[snow crunches under footsteps]
Miika: "Ugh, Mando. I'm tired of walking. Tired of seeing the same trees and snow and rocks over and over.
Mando: "Mhmm you're fine to stop and rest yourself."
Miika: "Ack... and let you go on and be left here for a ice-growl to eat me or be picked up by marauders or something worse."
Mando: "Fine, we'll stop soon. We're on the edge of the "Old Tundra" just up ahead. We'll have to stop and make shelter for the rest of the day so we can start out on the tundra at first light.
Miika: "Shelter for the day? Start out at first light?! Just signal GR3 to bring the Razor Crest out here! We can fly to wherever they went."
Mando: "I locked the start sequence for the Crest so that droid can't get into it's systems even if we asked it to. You know I don't like droids... especially THAT droid."
Miika: "Hey I've known Grease for years he's harmless!"
Mando: "Shhh.. -wait... something's coming."
Miika: "What do you mean something...?"
Mando: "Heat and sound signatures."
Miika: "An imp patrol this far out?"
...zzzzmmzmmmmmshwoooo kssssss.....
Miika: "Oh... boy."
Mando: "..."
Miika: "H-hello folks..."
Mando: "..."
Brysta : "Heard you two were following old Vokal. After what happened at Gilda's tavern. I wanted to offer thanks to you."
Miika: "Oh! You're one of the swoopers from the bar!"
Mando: "What do you mean?"
Brysta: "Vokal had no business setting off those Zek thugs on ya. Got my friend hurt and others killed. When we heard you were searching for him we figured showing you where he went off to would be the best way to repay the debt of dealing with them."
Mando: "Can you tell me where he went? He seems to be on a repulsor lift of some kind."
Brysta: "Aye, he meets up with an old war buddy of his out on the Tundra. Usually they stay at his friend's old shack but in the last few months that old buddy moved to some ruins out in a valley at the far end of the tundra.
Mando: "An old war buddy, do you know his name?"
Brysta: "Ziracks or Xirash or something like."
Miika: "Xirax?"
Brysta: "Aye thats it. We can get you close but it's a ways out."
Brysta: "You can ride behind Selonia. Mando you can ride on old Treggart's rig."
Mando: "Well?"
Miika: "It's better then wasting the daylight and starting at first light like you wanted to."
Mando: "...sighs.... yea."
Selonia: "Slide on down into the seat behind me."
Miika: "Ok! I'm just not used to these things."
Treggart: "Over here Mando. I don't got enough room on my seat feel free to set up on the container compartment."
Mando: "....."
[I've had worse situations I guess.]
Brysta: "This is the entrance to the ruins we told you about.."
Miika: "A tomb..."
Mando "..."
Mando: "The trail faded out kilometers back. Are you sure?"
Brysta: "Pretty positive."
Mando: "What is this place?"
Brysta: "Some old ruins from who knows when. We spotted Xarix traveling here more often. It's possible where Vokal came to."
IronWolf: "This is the tomb of the Greyvax, the Cursed Howling Wind. As the myths say."
Mando: "Curses? What do you mean?"
IronWolf: "The cursed-wind was sealed away here, contained in the tomb of an ancient Chieftan as the myth say. But this is a far as we'll go. If you wish to proceed do so with caution off-worlder.
Mando: "C'mon Miika."
Miika: "Lets hope there's no curse anymore."
Brysta: "Be mindful of traps or collapsed corridors!"
Ironwolf: "....."
Brysta: "Are you sure this was the right thing to do? I know it means we get the credits we needed. But those two did help us with the Zeksworn, I kind of feel we owed them."
Ironwolf: "They are off-worlders Brysta. They are the Empire and scum that come to Halasia to dull our blades. Only when they are gone can we turn our wrath to Zek's soldiers, we owe them nothing. Now we must go before night falls."
Brysta: "I hope you're right.
Miika: "Hmm seems like half the temple entrance is collapsed."
Mando: "..."
Miika: "I can just wait out here... for you Mando... yea."
Mando: "..."
Mando: "You may want to come along anyway. It's getting dark soon and the wildlife comes out to feed."
Miika "...errm.."
Mando: "Hmm?"
Miika: "Oh yea.. Mando.. this getting to be more then I bargained for."
Mando: "We were shot at... and this is too much?"
Miika: "I'm not really the kind of hunter that dives down into ancient crypts and such for just a chance of a reward ya know?"
Mando: "I know, you prefer liberating treasure from extremely rich merchants and politicians who won't notice their pricey trinkets gone until much later."
Miika: "Peh.. feh... w-well those stories are unfounded accusations!."
Mando: "I'm heading in."
Miika: "..."
Miika: "That webbing could be from a giant snow spider or creature that--"
Mando: "Mmmhm."
Mando: "That we'll deal with."
Miika: "...sighs..."
Miika: "....eww....I hate this..."
Mando: "Yup."
[sounds of footsteps on stone fill the still ruins]
Miika: "This isnt so bad i guess. At least we're inside before nightfall."
Mando: ...
Mando: "There's another set of hallways up ahead. Light heat signatures to, someones definately here."
Miika: "Are you seeing any traps?"
Mando: "No but there are recent footsteps disturbing the snow on the path. Looks like out target has been here recently."
Miika: "A friend of mine would love this place, she's the archaeologist type with a niche for ancient droids. I'll let her know about this place when once we're done for a small price of course."
Mando: "Charging for information to friends?"
Miika: "Well, she's not really a friend. Shes more of an.. acquaintance."
Mando: "Uh-huh."
Miika: "Hey I have expenses! Keeping the best technology for... research isn't cheap."
Mando: "I bet."
Miika: " Besides I need to recoup some of the credits I've lost since setting up on Brumii."
Mando: "Speaking of which how long were you waiting for me there?"
Miika: "Not long, but to be honest I wasn't expecting you."
Mando: "Oh?"
Miika: "Nope, I had heard the Moff had recently become interested in this Xirax fellow and I remember from a cross reference from my research that his name was on the roster of Grand Army soldiers near the area on Phosmai I was interested in.
Mando: "Oh, so you were just waiting on any hunter to leave out the forest entrance after seeing he Moff?
Miika: "Don't feel bad Mando. I'm glad it was you. I like working with ya."
Mando: "That's dangerous Miika, some hunters aren't happy their movements are known to others."
Miika: "Well I'll remember that next time I need one."
Mando: "Did you see any oth---."
*CLINK*
*rattle*
Miika: "Did you hear that?"
Mando: "How couldn't I?..."
Miika: "Was that in front of us? Maybe we should turn back."
Mando: "Hmm no I think it was behind us."
Miika: "Oh great we're going to get caught and die to some curse or trap in here!"
Mando: "I think it'll be alright Miika. I actually think it was a chunk of the wall falling."
Miika: "This is why I should have stayed outside and took my chances with those owlfaced bear things."
Mando: "Now you're kidding yourself. But you're right to a point I don't think it was a coincidence I think--"
Rebel trooper: "It's called a distraction."
Miika: "No I don't think that was it Mando.."
Mando: "Dank Ferric..."
Rebel Trooper: "Freeze, don't move a muscle or both of you are burned."
Mando: "I was going to say man-made... but same premise."
Miika: "Oh my..."
Miika: "Hey its the Alliance! No worries Mando."
Mando: "..."
[sets of boots crunch snow as more troopers emerge]
Rebel Trooper: "What are you two doing here?!"
Miika: "W-we don't mean any harm. We were searching for someone."
Mando: "Yes,.. an old friend of Xarix sent us to search for him. He's a friend of ours, and Vokals."
Miika: "....."
Rebel trooper: "No one here by those names. Now how about you put your hands up and unload those weapons. Nice and slowly."
Miika: "Yes sir."
Mando: "...sighs... sure."
Mando: "Any chance we can make some kind of deal?"
Miika: "They just said they're not here Mando."
Mando: "..."
[footsteps on stone come to an abrupt stop]
Rebel officer: "So you're the two the swoop bikers dropped off?"
Mando: "Maybe, depends on what kind terms you're on with them."
Rebel officer: "Not good ones I assure you. We have to keep this place rigged to keep snoopers like them away."
Miika: "Oh I bet you guys set the traps that scare people away? Smart!"
Mando: "..."
Rebel officer: "..."
Rebel trooper: "..."
Rebel officer: "Yes, well we're still trying to free Halasia from the Empire's grip. Now put those hands up and come. Sergeant take the Mando's rifle."
Rebel trooper: "Yes sir."
Rebel officer: "This way you two. I suppose you two are the pair Vokal talked about showing up at the bar."
Mando: "Probably."
Miika: "Wait they just said they weren't here...oh."
Mando: "So Vokal is here, is Xarix with him?"
Rebel officer: "Oh that's not for me to say. We need to learn the footprints out front before they're discovered by some of the Imperial LRRP units."
Rebel officer: "So you two shot it out with a trio of Zeksworn? Impressive."
Mando: "I've faced worse."
Miika: "Well I haven't and it was frightening!"
Miika: "Umm can I ask where you are you taking us?"
Rebel officer: "Depends on what kind of folks you turn out to be."
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[with footsteps the snow heard in the distance]
Mindigo: "This would have taken us over a week to track down, how did you know to buy them?"
Dengar: "Told ya, swoopers don't cost much to do what you ask them. Flash a few bounties worth of credits to them for some information and they'd sell their own moth-.. hey what are you looking at?"
Mindigo: "Just making sure the swoop gang is far enough out of range get long gone from here."
Dengar: "They won't be back, at least not until this place it ransacked and they may come back to scavenge anything.
Mindigo: "Interesting."
Dengar: "Heh used to be a swoop racer. They think about themselves and where their next meal is coming from.
Mindio: "Well either way, we've got the coordinates. We inform the Captain and watch the chaos unfold."
Dengar: "That's the best part... taking a reward while others do all the work... heh."
Mindigo: "Let's hope so if what you said is correct they have a man on the inside."
Dengar: "That's what they say, but we best get going. The Icewyrms love to pull someone under the snow drifts and have them munched up before someone knows what's happening."
Mindigo: "Agreed."
Dengar: "How far away are the Swoopers?"
Mindigo: "Looks like their gone finally,
Dengar: "Back to the tavern?"
Mindigo: "Naw, I had a better idea. We'll discuss it on the way back to camp."
To be continued...
