I really like this passage from my Sister mystery. All those Chandler and Hammett books I read to get the attention of my dad really paid off (in the writing, his attention I never really received).
It's always important to know when to use silly sci-fi swears and when to use real ones to fit the right tone.
They waited at a trailhead to the park where they spent the night. Tepoh was quiet. Sister suspected zhe wanted to tell her something, but was waiting for a diplomatic opportunity. Ord Tiddel’s sun was shining, the birds were singing and foraging. It was quite the contrast to all the death required of her yesterday. That Maya Pei Brigades kid was set to arrive soon. And certain unsaid words seemed to be dominating the lack of conversation. Sister tried not to pace. Tepoh kicked at rocks in the parking bay while leaning on their speeder. R3 watched the two of them and held his own council.
Sister had to give it to the kid, he moved fast. He pulled up on his bike and Sister walked over ot ask what plans he had made and before she knew it he’d gotten under her center of gravity and knocked her to the ground. He had a blade out and was menacing Sister’s neck with it.
“Hey, kid! Let’s be smart about this!”
“Shut up!”
Tepoh came up from behind to grab his shoulders and the kid drew one leg up and kicked zher in the stomach, knocking the wind out of zher. Zhe fell do the ground and gasped, rolled onto zher side, and reached for one of those rocks.
“My entire cell is dead and it’s their fault!”
“It’s your own bad OpSec’s fault, kid! I don’t want to hurt you.”
“They need to pay, and if I have to go through their flesh-droid I will.”
Sister grit her teeth. She could take care of this boy the easy way, but that would at the least leave a maimed witness the Imps could use as an asset. She’d have to kill him, and she really wasn’t in the mood for that. She focused on keeping the shaky knife edge away from her major veins and arteries.
Tepoh tossed the rock at his back but with all the adrenaline flowing through the rebel he shrugged it off. As zhe looked for another projectile zhe suddenly realized there was a fourth human present. He just seemed to step out of a cloud of smoke, which seemed appropriate because he had a deathstick hanging lazily from the side of his mouth. It was another clone, stylishly dressed in a fancy blazer over a pigment-splattered shirt. His hair was shaved on the sides and flopped over on one side of his head. He was clearly related to Sister, but with hollowed cheeks and a thin build. And he had a cold menace behind his eyes that Sister lacked. Casually, almost recklessly so considering the situation, he walked over, knelt behind the Maya-Pei boy, and pressed the muzzle of his blaster pistol to the nub of his skull behind his ear.
“Is this gentleman bothering you, Vod?” he asked Sister. His voice was lazy and raspy.
“Hey, Wooley.” She smiled, her hand still busy pushing back the kid’s wrist. “We’re just having a little disagreement.”
“Well, it looks like I arrived just in time to meditate.” He addressed the attacker. “Hey you, I want you to take a good look at this woman. She’s my sister , understand? We served together. This one saved my life more times than I can recall. We were both in Ghost Company. Do you even know how to kill a ghost, let alone two? You do not want me to have to choose between the two of you. Because she’s closer than family.” He frowned sadly. “And motherfucker, I don’t know you.”
He said the slur flatly, as if it was more a fact. As if the only thing he knew about this young man was that he was the sort of person who went skuttling around fucking people’s mothers. The message and intention did come through and slowly the kid disentangled himself from Sister and backwards-crawled towards his bike closely escorted by Wooley’s pistol. Tepoh remained on edge despite the rescue but managed to get to zher feet. The kid drove off and for a few seconds Wooley gripped his piece firmly and breathed heavily through his nose in palpable anger. Then he helped Sister brush the dust off her clothes. “How’s it going, Sarge? Doubt that youngling was the reason you called.”
“Thanks for coming, Wooley.” They hugged. Then she gestured with an open palm in Tepoh’s direction. “This is Tepoh, zhe’s from Naboo.”
“Holy shit, that’s my favorite place!” He smiled and thrust his hands in his pockets. He had several gold teeth. He looked over at the Naboo like zhe was a new friend. “You know, I’m the reason Sister settled there. We used to handle the boredom and frayed nerves of patrols by daydreaming where we would retire after the war. And this one,” he pointed a thumb at Sister. “She would always say Christophsis. Like she would want to go back there after everything.”
“I liked the way the sunrises and sunsets would catch the crystal formations.” Sister interjected as a casual defense.
“But then we did go back there after Dooku and we blew it all to Hell with our artillery. Lots of places those crystals will take decades to regrow. And we don't have that kind of time. So I stuck to my party line. Naboo! The lakes, art, music, dancing. Finally came around, right partner?”
“Right… Look, Wooley, the ISB are after zher. The two of us need safe passage out of here.”
“Shit, all you need to do is ask.”
“Thanks.” Tepoh sighed.
“Thank Arthree for telling me where y‘all were.” The other two looked over at the droid. He looked pretty proud of himself. Wooley had set a very long gun case leaned against the mech.
“You brought Prudence with you?”
“Sis, you call me out here to this armpit with no explanation of what you were up against, and Pru does the persuasive talking for me.”
