United We Stand

[Astor]

"You may be the finest acrobat on the planet, but you can't jump out of a moving spaceship."

 

"Well, there was this one time, in orbit of Alderaan..." He grinned.

 

Vynn laughed. He could tell having Zarena around would remove the tedium of being on a ship full of Jedi. But she had a point. There wasn't anywhere to escape to in hyperspace.

 

Suddenly he got a mental picture of him and Zaerna, stood in the middle of the ship, with their companions lying on the floor, having finally tore each other apart.

 

I hope not... He didn't have the credits to pay for funerals.

 

"So what shall we do today?" He said, looking at Zarena with his customary smile.

[DrPhil2501]

As Jaq entered the cantina, he found Bail sitting behind the counter; begining the first stage to possibly getting hammered with Coreilian Ale.

 

Jaq sat next to him and ordered a drink. "<sigh> Sith blood joining the squad. This'll be interesting... though I wonder if their arrogance will endanger the mission."

 

He took a swig from his Jirly Juice. "I mean to me, all sith are just the same... no matter how different they may be. I don't trust them..."

[patient_zero]

"So what shall we do today?"

 

"Well, we've still got a full day to cause mischief on the streets of Coruscant." Zarena was getting used to having a smile stuck on her face as she chatted to Vynn. She imagined it'd make all the difference once they were off Coruscant, when there would be a limited supply of cantinas she could disappear into to escape "the mission".

 

"Much as I love all the spiritual attractions, I think we should just hit the entertainment district. Try the house drinks at as many Cantinas as possible, sneak into a holovid showing and spoil the ending, tease some deathstick dealers. Anything, really."

[Nymf...]

"<sigh> Sith blood joining the squad. This'll be interesting... though I wonder if their arrogance will endanger the mission."

 

He took a swig from his Jirly Juice. "I mean to me, all sith are just the same... no matter how different they may be. I don't trust them..."

 

"Tell me about it. Betrayal is the way of the Sith, it's retarded to have them amongst us. But then again, I don't trust anyone on this quest. Truth to be told I trust you the most, which of course is a paradox. I mean I killed your people in a war, and your people killed my people. And now I trust you more than others... But then again, Mandalorians are quite loyal, even as mercs. Oh and ofcourse Zarena seems nice."

"Bartender, Refill!" He turned back to Jaq. "And you should be wise not to trust anyone."

[Niftyeye]

Sergeant Drexel sighed, knowing that despite the differences, one of the most important lessons for a team was to trust and rely on eachother, but truth be told, he didnt feel comfortable with Jedi and Mandalorians on the mission, atleast Mandalorians had a code of honor.

 

He knew that sith had a reputation for betrayel and hate, but that was the force sensitive part, no one seemed to have a clue about the Sith Military, why it fought, not for the Sith or for conquest, but for the men fighting alongside you... he secretly hoped to get on better terms with the others.

 

Atleast it was the Republic members of the team complaining about having sith on the team, it said something about their state of mind.

[Astor]

"Much as I love all the spiritual attractions, I think we should just hit the entertainment district. Try the house drinks at as many Cantinas as possible, sneak into a holovid showing and spoil the ending, tease some deathstick dealers. Anything, really."

 

"You're the boss-lady" He said, turning around to head back into the temple.

 

"I'll go get us some transport". He sprinted up the steps, and made his way to the garage hangar. He hoped he hadn't offended Zarena by just leaving her standing there.

 

Within minutes, he'd found the speeder he'd taken the previous day - he was surprised it was still there. He leaped in, and roared back towards the plaza - and set it down only a few inches from where Zarena was stood.

 

"Your carriage awaits, m'lady"

[Cyborg Ninja]

"Typical Mandalorians, we crushed them only to be beaten by a Republic that was waiting to strike..." He said to him with a slight tone of anger.

 

"Good to have another sith around... I dont trust any of these."

 

The sith walked over to Kevak. Kevak looked at the sith's armor. He had seen so many sith soldiers and trained many as well.

 

"Mandalorians are the greatest warriors I know. A mandalorian was in my clan.

He taught me everything I know about unarmed combat, Not only that he taught me about his culture. They fight with valor and honor as all warriors should. Though Jaq may not trust me, I trust him. Wheter we want to admit it or not we are now family, united under one cause. I trust my family. I trained many sith soldiers in the mandalorian style. Tell me Sergeant Aeran did I train you?"

[DrPhil2501]

"But then again, Mandalorians are quite loyal, even as mercs.

 

"We mainly shown our loyalty to those worthy of it. Take Revan, for example. He had slain our great Mandalore the Ultamate, and almost destroyed our society with an Iron Fist! Yet we honour him a powerful warrior..."

 

"Oh and of course Zarena seems nice."

 

"The Zeltron chic? I suppose..." Jaq took another swig from his beverage. "Although I've given up on Zeltrons. Last time I hooked up with one, I woke up the next day in a rest room with no wallet or pants... I think she said she had a sister named Luxa"

 

To Jaq, looking back at it now was almost funny.

 

"And you should be wise not to trust anyone."

 

"Perhaps... but we could always just give 'em a chance. I was once a Mandalorian, but I changed. These Sith recruits could sought redemption..."

[patient_zero]

"I'll go get us some transport."

 

Zarena hovered around the street outside for a few minutes, impatient. Transport? Do the Jedi have a swoop garage I wasn't aware of? Soon enough Vynn returned, pulling up a few feet away from her in the speeder they'd stolen the night before.

 

"Your carriage awaits, m'lady."

 

"Why thank you, dear knight," she commented, her lips twisting into a sarcastic half-smile. She circled around the vehicle to the passenger door and hopped into her seat. Her shoulders tensed, she lifted her chin, she lofted her finger into the air and pointed it into the middle distance. She paused in this position for a few seconds, a smile creeping across her face, and then she spoke. "Onwards, to alcohol!"

[Nymf...]

"Perhaps... but we could always just give 'em a chance. I was once a Mandalorian, but I changed. These Sith recruits could sought redemption..."

 

"No, no...the Sith wont change. Their main belief is, the Survival of the strongest, and should be leader. Much like some animals. Anyway, this means that if William shows weakness..." Bail shook his head "...things could get pretty nasty. You want another one of those girly drinks? My threat!" Bail said with a big smile on his face.

[Niftyeye]

((( Ill probably make up a few names here cyborg to reflect the old sith days these 2 might of shared, whether you want to know the NPCs or not is up to you. )))

 

"Mandalorians are the greatest warriors I know. A mandalorian was in my clan.

He taught me everything I know about unarmed combat, Not only that he taught me about his culture. They fight with valor and honor as all warriors should. Though Jaq may not trust me, I trust him. Wheter we want to admit it or not we are now family, united under one cause. I trust my family. I trained many sith soldiers the mandalorian. Tell me Sergeant Aeran did I train you?"

 

The sergeant listened intently to the Sith's talk about Mandalorians, then suddenly snapped when he was asked the question, his tone took on a more strict and sharp manner, as if he was responding to a superior Officer and not a companion.

 

"I dont Sir, our unit was trained by a Sith Knight known as 'Scar', we were not told his name, in the rare occurance let we might of been captured and told the Republic of more Sith... we had to refer to him as 'Master' though.. we wernt even users of the force and we were expected to repel things like lightning... we lost a lot of men that way. During one particular exercise... he pushed us so hard that I.. well... I was made a Sergeant for showing a 'strong survival instinct'.. but I guess thats a story for another time, Sir."

 

He lamented, even though the old sith days were long gone, Aeran still felt like he had to watch his mouth.. he feared the Sith as much as he feared the Jedi, but the Sith's resolve and charisma... it was probably the reason why so many troopers flung themselves into the breach to fight alongside their Sith masters.

[Astor]

"Onwards, to alcohol!"

 

That was a sentiment Vynn could agree with. The speeder lurched upwards, and pulled on the yoke so that it spun 180 degrees. With a quick pull on the accelerator, they were once again speeding through Coruscant.

 

Vynn didn't take the speeder back down to the lower levels. Instead, he flew to the entertainment district just south of the Senate district. He set the speeder down outside an expensive looking club, that had a few people queueing to get in.

 

As they got out of the speeder, a small Rodian gave him a ticket and flew it away, presumably to be parked. That, or he was a damn good thief.

 

"Well, you've seen some of the worst places that Coruscant has to offer, so let's see some of the best" He said, as he walked up towards the bouncer, a large Trandoshan.

 

"Get in the queue" it hissed, pointing the aforementioned line.

 

"We're VIPs. Special Invitation" Vynn replied, adding a slight wave of his fingers.

 

"You can go in" It said. "Leave Weapons here" He pointed to their bristling armament.

 

"We just did" Another wave of the fingers saw the door opened for them.

 

Vynn turned and winked at Zarena. "See? Easy when you know the right things to say"

[Cyborg Ninja]

"I dont Sir, our unit was trained by a Sith Knight known as 'Scar', we were not told his name, in the rare occurance let we might of been captured and told the Republic of more Sith... we had to refer to him as 'Master' though.. we wernt even users of the force and we were expected to repel things like lightning... we lost a lot of men that way. During one particular exercise... he pushed us so hard that I.. well... I was made a Sergeant for showing a 'strong survival instinct'.. but I guess thats a story for another time, Sir."

 

"Aeran you don't need to call me sir, you can call me Kevak.That's quite a remarkable thing you did Aeran. I would have done the same thing if I were you. That fool Scar may have not taught you in the proper way but you still had the courage to stick up for your family. That gives me nothing but respect for you. If your curious Scar's real name is Lucilius. He called himself Scar after I found out how he went about his teachings. I sliced the left side of his face with my vibrosword, so If that added to his brutal ways I'm sorry. I mean that, I think of Sith Soldiers as my brothers. They always go in to battle first ready to fight. Some force wielding sith could have learned alot from them."

[LordRevan123]

Having found his way into the cantina after taking the crowded public transportations. Looking around, he noticed the cantina was filled with different species and activities. He also noticed that all the members of the future crew were there.

 

William mentally sighed when he noticed that he only had 50 credits on him. "Guess I need to make some money," thought William. He finally decided to take his chances with swoop racing. Making his way over to the Hutt who controlled this event, William decided a good impression was needed. "If I act like I normally do, he probably won't let me race."

 

"Hey you," said William. 'This is completely out of character."

 

The Hutt looked at William straight in the eye, "What do you want soft skin?"

 

"To race ya fat slug."

 

The Hutt laughed and replied, "You've got spirit kid, I like that. I don't let people who want to race, race if they look like a gizka looking through the barrel of a blaster. Well, first you've gotta understand the buisness around here. There are three tiers in this system. The third tier gets you 200 credits, the second gets you 500, and the last one gets you 1000. I'm Fiva and if you don't pay your debts I get angry. So that said, do ya have your own bike?"

 

"Yeah, replied William. It's at the garage in the Jedi Temple."

 

"Oh, so you're some big Jedi now aren't ya," laughed Fiva. "Well I won't ask questions, best ya don't let one of your Masters find out. I'll send someone over and you'll be able to race soon."

[patient_zero]

This time, it would seem, Zarena would be visiting a different kind of Cantina. The entertainment district of the upper side of Coruscant was much cleaner and brighter than it had been down below, and some of the clubs had long queues stretching around the corner to get in. After they left the speeder, a Rodian took it away. Perhaps he was going to park it. Perhaps he was just the newest owner of one of the most stolen speeders on Coruscant. We can always nick another one if this one doesn't come back.

 

They spoke briefly with the bouncer. Vynn quickly convinced him that they were two special VIPs, VIPs who were carrying no weaponry whatsover. He turned to wink at her.

 

"See? Easy when you know the right things to say."

 

"You have no idea how many people want to become Jedi just so they can do that," she commented, smirking.

 

The Trandoshan bouncer opened the doors and nodded curtly as they passed through into the club. It was much quieter than the lower city's Cantinas, and was lacking the shockingly neon decor she was used to in bars. It was still abuzz with chatter, this time rising from crowds of socialites and stylish youths. She wouldn't say it was better, or worse, instead it was... different. But I bet they have good wine.

 

And so she stepped out into the room, eyes searching for the bar.

[Astor]

"You have no idea how many people want to become Jedi just so they can do that,"

 

"Oh, It has its uses. More than handy when your bank account's empty"

 

They walked through the door, and he looked around. The last time he saw this view, he was being dragged out by a Gammorean.

 

Vynn could see Zarena carefuly taking in the club around her. Looking for the bar, no doubt.

 

He saw a serving droid zip past, and he reached out for it. He just managed to catch it's arm as it went by.

 

"Two Reactor Cores, if you don't mind. And some Corellian ale to chase it"

 

Vynn sat down at a table, and motioned for Zarena to join him. The droid came back, with a tray contained the drinks he'd ordered. He picked up the Reactor Cores.

 

"If your skin wasn't already pink, this would soon change it" He said, gulping the drink down, in one slow, steady gulp.

[Niftyeye]

"Aeran you don't need to call me sir, you can call me Kevak.That's quite a remarkable thing you did Aeran. I would have done the same thing if I were you. That fool Scar may have not taught you in the proper way but you still had the courage to stick up for your family. That gives me nothing but respect for you. If your curious Scar's real name is Lucilius. He called himself Scar after I found out how he went about his teachings. I sliced the left side of his face with my vibrosword, so If that added to his brutal ways I'm sorry. I mean that, I think of Sith Soldiers as my brothers. They always go in to battle first ready to fight. Some force wielding sith could have learned alot from them."

 

Aeran looked at Kevak in surprise, although it wasnt visible from the faceless Sith helmet, he had never ever met a Sith like Kevak, he guessed Sith showed their 'tough' side to the troops, while the other side was for the person on the inside.

 

"Thankyou.. Kevak, but in a way the harsh training forged us into the Elite soldiers we later became, but he started choking one of the other troopers.. me and her were.. close, and without thinking I raised my rifle and gunned him to the floor.. she.. she didnt make it though.

 

You dont need to apologize for the way things turned out, the thing that matters is the past is behind us and we are still here.

 

And yeah.. you were a different kind of Sith, like Revan... you used your minds and assets instead of calling on the rage of the darkside and mindlessley slashing at the enemy, it could of been another reason we lost."

 

He finished saying, he looked around and noticed a lot of the group had disapeared on their separate ways.

 

"Umm.. I thought we were going on a mission to save the.." He didnt like to say it but he had to. "To save the 'Republic', not wandering off visiting every cantina around."

[DrPhil2501]

Jaq skulled the last of his drink. He handed the credits to the barkeep, and walked to exit the Cantina. He looked back at Bail.

 

"I better not... I'm heading back to the temple, but probably go look for some supplies first for our journey tommorow..."

 

He raised a hand in the air to say goodbye and exited the cantina. "I wonder what the others are up to?" Jaq wondered.

[Nymf...]

"I better not... I'm heading back to the temple, but probably go look for some supplies first for our journey tommorow..."

 

"Your funeral!" Bail said while watching Jaq leaving. Bail sat once again alone in the Cantina, restless. He couldn't wait for the quest to start, even if everything about it went to hell, it would still be better than just doing nothing. He finnished his ale and thought 'I probably wont be able to drink this in the near future either, if I'm going to pilot the ship...'

 

"Bartender, one more please!"

[Cyborg Ninja]

Kevak was quite imprssed by Aeran. The man had do kill someone to save someone he cared for and he was still able to make a joke, or what Kevak thought was a joke. Kevak decided it was time he too did something productive while on Coruscant.

 

"Well its no use letting the Jedi and mandalorian have all the fun. I plan on seeing if theres a tournament to participate in, or a weapons store nearby, would you like to come with me Aeran? You name any weapon you want and i'll buy it. Being an ex Sith Lord to the True Sith has its advantages, perhaps I'll get a discount," Kevak said as he laughed at his own joke.

[Niftyeye]

Aeran slightly smiled, still a bit wary of Kevak for the simple reason that he was a Sith Lord, or ex Sith Lord.

 

"Ok, lets go, I need to get this old Sith Carbine replaced anyway...." He quickly fell in behind Kevak as they headed off towards the shop.

 

He then started to feel slightly brave and delve into his past a little.

 

"So umm.. whats different about the True Sith? Do they still have guys like me apart of it?" He asked, a bit curious and wanting to know the enemy.

[LordRevan123]

"Alright," said Fiva. ""Your swoop bikes all ready to go and you better be to. Normally I would charge an 100 credit fee to maintain all the equipment around here, but I've got a good feeling about this. The time to beat is 00:36:04, which is a rookies time. Not bad, but I think you can do better. Now go!"

 

William grunted in reply and made the short trip unto the track. Hopping into a black swoop bike, he checked the systems and waited for the droid to the side to give him the signal. As soon as it was given, William blasted off. He knew that he could beat the time easily, but decided not to reveal his true potential.

 

The wind rushed over the bike as it made its way down the track with observers watching in the balconies, and holocameras projecting what was going on onto the cantina screens. Dodging all the obstacles and hitting some of the boost pads, William's final time was 00:32:12.

 

The fans gave a cheer as William made his way back to Fava the Hutt. Fava gave a loud laugh before saying, "Not bad softskin. I knew I had a good feeling about you. As agreed, you get 200 credits." Fava then handed over his debt which William accepted. "You won't be able to race for a while, but come see me later when you do."

 

William left the the swoop area and decided to look for something else to do.

[Cyborg Ninja]

((Feel free to take control of the zabrak if you want Niftyeye))

"Besides the fact that these new Sith Lords are extremely overconfident, not much changed. Soldiers that are willing to die for their comrades? No, these new soldiers are just as greedy and overconfident as the sith lords. Some of boys left when I did, and some stayed. I wish them the best of luck, and hope I don't have to meet them on the battlefield."

 

Kevak finally spotted the weapons store. He walked inside and began walking around. It had been a while since he had been in this store but the owner still recognized him.

 

"Lord Phobos welcome back to my weapons store," the zabrak said. "I think I have some weapons you might like."

 

The zabrak disapeared into the back. He returned moments later with a long rifle. They were not Kevak's favorite kind of weaponry.

 

"Do you have anything else?" Kevak asked.

 

The zabrak left again and returned with a heavy blaster pistol. Kevak could tell for it took two hands for the zabrak to carry. kevak picjed up the pistol with ease and held it in his hand. It had a firm grip and looked like it could pack a punch.

 

"That pistol is a good choice, It can do a good deal of damage on and armored person." The zabrak said with a hint of pride.

 

"It's perfect, I'll take two," Kevak replied.

 

"Anything else I can help you with Lord Phobos?" the zabrak asked.

 

"I'm fine for now, but you can help my friend Aeran here, that's if he needs it. Oh and show him the good stuff," Kevak added.

[Niftyeye]

(Yeah sure

 

Aeran had remained quiet, and noticed that the Zabrak acted perfectly normal around Sith Lords and Sith Troopers, which most people, especially on coruscant, wouldnt be glad to see.

 

"Well, I just need something better than this thing.." He said, holding up the battered carbine.

 

"Ah ha, I have just the thing" The zabrak quickly replied as he darted off to the back.

 

While he was waiting, Aeran looked at Kevak.

 

"How much longer do you think we are going to stay here before actually heading off?" He asked.

 

Then the zabrak returned, holding a blaster rifle that had a tint of murkey green.

"One of these, a Zabrak blaster cannon, cuts through flesh like the air and cuts through armour like butter, might even be able to give some of those Jedi a run for their money..."

 

"Ill take it" Aeran quickly replied looking forward to holding it, he quickly paid and held it, it felt a little more weighty than the carbine, but all in all, it looked fairly well looked after.

 

'I just hope the Zabrak keeps to his word.... they are known for being brutal' his line of thought was quickly broken when the Zabrak began to speak again.

 

"It also comes with a Tri-Light scope, the sort that lets you both zoom and target thin sections of armour, it also allows you to charge shots, although dont use that for your normal ammunition... its still fragile.

 

"Alright.. it will do." Replied Aeran dubiously, there was always a catch to weapons these days.

 

"Now just need to test it out... my years of combat experience tell me we'll be getting into a scrap soon." Aeran said in a much more relaxed tone to Kevak, he was feeling a lot more comfortable with the situation now, and for once felt tempted to stay on Coruscant for a bit and enjoy the atompasphere rather than worry about a mission....

[patient_zero]

Zarena caught the serving droid by the elbow and winked at it. Do droids even acknowledge winks? "A glass of nectarwine, please." She took her hand away and allowed it to scuttle on its way.

 

"If your skin wasn't already pink, this would soon change it."

 

Vynn was already drinking his way through the second Reactor Core when the droid toddled over with her glass. She thanked it with a smile and took a sip of her drink. She used to do it all the time to serving droids on Nar Shaddaa, as it would annoy whatever flyboy was looming over her arm. Soon enough, it had become habit.

 

"I prefer to start light. And then I end up downing mugs of Lum by nightfall and telling everyone I love them."

 

She cast her eye around the club. "It looks a lot better than the cantina, I'll give you that."