[2 BBY]
[Refugee Camp, former Grand Army of the Republic Polar Base, Akuria II, Akuria System, Akuria System, Oplovis Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

The Togruta female named Kasuni Taam shivered again as she rolled out from underneath the metal bulk of the L-2783 Recovery Haulier, the Deep Space version, after relocking the access panels. It had taken longer than she'd have liked to get the repairs done, and Bogwing, her pet Vaxim was asleep underneath furs atop the toolbox due to that. Even with the furs she wore, and the small heater beside her, the room was cold to Kasuni as she stood, shaking and hugging herself, glad to be moving about. Seemingly enough to wake Bogwing, as the little winged lizard stirred himself from slumber, squawking and extending wings in what might have been a yawn or annoyed growl.

'Lucky for some to sleep while I work' she thought with exasperation, eyes turning over to another togruta female, another would-be technician as they worked to get the 'big ship' that towered over them long-term functional. Sparks were flying about a hundred metres away as more direct repairs were made to the outer doors of the, formerly GAR apparently, vessel. But that wasn't Kasuni's problem for now as she hugged herself, Bogwing flying up to her shoulder as she looked to Twila Tlu "Sensors are replaced and seem to be working. We just need to run test sequences to make sure the parts are good to good. Since we've had to jury-rig with newer system spares"

Th younger female, a former administrator in a parts storage or maybe production company….the owners daughter?, Kasuni tried to remember…nodded, gloved finger stabbing at the data-slate in her hand, looking relieved "Thank you for that. Sorry, if, ah…"

"An hour longer than planned. It's kriffing cold and my back hurts like all nine hells" Kasuni agreed, still shifting and trying to stretch herself without being too obvious about "How is it looking?"

Twila frowned up at the large vessel being converted to armed refugee ship, or maybe trade ship, or many other possible tasks desperately needed in these dark times since the New Republic Crusade began "Its flyable if we had to flee in a panic. If that's what you're asking?"

"In part, though I have my own single seater as a, ah, defender" Kasuni shrugged in an exaggerated manner, hands in dark dirt and oils flecked white furs. Her own 'starfighter' wasn't quite up modern standards after all, even if it could do longer hauls, and was locked down for her own use…save someone was a way better slicer than she knew fled here "But, yes?"

"Yes, flyable if we have to flee….and our hosts let us should we have to" the other female looked at the ground, away, ice flecked, grey, miserable looking "If we had anywhere to fly too of course"

"Loads of those actually. They are just dangerous and difficult, even compared to here, and then even more dangerous and difficult to get too" Kasuni answered with another energetic shrug, muscles starting to feel just a bit better at movement "Now. Unless you need me for more…"

"No, that's it I think" the 'taskmistress' of fixing up the 'Flower of Shilli' as the Recovery Haulier was named now "There's food…and drink inside"

"Don't sound so judgemental. Food is bad, and the booze is all that's keeping some from cracking. Not me mind, but some. What with living as refugees combined with zoo animals or exotic pets it feels like at times, ya'know?"

The other female simply gave a curt nod, and Kasuni strode away, eyes flickering over the large, overcrowded, hanger filled with small craft of every make and model it seemed it. Gathering in numbers was a good thing in many regards, but also deadly dangerous should the Republicans ever become aware of them setting up shop in this old black-site it felt like. That one pilot knew about it, and led the rag-tag 'fleet' here, meant others likely knew about as well…

Though it's emptiness, and abandoned clone supplies of every sort within, meant that was a low chance Kasuni hoped…

Of course it hadn't taken into account there were natives on the planet. Two of which towered over her red-skinned and horned form as she came to the doors after climbing metal stairs; big, like white furred wookies, carrying club-like weapons at their belts, along with, now modified for their usage, blaster rifles. Though they were more 'pistols' to the native Akurians, or 'Snow Demons' as they'd been referred to in the GAR documentation of the abandoned base. Something nobody had taken seriously….till said Snow Demons had overwhelmed them one night. Thankfully killing nobody as it turned out a full active military black-site, with Clone Troopers, was much harder to take over than said base now 'manned' by various barely armed, and largely untrained, refugees.

"In?"

"Please" Kasuni answered in response to the deep, guttural, attempt at civilized language. Thankfully they weren't playing Wookie Supremacists she supposed as the door was pulled open by the other towering Akurian, and she hurried inside. It wasn't warmer, yet, ventilation from outside active, and their new 'hosts' preferred much of the base to be kriffing freezing obviously as she made her way into the 'depths' as it were. It wasn't too far at least, and after passing by more armed 'snow demons' she emitted a moan of relief as the heat of the inner 'bar' hit her face, along with various forms of other species that weren't clad in fur alone and made her feel unnervingly small and weak. Not that the 'Cantina' made her fantastic either, it feeling like a Hutt run dive, mixed with a prison for the depressed.

Thankfully there was booze, and even attempts at cocktails, as there were functional stills on various ships, having been delivery services for such things. Just as there was basic hydroponics to go alongside what ration remained, had been salvage, or was now supplied by their 'hosts' in exchange of stripping them of their technical know-how, just as easily as Kasuni stripped off her fur outer-coverings. Wearing lighter clothing, like a normal sentient travelling the galaxy, was a welcome luxury here as the heat of the room, mixed with smell of sweat, booze, and misery almost felt a relief as she came up the bar. While there was a large minority of her own kind, togruta's, and the vast majority of those female, there was a mix of all the others from planets where females and younglings were shoved unto transports by their mates as the New Republic advanced upon their worlds.

There was no hiding the horror that the Republicans brought in their wake. Even with the, very limited, listening capacity of this base's restored comms system had shown than the nightmare continued, worsening evening, even after Kasuni had fled. Fleeing to the Empire had been her hope. Hells, even the Hutts might have been a better option as she was Force Sensitive and after months of bitter cold was more than happy to prance about a Show Jedi in her birth suit. But, escaping in those directions was beyond her, and the others now, with the Northern Rim awash with pirates, refugees having to turn pirate, Republicans who wanted to enslave her, actual slavers, and of course Confederate pickets shooting everything that moved…because of the desperation. Every ship that fled a world that didn't have a 'destination', even like here, had to choose between starvation, death, or turning pirate as best she could understand. The Northern Rim was turning chaotic in Confederate zones, and frankly something from a horror-holo in the Republican ones!

Bogwing flapped his wings, alerting Kasuni to the approaching figure as the first sip of the bad booze burned its way down her throat. She turned her head, giving a tired look, and not showing any interest as best she could as she turned, resting her elbow and back on the bar, one shoe against the bar at the ground "Hey"

"Kasuni" the human male, Sor, said with an exasperated tone that cause her to frown, hiding a flush of embarrassment that she'd, ah, come on a bit strong there. He paused, gave a bemused smile "You look very good today"

"Thank you" she answered back. He'd fled as he was a known Imperial loyalist, an academic and would be historian…and also, like herself, Force Sensitive. Trained too, and one of the number of outnumbered, and therefore valuable, males in her eyes in the place. Kasuni did *not* have a crush she reminded herself. She was a grown female, not some youngling, and this was all from mutual interests. They were, assuming the 'colony' remained undetected, likely to be here for many, many, years should things 'work out' "Ugh….looking good yourself?"

"If you said 'did you do something with your hair' I'll be sorely disappointed" the bald, dark skinned, human said with amusement, and Kasuni let out an awkward little chuckle. He seemed to ignore that, left arm rising and hand touching her arm as if to guide her forward "Come, I've a table, and you did volunteer to play a game, yes?"

"Yes, I did" she took the opportunity to move with him, pushing off the bar and warning away a fellow togruta, as well as a twi'lek with a glance "Any news?"

"No more than usual. Our hosts are keeping a tight starship here. Don't want to be discovered for obvious reasons, and the listening is….depressing shall we say. I've completed the warding rituals against discovery as taught in the House of Wisdom…but…" he shrugged "That I can't say more than I think it works"

"That you have to teach me in time" she huffed back, Bogwing flapping about energetically on her shoulder, the cantina's poor attempt at a band joining would a would-be singer to try entertaining them all. Thankfully Kasuni had the alcohol and the company to not grumble about it tonight. That and the thoughts that she, and everyone else here, were the lucky ones kept up her spirits even with the fact she was living less well than when she'd been travelling about, exploring and researching. Any thoughts of finding some archaeological dig, like a Jedi find, were, just like Sor Venge's own dreams, dead in the wake of the New Republic's Glorious Revolution, and the horrors of its so-called Utopian New Republic…