Redemption [Discontinued for now? - Read final Author's Note for more info]

◊ Chapter 3 - The Search Begins

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                              Chapter 3 - The Search Begins

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                    As Nine stepped outside, the first thing she noticed was the strange beauty of Taris' Upper City. The purple light of the setting sun reflected off the shimmery silver floor beneath her feet, giving it a pearl-like sheen. In the centre of the area stood an elaborate floating sculpture, it's matching silver colour illuminated by an astounding amount of tiny blue-white lights. Nine walked forward slowly, taking in the splendour of her surroundings. As she looked to her right, Nine saw a stretch of Taris' other buildings: a vast array of tall domes, illuminated by lights that contrasted with the shining blues and purples. As Nine looked around at the brightly lit area in which she stood, she found it hard to believe the Sith could be controlling such a beautiful place.

That was, until she saw one.

A Sith - clad from head to toe in shining black and silver armor - patrolled the streets, holding a powerful-looking Blaster Rifle threateningly. Nine ducked her head and walked past him quickly. She made her way over to a cove-like area, out of sight, and turned to Carth.

'Do you know anything about this place?'

Carth raised his eyebrows. 'Taris? The planet's all one big city... but it's golden years are long past, and things have gotten worse since the Sith occupied it. From what I hear, the wealthy live on the tops of all the tall towers. And if you're poor, you live down in the shadows... and it gets worse the lower you go. That's all I can think of, at any rate.'

Nine nodded and looked away. That explained why the place looked so pretty. This area was where the rich people lived, so she would probably see the extent of the Sith's damage when she went down to the Lower City, which was where she would find Holdan.

As Nine began to step back out into the open, she caught sight of a shop to her left. The sign read 'Equipment Emporium'. Nine realised for the first time just how low her and Carth were on weapons and armor, so she decided to spend the few credits she had on just that. Besides, what use would credits be if you didn't have the gear to keep you alive in the first place?

Nine opened the door, and was greeted by a dark-skinned woman with cropped hair and a friendly smile.

'Hello there. I haven't seen you in my shop before... allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kebla Yurt. Welcome to the Equipment Emporium.'

Her voice was rich and deep. She had obviously perfected it to gain maximum potential with customers.

'You looking to buy some supplies? My shop's the largest one in all of Upper Taris. Best selection on the planet. Whatever you need, I've got. Well, mostly.'

Nine heard Carth speak behind her. 'Mostly? What do you mean by that?'

Kebla frowned a little. 'The Sith confiscated all my heavy weapons. And they impounded all my ships and swoop bikes. But I've still got a real nice selection, if you're interested,' she added hopefully.

As this conversation was taking place, Nine was taking a look round at her surroundings. The shop was fairly small, but well kept. It had the fairly dull colour scheme of greys and silvers, with a dull metal floor, and there was a protocol droid going about it's business at the back of the room.

Suddenly, Nine was brought back to Earth with a jolt as a thought occured to her.

Sure, Holdan may have some information that could be useful to her, but then again, he might not. Kebla, on the other hand would probably have hundreds come through her store in a single week, and imagine all the information she could get with that...