Destination: Tropical

[runningscams]

“I’ve been thinking a little about this place lately.”

Roaming around with no place in mind isn’t all that unfamiliar to him these days. If he’s behind honest, the first few months of being the Captain of his own ship had been fun. He appreciated being able to go wherever he wanted, see whatever it was that he wanted to see, play in any sabacc game he heard about, drink the booze of many worlds and meet some new people. In some ways, it was everything he ever wanted and exactly what he’d hoped for.

Something was missing, though. A feeling that gnawed at him regularly without knowing exactly what it was.

”I’m heading to a warm, tropical climate and I think I’m gonna be on the planet for a couple of days. I’m wondering what what everybody in the nexus would pack, if they were going somewhere sunny.”

Comments

[attackpatternbattista]

Han Solo of any stripe is probably used to green skinned gals. Such as our dear Delia Battista, who answers without hesitation, "Risa." Beat. "If I'm going for a tropical vacation, Risa's the first place that comes to mind. I don't know if it exists in your reality, but it's a tropical resort planet, beaches everywhere and friendly locals.

As for what to pack: Swimsuits, breathable clothing, the like."

[runningscams]

Hey, a friendly person on any color is enough to get his attention. He listens to the woman wax about the planet she’s familiar with It doesn’t immediately jump to the forefront Han’s mind, but he can’t pretend that he knows every planet in galaxy.

“Have you been there before?” Han asks, happy enough to carry on the conversation. “Or just heard about how nice it is from other people?”

[attackpatternbattista]

"I went there a few years ago, and yeah, it's as utterly nice as the reputation suggests. Honestly, if I wasn't in the business I'm in nowadays, I could see myself living there for life." Delia shrugs a shoulder, "At least until restlessness hit me."

[runningscams]

“So it’s called Risa and it’s earned it’s reputation, huh?” Han nods and a small lopsided smile blooms on his lips. “I’ll have to look for it.”

“In your estimation ...” Han says, trying to figure out the best way to put this without tipping his hand. “What’s the night life like? Would you say it gets rowdy or does the local law enforcement keep everything under control.”

Because, you know, those are things you might want to know about a place before going there, right?

[attackpatternbattista]

Delia grows thoughtful on how to respond to that question, furrowing her eyebrows and crossing her arms as she shifts her weight to one leg, to tap the toe of the other boot against the ground as she thinks, "Hmmmm, how to phrase it. The nightlife is... wild, but I'd say not so much in the barfight kind of way. More everyone's happy to...." She gestures with one hand, "Socialize kinda way. The local law's about as average as any other Federation world, behave yourself, or at least look like it, and they'll generally leave you alone."

Cue a shrug, "I'm sure it's got its seedier areas, but at the time I wasn't really interested in seeking them out. I was there to relax more than anything else."

[solobutnotalone]

"I would say it largely depends on the climate if it is hot and humid or hot and dry. For the former I would recommend linen or other breathable fabrics with air flow. If the latter I would recommend shimmer silks for light weight comfort. Either way the keep things practical in foot ware if you will be walking. And some sort of sun protection, if like me you are more sensitive to it." She actually has had to go through this sort of thing before.

"Many places have open water for swimming, but the rule vary greatly on what is allowed or required there." Might have gotten caught in less than the required attire back home.

[runningscams]

“At first I thought you were talking about bed sheets.” Which might explain the raised eyebrow for a moment or two. “You’re talking about the material of the clothes you’d bring, right.”

Han can’t help but feel his eyes drawn to this lady a little more than usual. She’s ... well, she checks at least a couple of boxes in terms of physical preferences. It makes him that much more inclined to listen to what she has to say and he gets the hint of an occurrence in the words.

“Sounds like there’s a story in there.”

[solobutnotalone]

"That's a preference I wouldn't think to lead with, but also valid I suppose. Yes, generally there are different fabrics that wear differently and I've traveled enough that I've had to learn to be prepared. When I was a child I visited Ithor and having clothing made of obviously nonplant fibers helped to not irritate the locals."

That had been quite a trip, she'd been hardly taller than her father's elbow and the Ithorians towered over her. She should have been terrified but she'd been exhilarated by the trip and the festival. It changed her views on species interaction.

"There is, and we're not well acquainted enough to share it." Nice try though, it did make her smirk a little. Someone had been wearing down her resistance to that sort of thing.

[runningscams]

“I feel like a shimmersilk wardrobe would be pretty expensive.” Han pursed his lips thoughtfully. He knows what he looks like and it’s ‘guy who probably can’t afford shimmersilk clothing’ roughly 100% of the time, so he’s wondering why she would have suggested it.

Though, that’s not the most interesting wrinkle in this conversation by a long shot.

“Well, I’m Han. I’m from Corellia, not far from the shipyards. I like things that go fast and I make good friends with classy looking well traveled people.”

[solobutnotalone]

She did grow up in an affluent environment, so she was offering the opinion that had been earned in that way. "It isn't exactly cost effective, but you only one or two pieces to help with the heat." She expanded on his rhetorical question but was floored by his follow up.

"Han... from Corellia." Another one? She hadn't know it to be a common name. The following casual flirtation was somehow not what she would expect from Han and yet completely in character for him, had they met under different circumstances. She decided to not pres that for the moment. "I'm not familiar with the shipyards to be honest, my name is Leia. I'm from Alderaan." Or, she was but if this was Han this was a version of him that hadn't see that destruction yet.

[skeksisheretic]

"Good question! I'd pack something to read, for starters. You humans get sunburn, but I think you have something for that. Travel light. Food, water, the usual."

Somewhere sunny? skekGra lives in a desert, and the planet he lives on is pretty warm anyway, so he feels like the kind of question he's equipped to answer. He doubts the stranger's talking about Thra, but that's all he really has to work with as a reference.

The old bird-creature tilts his head slightly. A new face. "I haven't seen you around before! Hello - my name is skekGra the Heretic. It's wonderful to meet you!"

[runningscams]

Han doesn’t seem at all surprised that he could have run into such an articulate non-human. After all, his best friend is an articulate Wookiee, but it’s not often that he runs into a species he hadn’t seen before. He smiles and nods at the response.

“You’re the first to mention bringing something for entertainment.”

Though, really, Han hasn’t read for the fun of it in a while. He wouldn’t have to get on the holonet and figure out when he’d be buy a good bookstore. He payed more attention to that kind of thing in his Imperial military days.

“Can I just call you SkekGra or even just Skek? The full thing seems like a bit of a mouthful.” Still, he offers a smile and introduction of his own. “I’m Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon. Friends call me Han.”

[skeksisheretic]

The Heretic laughs and offers Han a clawed hand in greeting. He likes this human, and not being scared of him on sight is something he respects - though, granted, he's willing to guess Han is unfamiliar with Skeksis.

"Greetings, Captain Han! You may call me skekGra, if you like." The Heretic isn't as fussy about titles or decorum as the castle Skeksis. "Well, if you're visiting another planet you ought to bring something for entertainment! This is a good place to buy books. I have quite the collection by now."

skekGra recognizes the title given to him. A captain, eh? That's something he also knows a little about.

"So, you're a captain! Like the Sifa Gelfling back home on Thra - they're the best sailors out of all the seven clans. There's also skekSa the Mariner, who's one of my kind. We call her the Captain sometimes."

[runningscams]

Han offers his own hand in return and offers a firm, but not very hard grasp. He’s got no idea how dense this guy’s bones are, after all.

“Did you gather most of your books here or from home?” Han said thoughtfully. There was probably wisdom in wanting a diverse knowledge and set of experience (and where could you get more of either than the nexus), but you had to make time for it. Reading more was not usually the first thing he thought of when he had free time.

“She’s a Captain of the sea then.” Han says with a nod. “Tell me skekGra, do they have flying vessels where you come from?”

[skeksisheretic]

"I have some of both, though I've been collecting more here. Visits to Thra are rare - there's war between the Skeksis and the Gelflings there. Since I chose to help the Gelflings, I am...not welcome among the other Skeksis."

Like all Skeksis, skekGra is considerably stronger than he looks - it turn, he's careful not to shake with too hard a grip. Humans are delicate.

"Yes. If one of us were to come here, honestly, she's the least likely to cause trouble - she has no love for the Emperor or his rule. Always had an independent streak." He had pleasant memories of skekSa the Mariner back when he was the Conqueror. "We do have Crystal Skimmers, which the Dousan Gelflings tame and use as mounts, but not flying ships."

[coffee_elf]

"You need something to cover your head and protect your eyes," comes the immediate answer from this small person. "Humans get sunstroke so easily! And if it's dry, never go anywhere without water. Do you know what the oxygen levels will be? That makes a big difference sometimes. If you're hypoxic, your body can't regulate temperature so well and if there are problems that will make everything worse."

Rondo does not look like a mother hen. He really doesn't. He's significantly less than five feet tall, with pointy ears, dressed in a heavily layered tunic and shirt with designs that might look somewhat archaic to some Nexus eyes. He's also carrying a light electronic tablet, though, which is on sleep mode and tucked under his arm.

"I guess I shouldn't assume--sorry--but you are human, right?"

[runningscams]

Han blinks. It’s been a while since he had been around anybody that had been so concerned about his physical well being. Even some of the more robustly programmed med-droids didn’t seem to have brought up that many health concerned in a small amount of time.

“No, you’re right on, pal. 100% human. As far as I know, anyway.”

He scratches his head and shrugs. About the only think he knew about Ophuchi was that it was tropical and he could breathe the air.

“The air will be breathable for me, but I hadn’t thought much about how much water to bring.”

[coffee_elf]

"Well, if you're going somewhere settled with a reliable water source, you might be all right as long as you stay mostly indoors. I'm just thinking about when human delegations visit my planet." Which is not all that common, so it's all over the news when it happens, and he has watched a number of press conferences involving sweaty, shaky looking human officials attempting to hold their own across the table from his leaders.

"I'm from a desert world, so all of what I just said--it's the sort of thing we'd have to have available if you came to us. Humans can acclimate to our air, but it takes a while. Short-term visitors always carry oxygen."

"Are you going for business, or is this a vacation?"

[runningscams]

“But humans go to your world anyway, huh?”

Humans were pretty much a given on any planet that could support them, in his galaxy. On the one hand it made it easier for him to travel to most of these places and that he would likely always run into plenty of people who spoke basic. On the other hand, the older he got, the more he wondered if that was a good thing.

“A little bit of both. I have to bring cargo to the planet, but I don’t have to leave right away.”

[coffee_elf]

"Well..." he hesitates, because that's a bit of a can of worms, but after a moment's consideration he decides he doesn't have to go into all the thorny bits right away. "It's mostly for commercial purposes that they visit. We exchange technology, and there are some materials on our planet that only exist in tiny trace amounts elsewhere in the known galaxy. So they're bound to want to make short trading visits. And even though the climate is a bit harsh by some worlds' standards, Arraka'ar is a very beautiful place."

But he's bound to say that, isn't he, talking about his home planet?

"I think just try not to get sunburn or heat stroke then," he says cheerfully. "You never know about a strange planet's medical facilities and if they'd be able to treat you. Definitely keep your head covered and wear light, loose material."

[silverseamariner]

"Somewhere sunny, hm? And where would this place be?"

A Skeksis approaches, wearing nautical robes and a plumed hat. This Skeksis is both larger and more colorful than skekGra, most of her feathers still intact. skekSa the Mariner eyes this creature closely. He doesn't look like a gelfling. Too large, and the facial structure is all wrong. He sounds well-travelled, though, something she respects. She's new in the Nexus, both intrigued by its sheer expanse as an explorer and frustrated by the lack of open seawater to sail on. She decides to offer him some sincere advice.

"Well, then, allow a fellow traveller to offer some help. The basics come first - food, water, spare supplies. Bring a weapon, too, since you never know what you could meet out on the open sea." The Mariner offers him a hand, stooping to match his height. "Well met. I am skekSa the Mariner."

[runningscams]

“The name of the planet is called Sesid. A lot of islands and volcanos, from what I hear and some of the most clear, blue water you can find anywhere.”

And right out of the gate, this nautical explorer will know that wherever Han comes from, they can go from planet to planet. Funny the way that something so commonplace in his own galaxy seemed so extravagant to others.

“Han Solo, owner and Captain of the Millennium Falcon, and I can tell you must have planned a trip like this before.”

[silverseamariner]

"Sesid? I haven't heard of such of a place, but it sounds beautiful. I sail the Silver Sea of Thra."

skekSa is even more impressed by the other captain's travels. Skeksis cannot journey from world to world, which even she is secretly glad of. The last thing she wants is Emperor skekSo's influence and his pollution spreading outside Thra.

"It's part of what I do - when you are on the sea as often and for as long as I am, choosing what to bring with you is important."

[runningscams]

“Possibly more important than almost any of the other choices you make along the way. Yeah. I had a little bit of trouble with that when I started.”

He’s almost sheepishly admitting that. Truth be told, it still wasn’t something he was great at. It involved far more careful planning than her realized. And budgeting. Especially when your ship was as finicky, and prone to breaking down, as his was.

“What’s your ship like?”

[silverseamariner]

"I command a living ship, Vassa. I have no crew - it's easier that way." The Mariner sometimes works with her Sifa Gelfling to maintain the vessel and gather supplies, but she sails alone. She's fiercely independent.

skekSa figures Han is a lot younger and less experienced than she is - she is almost a thousand trine old (and, if you cound her time as an UrSkek, even older). Mistakes come with youth. He'll learn given time, and from the sound of things he's a quick learner.

"I've never met your kind before in all my travels. Can you tell an old lass what kind of creature you are? You're much too big to be a Gelfling."