After finally coaxing Rusty out from his hiding space, Marr introduces the two droids to each other. Where as ICON was very friendly towards the astromech droid, Rusty was more mistrusting and rude while interacting with the newest member of the crew. It didn't take long for the pair of them to break down into petty insults and jabs, much to the Jedi's distain.
Finally having enough of the pairs bickering, Marr readied himself for a scouting trip to the nearest populated settlement. While using the ships long range sensors, Rusty had picked up activity from such a settlement several miles east of their current location. Leaving the astromech droid to continue repairing the ship. Marr, along with ICON, set off into this strange alien world.
After climbing down the cliff face of the mesa, the pair of explorers found themselves in the middle of a vast desert and ventured forth towards the coordinates that Rusty provided. As they traverse the empty environment, Marr was at least grateful that the climate wasn't completely unbearable, not unlike the 3 Suns of Tatooine or the rocky terrains of Geonosis. Every so often, the Jedi looked over his shoulder to check up on his travelling companion, whom seems to be having a little trouble himself. The surrounding sands of this environment isn't helping the droid with his equilibrium, resulting in him falling over more than once, obviously it's still getting use to its new frame.
To help pass the time on their journey, the Jedi began regaling the droid about recent events, everything from what happened onboard the Outbound Flight, his time in stasis, the encounter with S.W.O.R.D. and how they crashed upon this world. Icon found all this information to be extremely ... uncivilised ... the droid was originally programmed for etiquette and protocol after all.
Hours passed by before they reached a cliff edge, where they were able to get a wide view of the settlement they were looking for. Handing over a set of macrobinoculars, Marr instructed ICON to recon the area. As a Miraluka, he found using such devices difficult.
"What do you see?", he asked the droid.
"Curious? The technological development of this settlement is surprisingly primitive, barely post-Industrial.", the droid uttered out as it continued to survey the area.
"What about the inhabitants?" Marr questioned.
"Like you suspected, Master", the droid continued. "The population appear to comprise entirely of humans, or a very close approximation."
"Any sign of S.W.O.R.D. or other military presence?"
"I think not, Master", It confirmed. "It appears to be a peaceful settlement." ICON then put aside the macrobinoculars and turned towards the Jedi. "What do we do now?"
The Jedi pondered this query for a moment before responding. "Can you access your holographic system?
"I believe so."
"Right, take on a form and we'll explore this settlement", Marr started to explain. "We'll procure some supplies and hopefully gather more intel about this world.
"I'm terribly sorry, Master, but that just wouldn't be proper", ICON blurted out.
" ... proper?" Marr was puzzled by this remark.
"It's against my programming to impersonate an organic."
Marr simple groaned at this response and attempted to explain the situation the two of them were in. After what seemed like a lifetime of debating droid ethics; a conversation Marr never thought he'd have in the middle of a desert, the Jedi managed to convince his droid companion to take up a disguise. Following several attempts to choose an disguise, involving Twi'leks, Zabraks and even a Mirialan, the droid finally landed on a human template.
The pair of them set off once again towards the settlement, eventually reaching one of the roads leading in its direction and following it. As they made their way along the road, several vehicles past by them of a primitive design that was unfamiliar to the Jedi. They did not seem to function on repulsorlift technology, instead relying on wheels to travel along the grounds surface. Marr had only ever known primitive societies to use such technology and this worried the Jedi.
It didn't take them much longer to finally reach their destination. As the settlement came into view, Marr had noticed a large sign just ahead of them with large illuminating words.
"Welcome to Vista Verde ... Birthplace of the Hulk."
"What precisely is a Hulk?" Icon asked.
"I don't know", Marr replied. "We must be cautious."
The two of them made their way further into the town. Never before had the Jedi seen such a strange place. It seems that ICONs initial evaluation was accurate, the only sentient species that they encountered were human and the technology they used were surprisingly primitive. Marr observed one of them using what seemed to be his com-link, only instead of holograms the human held it up right to his ear.
"My word, how disgustingly unsanitary." The droid remarked.
"I think you'll find it'll be on par with primitive techno...", Marr stopped in mid sentence. Quickly he examined his surroundings before taking hold of ICONs arm and pulling him along the street, much to the confusion of his companion. Keeping his head down, the Jedi hurried inside what he hoped was a traders store, followed closely by ICON.
"Welcome to the Hulking Emporium", the owner greeted them cheerfully. "The one stop place for all things hulk."
"Er... thank you", Marr hastily responded. "We're just browsing."
The two of them hurried to the far end of the store, while pretending to be interested in the stores wares. It seemed to be a general purpose store, everything from writing utensils, dish wares and souvenirs. But what perturbed the Jedi most was that everywhere he turns, the same face is starring back at him; that of a large, muscular green beast, imprinted on what seemed like every item around them.
"I'd hate to come across whatever creature this is", the droid remarked while holding up a keychain with a small replica of the beast attached to it.
"It appears to be something of a mascot," the Jedi reasoned. "Anyway, we needed to get off the streets."
"Why? What is it?", The droid inquired.
"I had the feeling that we were under observation."
"I don't recall seeing anybody observing us?", the droid reassured.
"Nor I?" Marr pondered more to himself than responding to the droid statement.
"You are sure about this ... feeling?" ICON asked, it knew enough of the Jedi Order to be aware of some of the stories surrounding its members and their strange ... behaviours.
"The sensation was strong ... but it is less so now." The Jedi said, letting out a sigh of relief. "We better hurry on. The sooner we concluded our business here, the sooner we can return to the ship."
Marr turned and made his way back towards the the front of the store while Icon continued to examine the strange merchandise. Marr walked up towards the cash register, where the opener was still stationed.
"Pardon me, my friend. I was wondering if you could assist me."
"Always willing to help potential cust...", the man stopped abruptly as he got a better look at Marr. "Hey man, are you alright? Do you need me to call someone?"
"I'm sorry?" Marr responded quizzically.
"Your eyes ... were you in an accident or something?
Cursing to himself, Marr realised too late that, of course, the rags covering his Miralukian features would draw attention. This human was probably thinking he was blind or something.
"Oh this?", he quickly responded. "No, I just have an eye condition and the ... the sun is far to bright for me."
"Oh, ok?", the owner accepted. "I might just have the thing you need. Try these on for size."
He enthusiastically turned his back to retrieve a pair of green lenses sunglasses from the display rack and placed them on the counter. Intrigued, Marr quickly picked up the sunglasses and turned his back to put them on. They were surprisingly comfortable, unlike some of the visors he's worn in the past. Satisfied, he turned back to face the owner.
"Why thank you, these will be a great help." Said the Jedi. "I was also hoping you could answer a few questions for me?"
A short time later, Marr and his companion left the store, after gathering some useful information from the clerk. He had learned more about this settlement and the local inhabitants. Luckily there are a few stores where they could gather some supplies from. Along with some traders where they could hopefully acquire some second hand parts to repair the ship.
As they navigating their way through the settlement, both Marr and Icon kept their hoods up while staying away from open ground as much as possible, staying close to buildings and occasionally making their way indoors. From what they learned from the clerk, this world's authorities had recently set up several surveillance drones around the area, much to the dismay of the population.
While using the force, Marr was able to avoid the drones flying overhead. However this was still a complication for their objective. They needed to get off the streets and find a place to formulate a new plan. Just as several drones started moving towards their location, the pair managed to slip inside a nearby building to avoid them.
"Sir, that was a close one." The droid expressed.
"Not to worry, we just need to..."
"Well hi, welcome to Herb's Gammaburgers."
The pair turn towards the human female addressing them. She had only been standing a few feet from them as they rushed in. Marr took a moment to quickly take in his surroundings only to realise that they were clearly in some kind of dinner establishment. This women was clearly an employee.
"You guys want a table?" The waitress inquired.
"Err ... yes, thank you." Marr quickly responded. The young human lead the two over to a free booth at one end of the restaurant and left them with a couple of menus, telling them that she'll be back in a few minutes. Thanking her as she left, Marr looked down at his opened menu as Icon does the same.
"By the maker." The droid exclaimed. "I've never seen such a collection of strange dishes; Gut-Bomb special? Red-Hulked steak? Chicken Hulk-let's? There isn't anything in my databanks that even come close to comparison. Thank the maker I have no need of such nourishments."
"Unlike the rest of us organics my friend." Marr chuckled. "But unfortunately for me I have little choice but to take what I can get, especially now. Please choose something for me, it matters little."
"Would you not prefer to choose something for yourself?" The droid suggested.
"I'm afraid I cannot determine what's in front of me." the Jedi explained cryptically.
It took a moment for the droid to determine the Jedi's meaning, before realising the obvious.
"My apologies, master." The droid realised. "For a moment I forgot you are a Miraluka."
"it's more easily done than you may realise." He lightly teased him.
It didn't take too long for the waitress to return for their order. In the end, Icon ordered a classic Gamma-burger for Marr and a simple glass of water for himself in an attempt to maintain his disguise. The waitress then left the pair, allowing them the peace to compare notes.
"We'll need a place to lay low for a while." Marr begins to reason. "We were most fortunate to make our way inside the town without alerting the authorities, but it's too risky to head back to the ship. Not until their surveillance has eased off. If the force is with us, they'll believe we've moved on after a while. This will give use the time we need to acquire supplies and head back to the Outbounder."
"How do you suggest we begin, master?" The droid inquired.
"Not to worry, my friend." Marr uttered calmly. "The force will guide us."
Just then, the waitress returned with their order, thanked them for their patience and left them to it. The food was unlike anything the Jedi had encountered before; the massive, greasy meat patty was sandwiched inside two large buns. The sauce and melted cheese was gushing out from the sides like it was sentient and trying to escape. The shear size of the thing alone was enough to feed a small family in the Outer-Rim for several days. Marr picked it up and after wondering how to even take a bite out of this thing, he sank his teeth in.
"Master?" Icon asked, curious about the Jedi's strange reaction.
"If this world is anything like its food." The Jedi chocked out after swallowing a bite. "Then we are indeed in for an interesting experience." He enthusiastically took another bite.
A few moments later as Marr was nearing the end of his meal, the door to the dinner opened and two very large, muscular men walked in. They continued to joke and banter with each other as they sat down on stools by the counter.
"Aww man, that She-Hulk broad still isn't here. Hey Herb, I thought this was her regular?"
Marr's attention was suddenly peeked. There was that word again ... Hulk.
"Come on now Buck." Herb said from behind the counter. "You know she and her friends have got better things to do than arm wrestle you two morons again."
"Watch your mouth, old man." The other man retorted, while flexing his muscular arms. "Since tall, green and beautiful ain't here, then is Sarah working at least?
Herb hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yeah, she's just in the back, Butch." He noticed the sly smile on the man's face before pressing on. "Look, guys. Why don't you leave the nice girl alone today? She's been dealing with a lot right now and the last thing she needs is you two apes harassing her."
Butch leaned forward and grabbed Herb by the collar, practically lifting him off his feet until they were face to face. Marr's hand instinctively reached for his lightsaber, but resisted the urge to use it. As much as he believed that he should step in, the Jedi could not escape the reality of his situation. They could not afford to draw attention to themselves.
"Why don't you just send her out here." Butch uttered in a menacing tone. "Buck and I are getting hungry."
He let go of Herb, allowing the dinner owner to recompose himself and Marr gently let go of his weapon. As long as they didn't hurt anyone, Jedi would reframe from intervening any further. Moments later the young waitress came back in from kitchen and judging from the look she gave the men sitting at the counter, Marr could tell she was very anxious. Sarah took the two men's order while trying to maintain a friendly composure as they slung remarks her way that the Jedi could only describe as uncivilised. Afterwards she returned to Marr's and Icons table.
"Can I get you boys anything else?" She asked while trying to maintain a lightly shaken composure.
"Thank you, but no." Marr answered, he looked over to the two men before looking back towards the waitress and asking in a concerned tone. "Are you alright, my dear?"
"What? Oh ... yes I'm fine, mighty kind of you to ask." She said. "Just two of our regulars get a little too rowdily at times. I'll be right back with your bill."
She walked away, leaving the pair of them to ponder over their newest "lack of credits" problem. As Marr was telling Icon to calm down, he quickly heard a disturbance right behind him. Butch had gotten a little to "hands on" with Sarah, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to sit on his lap. She attempted to resist but he was too strong for her. Herb tried to intervene but it was easy for Buck to intimidate him into in action. Seeing the distress of the young lady, Marr rose to his feet.
"Master, you mustn't."
Ignoring the droid's concerns, Marr swiftly made his way over to the commotion.
"Just a moment please my friend"
"Huh, what do you want, wimp?" Butch spat out at Marr, as Buck turned to face the Jedi.
"I believe the lady wished for you to leave her alone." Marr attempted to reason. "And besides,this one isn't worth your effort. Come on, let my buy you and your companion something to drink."
Buck squared up to Marr, once again flexing his muscles in an attempt to intimidate the Jedi. However Marr only stood his ground, unflinching and giving Sarah a reassuring smile.
"Why don't you prance off you little runt, before you get hurt." Butch said menacingly.
"He's not joking, you should go." Sarah uttered quietly.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that my dear." Marr said coolly.
Just then, both men jumped to their feet, nearly knocking Sarah to the ground as they did so. But before they could lay a finger on Marr, the Jedi gently waved his hand in front of them.
"This is a mistake." Marr said, his tone was soft but commanding.
"This ... is ... a mistake." Repeated Butch.
"I am not worth your time." Marr continued.
"You are not ... worth our time."
"You should leave and not bother this establishment again.
"We should leave and ... not ... bother ... this establishment again."
As if in a daze, the pair of them calmly made their way out of the restaurant, leaving everyone present in awe of what just happened.
"What did you just do?" Herb said in amazement.
"Merely suggested they take their business elsewhere." Marr confirmed. " Now, I would like to attend to my bill...?
Without saying a word, Herb simply picked up the piece of paper that was Marr's bill and tore it up in one quick motion.
"How very kind of you." Marr smiled at Herb. "Come along my friend."
He gestured for Icon to join him and the pair of them left the Dinner. While outside, the droid questioned his master.
"Master, what was that back there?"
"The force has a strong influence on the weak minded, I have often found it to be a powerful ally."
Just as the two of them begin making their way down the street, Marr hears someone call out to them. He looks over his shoulder to see Sarah running up to them. They both stop and allow for her to catch up.
"Hey wait, I just wanted to thank you for what you did back there."
"It's quite alright miss." Marr said with a smile.
"Listen, I don't mean to pry but I couldn't help but over hear that you were needing somewhere to stay and I got the impression you don't exactly have a lot of money?"
"Indeed."
Sarah reached for her note pad and written something down before handing it to Marr.
"Go to that address, ask for Julia." Sarah explained. "She runs a special shelter for people in need. Tell her I sent you and she can put you up for a few days ... any longer and you'll have to arrange something with her.
"Thank you friend, you have been a great assistants to me."
"I'm just wanted to return the favour." Sarah reassured him with a smile before heading back into the dinner. "See you around."
Marr handed the paper over to his droid companion. "Well my friend ... the force has guided us indeed.