; staying invisible comes naturally to her, especially in crowded environments. Her skills as a pilot, a con artist, and a sneak have made her an excellent smuggler over the years.
However, her talent in social situations is counteracted by her hotheadedness; striking a nerve with Sai will often cause her to break whatever character she has adopted. This hotheadedness bleeds into her skill in combat, as well. She is by no means an expert, but Sai is skilled behind the scope of her DC-15x, and she is extremely lethal in hand-to-hand combat, but frustration and pressure often get to her if things don’t go her way. Consequently, her tactical awareness and combat effectiveness decrease rapidly if a fight goes to shit. Furthermore, her effectiveness at combat engagements closer than a sniper rifle’s scope allows or farther than she can reach with her dual vibrodaggers is extremely limited.
To top it off, her drifter nature tends to get the better of her. Sai loses interests in jobs quickly if they run on too long, and, despite her charisma and social tendencies, often keeps herself from growing too personally attached to anyone.
In summary:
Strengths:
Top notch pilot
Social situations
Stealth
Smuggling
Sniper rifle accuracy
Hand-to-hand combat
Weaknesses:
Combat situations
Tactical awareness
Keeping a level head
Commitment
Weapons and Equipment:
Sai came across both of her Clone War era weapons in an abandoned weapons cache on Jabiim, operating on information given to her by a former employer. She took as much of the cache as she could on her ship and distributed it through the black market.
Utilizing an improvised fighting style as she wields two daggers, Sai’s attacks are relentless and unpredictable.
Scientific Research Bay (#7) has been converted to a weapons control room - all three twin cannons are controlled from there via computer terminal. All sensors and the nav computer also have an interface in that room. Specialized Cargo Hold (#16) has been converted into an armory, storing personal firearms. It's mostly empty, since Sai often flies alone, so there's plenty of space for the team's weaponry. A lot of the quarters are probably messy or dusty, as Sai rarely uses them. Only her room, the crew quarters (#13) is organized, and has been converted into a single bed room.
A YV-560 comes stock with long-range scanning capabilities, a twin cannon, a Class 2 hyperdrive and Class 15 backup. Sai’s personal upgrades have increased the speed and maneuverability of Drifter IV by adding thrusters throughout the hull, as well as improved firepower by adding two additional twin cannons attached on the front arms of the ship. The scientific computer that comes stock with the YV-560 has been swapped for a high-end navigational computer, allowing Drifter IV to make jumps typically deemed impossible.
Don’t ask what happened to Drifters I-III. Those ships were a mess, and Sai would prefer not to talk about it.
History: Saiyanna’s life started on a ship, and she’ll be damned if it doesn’t end on one. Born to a pair of low-level smugglers, Sai didn’t fall far from the tree; she picked up much of her skill as a smuggler during her youth. Her father trained her in piloting, while her mother gave her training in combat and shooting a rifle. However, at the age of 16, Sai’s hotheadedness got the better of her; following a heated argument with her parents, she ran away from them as soon as she had the chance.
She found herself on Nar Shaddaa, and began to run with local gangs for survival. For several years, she participated in petty crime and gang wars. When she was 21, Sai decided she had had enough. She saved enough credits to buy her own ship and return to a smuggler’s life.
Since then, Sai has become a famed smuggler throughout the galaxy, despite her reputation for hotheadedness. She’s run into her parents several times over the years, but hasn’t spoken a single word to them.
