Star Wars - Shadows Of The Outer Rim

14. | Steel & Combustion

Throughout the day Rynn had been quiet and not in the thoughtful, observant silence way that Kiera had come to recognize. Her responses were clipped. Her posture rigid. When spoken to, she answered quickly, as if daring anyone to push further. By mid-afternoon, even Jax had raised an eyebrow.

So when night finally came, and they set out on foot toward the coordinates Kodo had left behind, Kiera fell into step beside her.

"You've been quiet," Kiera said softly, keeping her voice low as they moved through the dim streets. "Even for you."

Rynn's jaw tightened beneath her hood. "I'm fine."

That was enough of an answer to tell Kiera she wasn't. They walked on in silence for several paces, boots crunching over grit and broken pavement. The farther they moved from the city's core, the more Dasturn seemed to hollow out around them. Streetlamps flickered or went dark entirely. Security patrols thinned, then vanished.

"You don't have to like this," Kiera said carefully. "Meetings in shadows, criminals with secrets. I know it's not exactly—"

"I know what it is," Rynn cut in, her voice low and sharp. She exhaled through her nose and slowed just enough to look at Kiera from beneath her hood. "I just don't like feeling unprepared."

That, at least, was honest. Kiera studied her for a moment, then nodded. "None of us do."

Rynn didn't respond, but the tension eased, just slightly, as they continued on. Up ahead a rail yard emerged from the darkness. It appeared abandoned and disheveled.

Long lines of ancient track cut through the ground, half-buried beneath ash and mud. Floodlights flickered weakly overhead, casting uneven shadows across skeletal cargo platforms and idle freight cars coated in rust. It smelled of oil, dust. Nothing about the place felt official and that, Kiera suspected, was exactly the point.

They were dressed to disappear. Heavy robes concealed armor and weapons alike, hoods pulled low enough to obscure defining features. Even so, Kiera felt exposed, the familiar weight of her lightsaber pressing against her awareness like an itch she wasn't allowed to scratch.

A figure detached itself from the shadows near the far platform.

Kodo.

"Cut it close," he said flatly as he approached. His gaze flicked briefly to the surrounding yard, then back to them. "Either that or you enjoy tempting fate."

"Little of both," Kiera murmured.

He snorted, unimpressed. "Figures."

Kodo gestured toward the massive shape idling on the tracks behind him. It wasn't sleek. It wasn't fast. It was old, like really old. Thick durasteel plating, exposed rivets, heavy wheels that looked like they belonged in a museum instead of in service.

"A real train," Kodo said. "No repulsors. No nav systems worth frying. Just steel, combustion, and stubborn momentum."

Jax let out a low whistle. "Didn't think those still ran."

"They do," Kodo replied. "For the right price."

His gaze sharpened as it landed on Kiera. "Now listen carefully, Jedi. No tricks. No Force. And absolutely no flashy swords."

Kiera raised an eyebrow beneath her hood, her lips curved faintly. "I'm offended you think I'd be that careless."

"I'm serious," he said bluntly. "The other people on that train won't hesitate to kill you. For a bounty, for reputation—or just because you're what you are."

She lifted her hands slightly. "I'll behave."

Kodo leaned closer, voice dropping. "Hide that lightsaber well. And for the love of the stars, do not draw attention to yourself."