Match 20888 Dash Rendar vs. Doctor Aphra

[Boratz]

Chapter 38: A Smuggler's Run
 
 
There was a calm and gentle breeze that made its way through the trees of Naboo. Walking within the thick swamp, the mercenary and smuggler known as Dash Rendar had gazed out at the murky waters of the planet. For a moment, he thought about the world beneath the surface and then turned his attention away from the waterline. All he could think about was finishing the job and leaving this planet behind. Despite his desire to finish the job, he was thankful that it did not involve getting tangled up with the New Republic or what was left of the Empire. This job involved him searching for old Separatist supplies and weapons that were left behind during Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo all those years ago.  Most of what he was able to find was far too rusted to be worth anything on the black market, but there were items that he was able to salvage.
 
The Ithorian collector that hired him for this job had taken an interest in the era during and leading up to the infamous Clone Wars. Dash did not care what interests that this Ithorian had, if he paid the smuggler for his services. There was much to this job as far as danger or adventure. The mercenary got his hands dirty by scavenging through the swamps for whatever relics he could find. Most of the droid parts and weapons had been long cleaned up, but there were a few items of interests deep in the woods. While heading back to the Outrider, the mercenary heard a familiar sound from up above. Dash wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up into the sky. Shaking his head, the smuggler let out a sigh once he saw the sight of an x-wing flying over the trees. Dash cursed under his breath while heading back to the Outrider with the items that he found in the swamp.
 
 
After his trek through the thick woods, he saw the outline of his prized ship past the tree line. The mercenary’s eyes then caught onto another ship that had landed close to the Outrider. Dash stopped for a moment and took a breath. He rubbed his hand over his face while looking down at the items that he found in the woods. The mercenary was not in any mood to deal with the New Republic or any of the trouble that it would bring his way. He soon sauntered out of the woods and started walking toward his ship. Dash’s dark brown eyes soon caught onto a familiar face with his arms crossed behind his back. This figure stood silently and tilted his to the side. The mercenary could see the side of the figure's face. He recognized the figure from his past. The man turned around to face the smuggler and with a calm smile former on the side of his cheeks. 
 
Dash could not help but chuckle as he looked over Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Master nodded his head before walking over toward the smuggler. Dash shook his head before turning his attention toward his ship. While preparing to load the savaged items from the days of the Separatist, he heard Luke calling out to greet him. Knowing that he probably came to recruit him in some conflict, Dash did his best to ignore the Jedi Master. Luke followed behind the mercenary before leaning against a wall in the Outrider. He kept a watchful gaze on the smuggler as he stored the away the old remains the Separatist. Luke waited patiently for his old ally to break the silence between them. Kneeling to put away the rest of the salvaged pieces, the mercenary glared back at the Jedi. 
 
"How'd you find me?" Dash asked while walking closer toward the Jedi.
 
"You were not exactly easy to find." Luke replied with a grin.
 
"Not hard enough." Dash said with a smile.
 
"Where's the rest of your crew?" Luke asked gently while his eyes moved around the Outrider's interior.
 
"They are all running small jobs right now." Dash replied.
 
"A lot of the galaxy believed you died after what happened on Coruscant." Luke replied. 
 
"Yeah, that's how I wanted it. I wanted to be as far as I could away from that mess. I didn't want to be in between your little Rebellion and the Empire. Huh... Besides, I heard you got ol' Han out of his Carbonite prison." Dash said while sitting back in a chair. 
 
"We could have still used you and the Outrider." Luke said while moving his eyes around the inside of Dash's ship.
 
"Not my style." Dash smiled. "But you all did alright without me. Why are you here now?"
 
"I could use your help." Luke replied.
 
"My help?" Dash scoffed. "You are telling me that the guy that defeated the Emperor and Darth Vader needs help from a smuggler like me." 
 
"Seems like you still know more than you let on." Luke replied.
 
"Word get around... Especially about the legend of Luke Skywalker." Dash said while shaking his head. 
 
"I am coming to you as a friend and asking for your help." Luke said with a concerned look.
 
"What is it?" Dash asked. 
 
"There is a device called a Wayfinder that was lost in the galaxy a long, long time ago. I've heard a rumor that it was found but it is in a system overrun by pirates and criminals. I need you to find it and retrieve." Luke replied.
 
"Doesn't sound like that would be much of an issue for you." Dash said.
 
"You have knowledge and contacts in that world that I do not. I need your help, Dash." Luke replied while looking at the smuggler.
 
"Why not ask your buddy Han?" Dash asked.
 
"Han is busy assisting Leia with some other circumstances." Luke replied. "I need your help. I am asking as a friend."
 
"Well, friend... I don't work for free." Dash replied with a smirk. "It's going to cost you."
 
"How much?" Luke asked with a smile.
 
"Won't be cheap." Dash responded.
 
After presenting the details of the crystal and its possible location to the smuggler, Dash leaned back for a moment to contemplate the mission. Rubbing his eyes and letting out a sigh, the smuggler turned his eyes back toward the Jedi Master. He agreed to help with finding the crystal and bringing it back to the Jedi. From prior experiences with the smuggler, Luke made sure to be clear with the contract and that Dash would be paid once the Wayfinder was delivered. 
 
Meanwhile,
 
Waking up to the sound of an alert beeping through her ship, the infamous archeologist leaned up from her bed. She rubbed her eyes while reaching over for her aviator's cap, the rogue agent stumbled forward while her eyes adjusted to the dim light in her ship. Aphra sauntered over toward the source of the alert and let out a yawn before answering the transmission that was being sent to her. While the transmission was simply a recording from her protocol droid companion, 0-0-0, the archeologist found herself excited by the news that he shared. Triple Zero indicated that he and BT-1 were able to extract some important information from a pair of spice runners on Tatooine. Both droids were able to evade detection from Boba Fett and his allies as they extracted the information that they were searching for. After making their way across the sand covered planet and returning to their ship, they recorded this message and sent it to their female companion. 
 
Doctor Aphra grinned while biting on her bottom lip. With the transmission that was sent, the protocol droid had also sent the coordinates for the relic that she was seeking. The rogue archeologist hurried to get the rest of her gear on while listening to the message that Triple Zero had sent. Aphra reached over for her blaster belt and secured it around her waist. She glanced back at the transmission and saw the system of planets that Triple Zero had sent to her. Doctor Aphra recognized the system as being on the outskirts of the Outer Rim. It was an area that was notorious for being overrun by different criminal organizations and pirate routes. Aphra rubbed the palm of her hand against her face while thinking about the potential dangers that she would face. Within her twisted mind, she started formulating a plan to be able to sneak into this system without being detected by a group of pirates or one of the many criminal gangs that plagued that area. 
 
The crafty criminal soon thought of an idea that involved both of her droid companions. Triple Zero and BT-1 could both provide the distraction that she would need to enter that area undetected. Looking over the system of planets and looking over the area where relic was located, Aphra realized that there was a series of temples located on one of the planets. From her vast knowledge of the different cultures in that area, she concluded on which temple that the artifact would be in. Before sending her plan to Triple Zero and BT-1, the rogue archeologist started to reflect on the different criminal gangs that plagued that area. During her time of working for Lord Vader, the archeologist gained a vast knowledge of the criminal underworld. She had a general idea of what groups would be in the area and what kind of activity that they participated in.
 
After sending her plans to Triple Zero and BT-1, Aphra sat behind the controls of the Ark Angel IV. While putting in the coordinates for her targeted planet, she heard that same alert going off that indicated an incoming transmission. Believing that it was a transmission from Triple Zero, the rogue archeologist reached out to answer the transmission. Her eyes widen and a small grin formed across her cheeks once she saw the outline of an Imperial officer. Unlike many others that served in the Empire, this Imperial was from a warrior race from the Unknown Regions. The blue skinned Imperial looked over the archeologist with powerful red eyes that almost seemed as if they were looking into her soul. The Chiss Imperial glared at Doctor Aphra while she sat up to catch her composure. While the Grand Admiral had differed from Supreme Commander of the Empire, she had the same type of fascination for Thrawn as she did for Darth Vader. 
 
"Have you located the Wayfinder?" The Grand Admiral asked with an inquisitive look.
 
"I believe so. I am on my way there now to get it." Doctor Aphra replied. 
 
“That is good to hear. I feel that I should remind you of the importance of this mission.” Thrawn replied gently.
 
“Don’t worry, Grand Admiral, I will fetch your little artifact. Once I do, I trust that my debt to your little pals will be all clear?” Doctor Aphra inquired.
 
“While your issues with Vader have not been forgotten, that will be addressed as soon as you have delivered what has been promised.” Thrawn responded with an assuming look.
 
“Huh. I wish there was a bit more certainty there, but I will take what I can get.” Doctor Aphra laughed. “Don’t worry, Thrawny, I will get that little relic. My friends will cause enough of a distraction for me to get in and get out. I should not run into any trouble at all.”
 
“Your confidence is encouraging.” Thrawn replied before ending the transmission.
 
The Outer Rim,
 
After gathering his weapons and gear, the skilled mercenary followed the map that the Jedi Master had given him to the star system that was overrun by crime and corruption. Once he arrived, Dash realized that it was eerily quiet for an area that was constantly patrolled by pirates and criminals. While flying through the system, his attention quickly turned toward his radar screen. The smuggler glanced over at the screen and then peered out into the void of space. He caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an ongoing battle in the surrounding asteroid belt. The mercenary grinned as he felt that luck was on his side. “Just what I needed, a nice distraction.” He thought to himself while direction his attention back toward the Outrider’s navigation system. While looking over the map, he put in the coordinates for the planet that Luke believed that Wayfinder would be located.
 
As he approached the planet, a noise on his radar screen started to go off. Dash turned his attention toward the radar screen and saw an approaching ship. The smuggler peered outside and saw a ship fast approaching. From what he could see, the ship was armed with a variety of weapons. From his vast knowledge of starships and vessels, it appeared to be from the time of the High Republic. “I got a bad feeling about this.” Dash said to himself once the ship came into full view. The mercenary heard a chirping sound that indicated an oncoming transmission. The smuggler pressed the button to hear what was coming through.
 
“Hey stranger, be a dear and leave the area now. I got a relic to find, and I don’t need any trouble!” Doctor Aphra shouted.
 
“Not a chance in hell.” Dash replied.
 
*****************************************

Dash Rendar and Doctor Aphra are both after a Jedi Wayfinder that was lost during the ancient Jedi and Sith Wars. The possible location of the Wayfinder was discovered in an old temple that is in crime infested space. While the criminal gangs and pirates are distracted, both smuggler and archeologist are trying to retrieve the relic. Both are in their respective starships, but the battle can also end up on the ground. Who will survive?  

Dash Rendar – is piloting the Outrider. If the battle does end up on the ground; he is armed with a heavy blaster rifle, a blaster pistol, a thermal grenade and a small, concealed blaster.
 
Doctor Aphra – is piloting the Ark Angel IV. If the battle does end up on the ground; she is armed with two blaster pistols, a thermal grenade, and a vibro knife.
 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Dash Rendar
Read more about Dash Rendar at Wikipedia
Official Site: LucasFilm Links: Wikipedia

Doctor Aphra
Read more about Doctor Aphra at Wikipedia
Official Site: LucasFilm Links: Wikipedia

[Boratz]

Hope you all enjoy 

[JohnnyChany]

Great job, Boratz. My surface level Star Wars knowledge left me a little in the dark but the set-up explains the two characters well. Dash strikes me as the more traditional Han Solo types that I usually come across in the expanded Star Wars world. Wouldn't have initially pegged Doctor Aphra as villainous in any way before the set-up despite the Storm Troopers in her portrait. Looking into her character, an Indiana Jones type in the Star Wars universe with inverted morals, color me intrigued.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - JohnnyChany

FPA Calculation:
1 Total Votes cast
5.00 Total Combined Score
5.00 / 1 = 5.00 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Dash Rendar: 1
Doctor Aphra: 1