Shadows of Bankor

Truthfully, Elaranu did not have much stuff; One case
was enough for clothes, her grooming items, her old flight medals, the schematics, and her explosives. Everything else was in one of her many pockets, or the pouches on her oversized belts.

Pulling her goggles off and looking around the place, she sighed inwardly; It really was a dump of a 'town'. Still, there was something to be said about the freedom it offered, and something thrilling about getting to see all the old ship sections.

Deciding expediency was the better part of virtue here, she walked into the shop, wheeling her stuff behind her.

Venator rents a speeder to head out to Bone Town to see what they have to offer. While looking around, he notices someone he met before. He tips his helmet to her. "Morn'n darl'n. Did'n expecd da see a familiar face here."

Ela had been practicing her reading and speaking down at the library, so she was a little more prepared for this, "Oh, hello there. I admit, I did not expect to see you out here. Did you come with any others?"

She was specifically thinking of Djanik and Verse, but didn't name any names.

Venator shakes his head. "Imma jusd here solo darl'n. Heard 'boud dis place. Came to check id oud for myself. I needed a ride oud anyways so id wasn'd much oud of da way."

He looks at her after his remarks. "Whaddya doin' in dese pards?"

She inclined her head to the trunk with her stuff, "Moving in, actually. I would not have believed it myself, but it seems like an opportunity to get away from a few things..."

Most of her debt came to mind, but also the unrest and violence in Rygor.

"Besides, as an engineer this is more in my element than a crowded city."

Venator looks around at the fallen star ship. "Sure... if ya dun mind sleep'n in someone's coff'n. Guess ya god a lod of doys around da play wid."

He looks back at her. "Makes id a lil hard da come visid ya."

She chuckled softly, "I have no fear of ghosts or the disapproval of the passed on. Any corpses have long since been cleaned out, if there were any here to begin with. Anyways, the hope is it will be hard for that 'Inkwister' to come pay a visit out here as well; I would not relish another round of questioning with that one."

"Ah, ya had a nice dalk'n up close and personal like wid da inquisidor? Wha were dey like?" Venator asks.

"Dis place is bigger dan I expecded." He looks around at the makeshift town.

"The Inquisitor was very forceful certainly; Blunt, to the point, impatient. Though I suppose I would not know what he is like on an every day basis... But yes, there are over a thousand people here. So it is large. though actually a bit cramped in some ways. Perhaps I am just used to more wide open spaces."

"Makes sense. Dey are hunding down criminals and odhers who may have fled from the insurreshion. Bankor seems to be where da acshion is ad. Dey jus doubl'n down." Venator comments.

He looks around some more. "Hmm... dey seem da have quied a few guards doo. I wonder if id dook long to drain dhose deserd mounds dey are using."
He takes out his datapad to make a note to himself about something.

"Mmm... a good trainer can train one for basic commands in a few days, to follow basic commands. The trouble comes if you wish to take them into battle; Training them to behave when there is blaster fire and shouting is hard. Doubly so if they get hurt."

"I wonder if dey are wordh da drouble. A good speeder seems more reliable and easy da ged here."

"My thoughts exactly. But mounts ~are~ less likely to break down, and they can act on their own if you think that is important. They also do not worry about EMP or ionization. That is why the Imperium bu..."

Her words suddenly stopped and she frowned a moment before shaking her head, "They are not my sort of thing though; I will take an engine over a beast any day."

Venator nods. "I guess dere is some appeal do condroll'n a wild animal bedween yer legs. I sooner drusd a machine. Dey dun run off if dey ged a scare."

Rather than say anything else potentially embarrassing on the subject, Ela just nodded.

"I do not think I ever asked you what you were doing here in turn. Not that I imagine it is anything too surprising. Checking things out, or do you have business?"

"Jusd check'n dhings oud. See if dey may have goods da cidy may nod have access do." Venator answers. "Nev'r hurds da upgrade yer guns."

That got a little smirk from Ela, "Well... it might hurt someone. Eventually. Or it might not, hopefully. I know I am certainly here for the same thing as well. In a way."

"Oh? Are ya upgrad'n your guns? Or jusd dinker'n wid somesh'n else?" Venator asks.

"I wonder if dis place has any good place ta drink." He looks about for the local cantina or waterhole if such a thing exists in the scrapyard.

"Not that I am aware of, unfortunately; The locals prize good drink as trading items precisely because there is no local supply. Might be able to find a small place that serves some watered down drinks that taste like engine fuel, I suppose..."

She shook her head, "As to your question, I do not care for off the shelf mechanics; If you have the opportunity to customize something after you own it, why not do so? It is yours, after all. No reason to be shy about it if you know what to do."

Venator nods. "Good poind. I ain'd da parched. I dun have da skill for da bud ya god a very useful skill dere. Where did ya learn id from?"

A slight smile touched her lips, "Some tinkering with things at home... mostly at the academy though. I tested well so got a scholarship. If only that had paid for everything else besides tuition..."

"Ah, you cerdainly sound like a smard cookie. Which Academy ya go do?" Venator asks.

"Guess ya can say I was home schooled."

"Eruni'La, the local science and engineering academy. I will admit, the degree I ended up with and the degree I was sent to get were different, but close enough. For my tastes anyways."

"Life dun always go how we plan. Dun mean ya can'd make de mosd of id." Venator comments.

"It is all well and good to talk about personal agency, but there are also the other people and events that are the impetuses to those plans going awry. I think they main way we can find the way we want to go and plan for it is to work with others when needed, and leave them behind when necessary."