Lone Rock [Closed]

[Maya Nornel]

For hundreds of light years in any direction the void of space was just that, a void. Far off in the distance shimmering spots of star light flickered and winked to whoever looked. It was a realm forgotten by the outside. A plane of space which had been undistributed if not forgotten by the rest of the universe till recently. The lone system was inhabited by two lone heavenly bodies, a red dwarf and a rocky companion. Caught in an never ending dance the two swayed through out the darkness in silence. The dwarf, though dim, provided everything its friend required. It warmed its soil, moved its seas and gave energy to life. For millions of years this process had gone noticed till now.

Having recently graduated Maya had been eager to set out from her home and see the universe. Despite being so young Maya had more than proved herself academically giving rise to this opportunity. Turning towards the larger research companies she landed this job to conduct research on this previously uncharted world. Despite it being virtually in the middle of no where Maya jumped on the chance to go on what she referred to as an 'adventure'. This was further than she'd ever gone from home and it was a chance she couldn't pass down regardless of the dangers.

Even before approaching the worlds surface the deep pitch coated land stuck out to her. While the oceans were a soft, slit green every bit of land seemed devoid of color. Intrigue fluttered in Maya's heart at the sight of this curiosity as she pushed the engines to give just a bit more thrust. Upon landing the ship the reason for this strange lack of color became rapidly apparent. On a planet with such little sun light the plants had adapted to having dark colored leaves. Nearly as black as the surrounding space they seemed to shimmer in the deep red light that the dwarf star emitted. Though seeming insignificant to most Maya read that similar plants did this to absorb as much light as possible in environments devoid of it.

After examining the landing zone for a few minutes Maya sighed softly to herself. While she would like for nothing more than to dive into her work she was forbidden from doing so as of the moment. Before she had accepted this job she signed a contract stating that protective services were to ensure her safety. Normally she might have saw this as a kind gesture but in reality it was most likely due to insurance reasons. So until this mysterious protector appeared she was stuck within the confines of her ship. Sighing once more Maya headed to the cargo bay of her vessel; it was never a bad idea to check her gear again.

[Ysmir]

---

A nebulous covering had graced the screen of The Long View whenever it made its way through the atmosphere of this lone planet, one that listed lazily through the expanse of space in the outer portion of the Unknown Regions. Professionally, Jack seldom travelled out from the Core this far; it was often far more dangerous than the pay was worth. Recently, however, his usual grievances were set aside because of a pique in his curiosity. Ever since the ordeal on Nar Shaddaa some weeks ago, everything seemed... lesser in comparison. He had nearly witnessed the death of a world, and survived to boot. He had help, of course, but still. That sort of thing could serve as one Hell of a confidence boost.

So, when the offer came through, meager though the pay was, he decided, Why not? Besides, the company who hired him out seemed legitimate. This was a far cry from his normal clientele. His parents might even be proud.

As he initiated the approach to the planet's surface, T7-E4 rolled up by his side.

"Dee-reet deet dee?"

"That's right, buddy. Unknown Regions," Jack said with a smile as he turned from the viewport to the astromech, "exciting, huh?"

"Dwoooooo," replied the droid as he turned and rolled away from the cockpit, down the corridor to the security room.

"You know the rules, Tee-Seven, no talk like that on this ship. We're gonna be fine, so quit your whining and check the landing gear. We'll be touching down soon enough." Jack checked the coordinates; this was the place. Off in the distance, the red dwarf star that served as the central celestial body of this system washed the ship's viewport in a crimson spectral glow, backlighting the world that the View approached. As they broke through the upper atmosphere and began the descent down to the world's surface, Jack wondered to himself why anyone would want anything to do with a planet so miniscule and, from his point of view, worthless. He had the most rudimentary of scientific experience -- some studies and a few holonet articles here or there -- and perhaps it was simply his ignorance on the subject showing through. Whatever the case may be, he elected not to pay too much mind to the reasoning; his job wasn't to ask questions, but to provide security. Nothing more, nothing less. As long as the pay was good, he'd stick true to his word.

He brought the ship down to the designated landing site, where he could spy through the viewport another vessel; small, but well-built enough from what he could see. Surely, it had to be his contact. So, he touched down next to the ship. The landing gears provided a soft and springy cushion as the impressive freighter hissed to a slow halt, pneumatic air pumps spewing out pressurized gas as the engines disengaged and everything began to settle. Taking last stock of everything he may need on this excursion into the mysterious and esoteric, he and T7 departed from The Long View via the loading ramp, which allowed them to step out and onto the planet's surface.

The most notable and unique aspect of the world was its flora; the leaves of nearly all of its plant-life were almost entirely blackened, not a vibrant green, blue, or red like most other inhabitable worlds. The climate was cooler than what he expected, though it only made sense given the planet's relative distance from its warming star. His hands pressed firmly into the pockets of his jacket, he and T7 made their way over to the opposite vessel where it appeared his contact resided. He peeked his head into the loading ramp.

He knocked on the side wall, not yet entering the vessel. "Anyone home?"

In almost comical fashion, T7's cylindrical body poked out from behind Jack. "Bee-reet deet?"

[Maya Nornel]

Head first into one of the various satchels which stored Maya's supplies she'd hardly taken notice of the approaching figure. At the suddenness of an unknown voice she jumped backwards from her bent over position. Collapsing in a heap upon the floor with a dull thud she  swore under her breath. The impact upon the hardened metal floor sent a flaring pain through her bottom momentarily distracting her. As the sense of shock wore off she craned her neck towards the hanger door where the voice had come from. Standing just out side the cusp of the ships door stood a looming figure of a human male. Assuming that this was her assigned guard Maya shot him a soft smile. Realizing he must have seen her fall flat on her ass Maya grey cheeks reddened before she hurriedly got back on her feet.

"Er-" Coughing once she cleared her throat.

"-hello. You must be the security I was told of?" She said both as a statement and question. It was highly unlikely, though not impossible, that anyone else would be on this planet. Until a few days ago it hadn't even been known of. The chances that another person would stumble upon this location was astronomically low.

Gently swatting her rear to clear it of any dust she approached the figure with a slightly pained gait. Growing closer Maya suddenly noticed a  little droid as it peeked from behind the mans legs. Though a little rough around the edges it was a fine piece of machinery. At the sight a high pitch squeal rang from Maya. Racing the last few feet she skidded to a stop on her knees before it.

"That's awesome! I always wanted one of these little guys!" She squeaked in childish delight at the machine. It wasn't as though growing up her family couldn't afford a droid, they just never had a need for such a device.

"Oh, right." As quickly as the glee sprung on her face it faded. Despite the fact that she wanted to take a closer look at the droid they weren't here for leisure. Not only that but she had basically ignored the man after seeing the droid.

"Sorry about that. I'm a bit of gear head." For a second her eyes lingering on the bot longingly before turning her attention back to figure.

"My names Maya." She held a open hand out towards him.

"Or you can call me Vasi. Either one is fine... just don't call me kid." At that last bit her eyes narrowed slightly. Given her size people often mistook Maya for a child despite the fact she was an adult.

[Ysmir]

Shock wasn't quite the word for it to describe what Jack felt when the diminuitive Togruta made her presence known.

Jack wasn't a tall man; above-average, at best. Even still, he stood head and shoulders (literally) above the girl. This was especially true whenever she fell flat on her backside, clearly startled by his seemingly instant and impossibly stealthy appearance at the foot of her craft's loading ramp. Accompanying her smaller-than-usual stature was a ghostly paleness that graced her skin in a way Jack was unfamiliar with, rare amongst Togruta who normally possessed bright and eye-catching tones. She was an oddity, but then, this was a wide Galaxy. He came to expect anything these days.

"That's me," Jack said with an affirmative nod. He stepped to the side as the girl descended the loading ramp, and he could see even clearer now how he loomed nearly half a meter over her form. As he stepped, it brought T7 into the light. At her sudden and joyous sound of excitement, T7 mirrored it with his own series of high-pitched whirs and screeches as the astromech was caught off guard by the burst of acceleration she displayed. However, as she skidded to a stop nearby, T7 showed no signs of backing off. If anything, the astromech was happy to be ogled and appreciated; he happily swayed back and forth on his rotors.

"Be-reet deet dee beet!", T7 chirped happily. With her knowledge of Binary (droidspeak), she could clearly tell that the little droid was elated to see that someone appreciated his technological advancements. In fact, it seemed he was about to launch into an explanation of just what made him unique amongst most astromechs, but her and Jack's continuing conversation cut that short.

"No harm, no foul. I'm somethin' of a techy myself," Jack said, with a non-commital shrug. Understatement of the Galactic Standard Century.

Extending a hand, the adventurer took the palm of the other adventurer; sub-consciously, Jack lightened up ever so slightly on his grip. He couldn't help but feel she was fragile, despite seeing nothing to prove his theory. "Call me Jack. Just Jack. Nice to meet you," he said with a nod, his words carrying a genuine enough weight.

Holding his hand up toward his chest in mock defense, Jack noted the... well, sensitivity over the common nickname for someone younger than yourself. Perhaps Maya had been hearing such a term all her life; Jack felt quite the same himself over the many labels that others attached to him with little to no justification. "Scoundrel", "lowlife", "grease monkey". That last one truly managed to grind his gears to a screeching halt when used derogatorily. And really, was there any other way to use it? So, out of respect for her wishes, he nodded. Simple enough request.

Then, replacing his hand into his pocket, Jack turned and looked out over the empty mesa they stood within. The clearing gave way to a thick canopy of black-leafed trees that stretched about ten meters off the ground, high enough to provide a glossy covering of shade from the darkened sky. It was a powerful, yet inexplicably calming atmosphere. Certainly better than the pulsating purple he had become accustom to on Nar Shaddaa back then.

"So," Jack began, not yet turning toward her. His eyes narrowed on the treeline as he sniffed, before rotating his head to face her. "Research, huh? What kind? And what can I expect? Any idea?"

[Maya Nornel]

A soft smile trailed her lips at Jack's response towards her being called 'kid'. There was something about Jack that Maya immediately liked. He held a certain... rough charm, like the roguish outlaw type she'd read about in her fantasy books. A bit playful, kind, curious and to top it all off he was a techie just like herself. Not only that he appeared to love questions something which Maya loved to answer. With a wealth of knowledge in her head it was ready to pour out at a moment’s notice.

Taking Jack's hand in her own she gave the man a firm grasp or at least as much as she could muster. Compared to Jack she might as well have been a mouse and he a lion; her hands being nearly half the size of his own.

"Pleasure to meet you Jack." Her face lit up before recalling her hand.

Puckering her lips in a thoughtful expression Maya gazed off into the distance. The soft rustle of pitch soaked leaves filled the air with a gentle breeze from the north. Shivers trickled down Maya's spine as turned towards the cockpit. After arrival on the planet she'd set the ships computers to analyze the planet. Taking records of the planet’s composition, atmospheric readings, average global temperatures and the like.

"To be honest. I'm not sure. I do have many ideas however." She gave a halfhearted shrug.

Grabbing a tablet from the depths of a nearby bag she flipped the small device on as it emitted a soft blue glow. Turning so that her back was facing Jack he would be able to glance over her shoulder at the screen.

"Well the air isn't poisonous, not initially anyway...." She glanced over her shoulder giving Jack a soft yet concerned smile.

"...but I guess you knew that, right?" She assumed Jack had checked the air before stepping off his ship but then again, she wasn't exactly sure who she was dealing with.

"Anyway... from the high levels of oxygen on the planet one would expect rather large species to inhabit the planet. Insects the size of cars. Reptiles that can swallow a person whole. You know, all the fun things." She sighed swiping the screen to another page.

"Hmm... might want to scratch the reptile part." She pointed at the temperature readings.

"With temperatures like these I wouldn't expect reptiles... though that's not to say it's impossible, just improbable." Glancing over a few more slides she shut the device off placing it back in the bag.

"Alright. Well I doubt there's any civilized life here. The dwarf star puts off to much radiation for the development of higher functioning brains." Placing a finger against her lips Maya paced from one side of the side to the other. As she went, she started collected various bits of equipment all the while muttering to herself.

"Terrestrial planet. Temperatures average ten Celsius around the equator. Dwarf star. Dark flora. High oxygen. Possible large fauna. High radiation spikes." Coming to stand still by the hanger door once again her arms were filled with a variety of resources.

"Here." She handed Jack some type of mask.

"Oxygen levels this high can easily induce oxygen toxicity. Not a death you want to experience." Not even pausing Maya shoved a plastic bottle into Jacks hands.

"Anti-radiation pills. Despite their size dwarf stars can be highly dangerous. They often release massive amounts of rads in short bursts. Normally this would kill anything nearby but the life here must have adapted. However, it would still be rather deadly for us. The pills won't save us from a direct hit from one of these bursts but it will give us protection from low levels we are currently experiencing. Oh... you should probably take those now...." Her words trailed off as she tore into a bottle.

"Anyway... uhhh... where was I...." She paused after swallowing one of the little pills.

"Oh right. As for the life here. I believe most spend their time under ground, at least during the day to limit their exposure to radiation. So theoretically speaking we should be relatively safe during the day. At least from the fauna.... there could be carnivorous flora however...." Tapping her chin, she thought on the idea for a few moments.

"As for what I am here to research well-" A concern expression plastered upon her face before rapidly fading.

"-er, I mean, just taking samples of the flora, fauna and trying to get a grasp on the planets history. Gathering plant samples should be easy enough. I'll most definitely need your help with wrangling up some creatures, however. Not really built for that sort of thing." She quickly changed the conversion away from her own concerns.

Placing the oxygen filter over her mouth Maya clasped it into place with a series of clicks. Once it was firmly fixed to her face, she slung the nearby pack over her shoulder giving Jack a small nod that she was ready to go.

"If there's anything else you need feel free to get it. I expect we won't be back here for a bit." Maya noted stepping down the ramp from the ship. Going past T7-E4 she paused to give the little bot a pat on the head.

"So cute." She whispered in a childlike wonder.

[Ysmir]

Jack had stepped up behind Maya to glance over her shoulder at the datapad once she produced it from her bag. He wasn't particularly well-versed with the mumbo jumbo of research and data, but he knew enough to make sense of the scroll on the glowing screen that she presented to him. The girl had certainly done her homework; he could admire that level of preparation. He nodded his head along to her words as she spoke, his brows quirking up a bit as she questioned him -- had he checked the air quality? He thought for a moment.

"'Course I did," he replied with a roll of his eyes before returning to look at the screen.

He hadn't. He had just, luckily, assumed. Not his brightest moment.

The rest of what she described to him seemed to make some modicum of sense, at least to him. It was certainly chilly planet-wide, something his ship's atmospheric sensors had alerted him to as they made their descent. It was for that reason he clung to his leather jacket like his life depended on it, occasionally dipping his mouth and nose beneath the raised collar for added protection from the occasional breeze that wafted through the clearing they stood in. At Maya's further explanations, Jack's eyebrows rose. Insects the size of cars? Then, his eyebrows furrowed inward as his eyes widened in sheer shock. Reptiles, swallowing you whole? Were it not for the many things he had seen on his travels, he might think this Togruta was pulling his tail. But she definitely seemed to have her head on straight, so he'd simply need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. That was his usual policy, after all.

"Dwooooooo," lamented T7 at her warnings. Jack patted his head to silence the astromech.

Jack swept his eyes upward and followed behind Maya once she placed away the datapad, taking a few steps after her and standing within the doorway as his head turned left and right, watching the girl dart to and fro like a womprat on stims. It seemed, like himself, her body had to constantly try and keep pace with the speed her mind chugged along at. His train of thought was derailed by the sudden thrusting of an object into his arms, which he had to hastily remove his hands from his pockets to catch. He looked down at it -- a mask of some kind.

"Wait, what --"

He was cut off by Maya's rapid and clear explanation of the device's use. Shrugging, he went to put it on, but wasn't quick enough to avoid Maya shoving another object into his palm. Jack shook the plastic bottle and squinted as he observed the contents that lay within. He raised a brow, looking past it to to Maya; he shrugged and popped open the cap, shaking free one of the tiny pills into his hand. Jack threw it back and swallowed, recapping the bottle and placing it away into his interior jacket pocket before affixing the mask to his face. Normally, Jack highly disliked wearing anything that covered his head, mostly due to personal preference. However, although he wasn't fully aware of the symptoms, oxygen toxicity did not sound pleasant, so he would heed Maya's words carefully. That in of itself was an indication of the respect he had for her intelligence.

Jack crossed his arms afterward, standing with a slight lean onto his dominant right leg as he looked down to Maya while she finished her rant. A rant he asked for, no less, so he couldn't even complain in the slightest.

"Right," he began, holding out a fist and raising fingers as he spoke on each point. "Try not to stay out after dark, take those pills when needed, keep a gun at the ready, hide when the sun gets angry, help when you ask." He stopped, thought for a moment, then nodded, letting both arms fall by his side with a shrug. "Pretty much answers everything. Thanks. Anyways, be back in a jiff. Just gonna make sure we're all locked n' loaded."

Turning on his heel, Jack strolled back across the small clearing toward his ship, while T7 stayed behind and chirped happily at Maya's small display of affection. On board, he flicked back the flaps of his jacket; by the sides of his torso his dual blasters sat within the cross holsters, fully loaded and ready to be unloaded as the situation demanded. Lining his utility belt that was similarly disguised by his large coat were an array of grenades, mines, a trusty plasma torch, and his communicator. Reaching within his equipment locker, Jack removed his trusty Workhorse rifle and slung its strap over his shoulders, just in case. Flicking his coat back on fully, he exited the loading ramp and met Maya in the center of the clearing once more.

With both hands firmly in his pockets, Jack removed one and gestured out to a thickly grown forested path that led deeper into the desolate planet. T7 rolled up next to them. "Shall we, doc?"

[Maya Nornel]

Despite Maya's own lengthy, long winded rant Jack appeared to be able to keep up with her rapid fire thoughts. The success of their mission did place quite the burden on their shoulders to be prepared as possible. It wasn't as though she was trying overwhelm Jack on purpose, not that it appeared she had. Even if they were both being paid to be out here in the middle of no where everything past this point was on them. If they'd forgotten something or over looked a key piece of information if could very well put their lives on the line. With just how remote this planet was if something did go awry it could take days, week or god forbid months before they could be safely extracted. Maya couldn't bear the thought that either one of them could end up severely wounded or worse because of a mishap on her behalf.

"That about sums it up." Maya noted at Jack's summary of the situation. While it was clear she wasn't impressed by his condensed version of the details he did get the gist of it. For a moment she struggled on whether to explain that the star had no emotional states but then thought better of it. Clearly he'd just used the term in a playful fashion; just a part of his personality she assumed. It was welcoming to know that even in a dangerous situation he could remain cheerful and relaxed. Such a trait was something that Maya lacked. On her surface she kept up her composer as best as possible despite both the excitement and fear that trembled through her soul. Unlike Jack, who Maya assumed was a well seasoned traveler, this was Maya's first excursion. Scooped up from her home and plopped down on a little rock light years from home. To top it all off there was also the success of this mission that weighed heavily on her shoulders. If all were to fall apart and they had to abandon the task at hand she would most likely be finished in the scientific community.

"Oh, alright. I'll just lock up the ship...." Her words trailed off watching Jack as he walked back to his vessel.

Turning her gaze Maya placed another affection hand on the droids head.

"Can you keep a secret little guy?" Maya crouched down so that she was level with T7.

"I'm rather scared." She whispered so that only T7 could hear her.

"Never been this far away from home." Sighing she brushed a few traces of dust that clung to T7's outer shell. Units like T7, droids, tended to be quite personable she knew, almost to the point as if they were their own person. Through out her life Maya had always found it easier to communicate with machines. They didn't tend to judge people at least not in the same way that other organics would.

"Don't tell Jack though. I already look like a kid to most people and so far he hasn't treated me like one. If he finds out he might have second thoughts about me." Sighing Maya came to stand erect once more spotting Jack returning to them.

Ushering T7 down the ramp Maya pressed a small button on her wrist causing the steel ramp to retract into the ship with a sharp hiss of air. After a few moments the once open bay area vanished from sight leaving a solid chuck of metal in its place.

"After you." Maya mirrored Jacks gesture towards the over grown thicket with a warm smile. Given her appearance so few ever referred to Maya's official tittle. It was a welcomed treat to find someone who did.

[Ysmir]

When Maya placed her hand upon his head, T7 buzzed inquisitively and looked up at her with a curious little glint in his viewfinder. Upon her question, T7 beeped and chirped in an affirmative manner. His head rotated upon his torso as she confided within the astromech, and he seemed to regard her with warm reception; although, truthfully, it was difficult to tell with how stoic the little droid managed to be. However, once the two descended the loading ramp and met back up with Jack in the middle of the clearing, the droid gave no signs of betraying her confidence to Jack in any way. A sure sign he took what she said to heart.

When Maya gave him the lead, Jack obliged without hesitation. With tentatively soft steps, Jack began their expedition into the far-reaches of this alien world. Of course, any world to the native-born Coruscant Human was an alien one, but this place was of particular note.

Jack drew in slow, measured breaths through the ventilator in the mask that was thoughtfully provided by Maya. The warnings and lecture provided by the good Doctor as a prelude to their mission almost managed to instill a bit of doubt into the intrepid spacer. As they delved further into the blackened thicket of the jungle, he wondered if this was above his paygrade. He was certainly good with a blaster, and had strong instincts that served him well -- but this was different. Jack would bet any credits on knowing when a mark was going to act out of turn. A creature that operated on basal instincts was a different challenge entirely.

T7 rolled alongside the two explorers, jostling from side to side as leaves and fallen twigs rustled and crunched beneath his servos. His head spun around on its axis as his viewfinder scanned the surrounding flora, adding to his already impressive database; most of the native species to this planet were entirely undocumented, and those that were had very little to read about on the HoloNet.

"So," Jack spoke out rather suddenly as his foot crushed down on a small stick. "When'd you decide to become a scientist?" It was an attempt, it seemed, to break the ice. Either that, or Jack genuinely had developed an interest in the diminuitive Togruta and wondered how someone as new to the world of research as her landed a gig this... well, unfounded. It was hard to tell, though it certainly could have been a bit of both.

"And how in space did this place even get found?"