Smuggler Archive
Thread: Fan Fiction: Smuggler's Blues pt I
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JimmyRay
Mon May 31, 2004 6:00 pm
#1
grrr. hit the key too soon. 
Anyway hope this is the right spot for this. Bria's forum seems to be a bit "harsh" lately to say the least. That & I assumed you guys would appreciate this more. If you like it it let me know & I'll try to post more every now & then. If ya don't like it. Be gentle. 
Enjoy. 
Enjoy. SMUGGLER'S BLUES pt 1
The shuttle’s ramp hit the ground with a dull metallic thud that reverberated briefly through the whole ship. As he walked down the ramp the cool night air greeted and caressed him like an old lover. A lover who’s perfumes & smells soaked into him and elicited a flood of memories. Some were good, others he wished he could forget. Some were vibrant & alive, others fading & dying. But all of these memories spoke many words with one meaning. Dearic. Talus. Welcome home lover.
For, what days or was it weeks now, he had been away and traveling all over the galaxy it seems. Dant with its purple and pink hills full of relics & antiquities. Tat with its heat and endless, endless sand. Dathomir with its almost constant night. Sometimes it seems even the plants their want to kill you. And of course, Corellia. If you grow up or live on Talus how can you forget Cor? As he stretches his back & rubs his neck, his eyes look into the dark Talus sky. In a few more Talusian days the moon will cross into Cor’s night side. That’s when she is prettiest he thought. That’s when you can look up & see the light from cities like Coronet & Tyrena, and small flares from shuttle launches here & there, and you can almost forget how crowded, ugly, and vile the places are on the ground. At least the ones he frequents.
The crew of the shuttle filed down the ramp and past him on the tarmac. Last shuttle of the night he remembered. The ground crew was already starting to climb over the ship with their small army of droids. Doing the post flight checks and shutting her down for the night. Just to get back out there tomorrow. He begins to follow the crowd out of the starport. Most have speeders waiting, some at the garage some have friends picking them up. He starts to head to the parking garage himself when something stops him. He hesitates briefly and instead of turning right to the garage, he turns left towards the cantina. It’s a long drive out the New Aldera at night, he’s tired, and the Binayres would love find him out there alone. The Teras Kasi Master in town is an old friend, and always keeps a spare cot ready for current and former students. The fact that it’s in the back of a cantina is a bonus.
As he walks through the door it’s silent and empty. Only the bartender is around it seems. Not surprising. This time of night even the die hard regulars are home in bed. He orders a Ruby Bliel and heads to his usual table. He laughs quietly at the thought. “usual” He hasn’t been a usual here in weeks perhaps months. Business is too good. Still it’s the best spot in the place.He glances down at the small bio sensor he carries. Good no one nearby. With a view of one door, close enough to the other to hear some one enter, or make a hasty exit himself if need be, and with his back to the wall he starts to relax.
Dearic is home & should be fairly safe, but it pays to be cautious. Imperial patrols are rare here, but with an Imperial garrison on planet they do happen, and he has enough contraband on him to make even a veteran smuggler like himself a little nervous. How many narrow escapes has he made now? How many close calls? How many Stormtroopers, CoreSec agents, FedDub patrolmen have died so he could save his own miserable skin one more time? And for what? Just to make one more haul? One more run? He hears his wife’s voice echo in his mind, “Why do you do it Jimmy? Why? You told me you were a crafter once. Weapons wasn’t it? And I know you are good with droids. Why not go back to that? Why do you do choose to live like this?”
As he walks through the door it’s silent and empty. Only the bartender is around it seems. Not surprising. This time of night even the die hard regulars are home in bed. He orders a Ruby Bliel and heads to his usual table. He laughs quietly at the thought. “usual” He hasn’t been a usual here in weeks perhaps months. Business is too good. Still it’s the best spot in the place.He glances down at the small bio sensor he carries. Good no one nearby. With a view of one door, close enough to the other to hear some one enter, or make a hasty exit himself if need be, and with his back to the wall he starts to relax.
Dearic is home & should be fairly safe, but it pays to be cautious. Imperial patrols are rare here, but with an Imperial garrison on planet they do happen, and he has enough contraband on him to make even a veteran smuggler like himself a little nervous. How many narrow escapes has he made now? How many close calls? How many Stormtroopers, CoreSec agents, FedDub patrolmen have died so he could save his own miserable skin one more time? And for what? Just to make one more haul? One more run? He hears his wife’s voice echo in his mind, “Why do you do it Jimmy? Why? You told me you were a crafter once. Weapons wasn’t it? And I know you are good with droids. Why not go back to that? Why do you do choose to live like this?”
He sits silently for a moment, lost his thoughts. He stands up, says in a low voice to himself, “It’s only a game, darlin. It’s all just one big game.” A quiet laugh passes his lips, and with a grin he downs the last of his Ruby. He walks slowly past the bar to the back room where his old sensei has a
cot waiting for him.
Message Edited by JimmyRay on 05-31-2004 06:11 PM
KatalynnDakini
Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:58 am
#4
Reminds me of some of the key reasons I like to play. =) VERY nice Bubba.
JimmyRay
Tue Jun 01, 2004 12:29 pm
#5
shameless sel-promoting good night bump
cmon guys a lil feed back. PLEEEEEEASE?
JimmyRay
Tue Jun 01, 2004 1:11 pm
#6
Thanks for theinput guys. Truthfully this should have been titled Introduction rather than part 1. 
I've seen a few of these popping up here & there on the forums & thought I'd try my hand at it. Truth be told, I wasn't sure how much it would take to require 2 posts so I kept it short. I won't do that next time. 
Hopefully I'll have something decent after FanFest. Thanks again. Stay tuned.
I've seen a few of these popping up here & there on the forums & thought I'd try my hand at it. Truth be told, I wasn't sure how much it would take to require 2 posts so I kept it short. I won't do that next time. Hopefully I'll have something decent after FanFest. Thanks again. Stay tuned.
Interl0per
Tue Jun 01, 2004 8:45 pm
#7
I thought it was a nice short story on it's own, the "It's a game" made a great double meaning ending. I can picture myself kicking back in my recliner aftera long sessionwith my plastic Han Solo(tm) Blasterand a smug grin and throwing the same line to my wife .
.
WayneInAustin
Wed Jun 02, 2004 12:01 am
#8
Here are the thoughts kicking around in my head: I enjoyed it... Wouldn't mind reading some more.... Kind of weird on a forum though... If I'm in the mood to read, I want to read more than that much, and I could miss the follow up pieces... Would like to know if it's going somewhere other than just being some good descriptive writing.... You could make it interactive: End each segmentwith "What happens next?" kind of question with options, such as:
What happens next?
1. Imperial squad strong-arms the cantina patrons?
2. An old adversary enters the bar?
3. He is approached with a smuggling offer from a well-know "businessman"?
Maybe keep the local interest up??
Orcajum
Wed Jun 02, 2004 12:17 am
#9
WayneInAustin wrote:What happens next?
1. Imperial squad strong-arms the cantina patrons?
2. An old adversary enters the bar?
3. He is approached with a smuggling offer from a well-know "businessman"?
4. A rodian walks into the bar. Bartender asks "why the long face?"
5. A guy named Llluuke SCHIwaalker walks in and asks you to slice his "uber-kryat DOT-modded T21-featherweight-Rebuplic vibro-lightsaber for infinity damage"
6. He starts watching a street fight and a Sabaac game breaks out.
Heh heh....so many great possiblities. Though if we can avoid my slicing example it would be much appreciated.
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