As Thick As Pletik Soup [Asher]

[Abaigeal E'ron]

She pulled her legs up curling them under herself, settling comfortably on the seat. “I’ll go and get us something to eat soon”, she said a little absent minded.

The details of her plan were something to be worked out later, if he was to agree with it, that was the first hurdle. And her idea would probably much longer to accomplish but it might just last the longest before a new power would be put in place of the last.

“Well, we can take out the head, and the hand and mostly likely war between the groups would open up. It would cause a lot of danger to the people on the levels, but I think all that would happen would that when it finished, it would go back to the same thing. Either the Tears would win or the Claws, if the Claws did that would just give them more power over more levels, if that happened…”, she trailed off not really wanting to think about how life would be down in the lower levels with them in power of pretty much everything.

Geal unravelled herself and leaned forward her elbows resting on his knees. “When I said destabilise them, I meant from within not without”, she looked for Asher to find is eyes and make certain he knew she was serious.

“If we could gain control of the Tears, we control what they do. Which means that one of us is to join them”. There it was, the idea of going in undercover and taking the group. “We still have to take out the head and the hand, only to be replaced with us”. The Tears could be cleansed of the thugs, could become a group that not terrorises the people of the lower levels but rather, helps them.

[member="Asher"]​

 

[Asher]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

It wasn’t what he expected, that was for sure. A silence spread through the room as he pondered what she meant and what she was saying. Of course, what she was saying was right there and clear as day but it wasn’t what he had expected. To infiltrate a gang wasn’t all that easy, and especially so if you just happened to kill one of their leaders. Abaigeal had the shot to do it, but for Asher that train had most likely already passed.

“So you mean that you would try to join the Tears.” He said and took a seat, clearly bothered by the idea. “It could work.” He paused. “... Could also backfire horribly.”

There had been enough times when people he had known was forced into a so-called ‘thug life.’ Where they had felt the need for the protection of something greater before they inevitably ended up just being a part of the problem they had tried to escape. Many paid with their lives, if not at the hands of others then at the hands of themselves. Drugs, suicide, and manslaughter.

“I don’t know about that.” He said and frowned. “I would be even more of a liability for you then. Undoubtedly, you would have to come for me eventually to ‘prove yourself.’ Or something.”

“Not that I have a better idea, of course.” Asher said and looked around the room. “Neither does anyone else, so…”

He looked at Abbie. “Up to you what you want to do.”

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

“It could go horribly wrong, most likely would go horribly wrong, if we don’t plan it out properly”, she finally spoke up and the fact he was most concerned was not lost on her. He had every right to be, this was no joking matter. “Asher, we are a partnership and I value your opinion on this and if you think it will not work, then we don’t do it”. She leaned forward to look him in the eyes as he finally sat down.

“We don’t need to make a decision about this tonight, there is still much to think about and if we take it step by step, plan it out to see if it is viable, only then do we green light it or not”. They couldn’t start immediately anyway, they did not have the necessary resources to pull off something like this, nor the contacts. They would need to make some strong and reliable contacts in the Tears before moving forward.

Geal has other thoughts as to if Asher was someone they would be interested in, “I am not sure you would be a liability and if we play it right, the two of us could join the Tears”, her mind working on the problem. “You killing one of the leaders, might just be the ‘in’ we are looking for. You know… executing an order given to you from a high up”, she was speaking her thoughts loud.

“Some one that has something to offer the Tears they don’t already have”. Geal pointed to herself.

What would that be though? What could the Tears need that they could ‘provide’. Ash is probably right, this was a bad idea.

[member="Asher"]​

 

[Asher]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

His head bobbed up and down. They needed to think this through before they did anything. Asher rose from his seat and began to rub his hand against his brows. This was subterfuge and deception with a heavy risk of failing spectacularly. It was their reputation on the line, and in reality that was all Asher had left. To jeopardize that did not roll with him all that well.

The hand on his forehead lifted by his side. His mouth opened to speak but was quickly withdrawn.

“I’d rather we just kill them.” He said after a short moment of silence. “For what they have done, for who they have taken.”

“Rather die on my feet than in a deception.”

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

For a while, Geal sat watching Asher as he stood there stewing over the idea. Maybe she was over complicating this, over thinking it although she believed they could do it. But she is not alone, Asher is her partner in all this and she could tell he was not on board. Her method would take longer to achieve, if it succeeded, his faster if it succeeded but the outcome of either plan was not clear, it was speculation at this point.

But one thing she did know, she did not want to place him in a position that he was not willing to do and so she stood up and moved to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Then that is the end of it", she simply said, "We do it your way". She managed a smile, after all they had only just hit on this idea hours ago and nothing was firm as to what their next step should be.

"We are both tired, and hungry", the night already had been testing on them both. "I'll get us something to eat, you stay here this time", she looked at him and would not brook any arguement this time. She let her arm drop and moved to the door, it would not take her long to find a food stall and get some takeaway, she would be back before he knew it.

​

​

[member="Asher"]​

 

[Asher]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

Really wasn’t any use arguing it. Nothing had been set in stone and they hadn’t actually decided one way or the other yet. Although she said that they would do it his way, Asher wasn’t sure if this was the end of the discussion, at least not for him internally. Murder had never been premediated for him, more of a means for survival. What they were talking about was not just the murder of a single person but the upheaval of an entire power structure. One that held them in its grasp, too.

He blew a chuckle out of his nose as she mentioned food.

“Yeah, yeah. Just make sure to get us some water.” He said before shortly thereafter shout at her through the door. “And other drinks, too!”

The door closed and that left Asher alone in a dusty old apartment that hadn’t seen use in a long while. Didn’t quite compare to his apartment down in 1313 though. Then again, given what he had just done, that particular apartment was most likely torn to shreds already. It was the dangers of kicking a Nexu in the head as it slept. Retaliation was usually instant.

Still, as a man of standards Asher wouldn’t stand to sleep in a dirty room. Abaigeal had seen his apartment once, maybe twice. For someone as carefree, he always kept his homes clean. Or at least as clean as anything could get on the lower levels. It was an obsession in reality. Asher hated filth, and the fact that he more often than not lived in it made him uneasy.

Making the rounds he began to dust off the furniture. By the time Abaigeal was back he’d be well on his way to swab the floors already.

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

The walk to the Atrisian noodle bar was not straight forward even though it was only half a block away. She took the long way, just in case. And she was right, a couple of Tears thugs lingered by the elevators, more by the stairs leading down to the lower mezzanine and some patrolling the walkway trying to blend in. Geal just kept her head down, kept walking until she rounded the platform coming to the bar from the other direction. The walk back, equally as long.

A bag in one hand, bottles under the other arm, she entered the small safe house to find Asher cleaning, she hid a smirk as the door closed behind her. "I see you have been busy", she placed the bag food on the small table, "Water as requested", she added and added the six pack of beer along side it. Water was more expensive than beer.

From the now clean kitchenette, she grabbed some plates, cutlery and glasses and set up the meal before sitting heavily. Filling her plate, she looked around the room, already his work had improved the place, he was really thingy about neatness which she supposed was a good thing. A good eye for detail, is what that told her, which is very handy in their line of 'work'.

"Come on sit down and eat, worry about that all later", besides he had a couple of days cooped up in this place before they could go to their homes. She stabbed her folk into the food and took her first bite, it tasted so good and her stomach thanked her for it.

"They're still out there", she informed him, of something he would already know.

[member="Asher"]

 

[Asher]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

The water he used was dirty from the start, but the nearly industrial solvent probably helped fix that to some extent. The apartment smelled of chlorine by the time Abaigeal came back. It wasn’t some kind of rosy smell, but at least it told enough of a story to let you know that the germs were disintegrated under the gentle sweep of a mop. The soaked fabric on the floor continued to move back and forth even by the time Abaigeal was back, and upon her request he gave her a quick look before he went back to it.

“Rather not leave this half-done.” He said without really looking over. The food pushed against the smell of the chemicals in the water, but sure enough even Asher had to stop what he was doing to eat. With a whiff of the food he decided to call it. There were some spots left untouched, but at least the kitchen area was as clean as it ever had been for the last few months.

“As was to be expected, right?” He said and put the mop aside by the kitchenette. Portion in hand he took his seat by his friend and dug in as well. “There are maintenance shafts that could come in handy if we end up in a real pinch. The vent rats probably wouldn’t mind, as long as we paid.”

Vent rats being children who had not yet grown big enough for the ventilation shafts to be too cramped. They even ran a pretty solid racket out of it, Asher had to admit he had always been impressed.

“You know, it’s funny that they label this as meat.” Asher said and held up a small bit of what looked like meat from his food up before him. “It has the same nutrients, even the same flavor, but it’s all grown on huge plantations in the Expansion Region.”

“... At least so Captain Windsworth claimed last I saw him down at the docks.”

Wasn’t unheard that when things got too heated Asher disappeared. Sometimes off-world, other times a few thousand blocks down the road. The former was far more rare than the latter. It depended on the jobs, really.

“Really puts things into perspective when you think about it like that, you know?” He said and turned to Abaigeal. “Whole galaxy out there, yet we are all crammed together down here like… That thing you mentioned once. The canned fish.”

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

Geal had half her meal gone by the time Asher began to speak about the meat, this made her slow to a crawl as she picked at it, turning over the meat. She put it down on the table favouring the beer instead. Pulling her legs back up under her on the fabric seat, she set herself comfortable as she might as well, considering this would also be her bed for the night.

“We might just have to go via the vents, I have a feeling Tears are going to be on the look out for you for a while”, she grinned before taking a long drink.

She sat silently for a moment and tried to imagine what Coruscant was like before all this structure was piled on top of it. It was a dead planet really, a lump of rock that was home to countless people, and all the necessities that went with it. It was hard to find any history that dated back to when the planet was void of all this metal jungle, Geal imagined it to be a beautiful lush planet filled with life and fresh.

“Yeah you are right. I am not sure why there had been such abject population imposed on Coruscant. They call it the Jewel but to be honest, I am not sure why”. It was anything but a jewel, especially to those people living down in the lower levels. Geal knew that Asher had travelled off world, she never knew to where, and he would have seen many places that had considerably less people on it. She was always amazed he returned, he would easily be able to make a great life for himself.

“Can I ask you something?”, she stretched out placing the beer on the table and taking up her food once more, “Why do you stay here?, you are clever Asher, why not make a life for yourself somewhere else”.

[member="Asher"]​

 

[Asher]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

The Jewel of the Galaxy was a name used by those who lived to see the skies above Coruscant. Those shimmering lights had a way of getting to them, seemed to make the ego grow. As Asher continued to eat his food he felt the silence linger for a bit. Abaigeal had something she wanted to ask him. Of course, she hadn’t said it but he could tell. As the question hit him he found himself looking down into his food before he looked up at his friend.

“Nobody ever tries to make a change around here.” He said with a hesitant shrug. “The gangs tear up the streets over scraps and people accept that as if it is the natural state of things.”

Asher took a sip of his drink before he continued.

“You are right, I am clever enough to make it off this rock, but I am— we, are also one of the few people trying to make a change and make people see that it doesn’t have to be like that.” He then turned towards Abaigeal to return fire. “What about you? If anyone can make it out of here and prosper it would be you, yet you choose to be here. Why?”

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

She had had enough of her food and placed the box on the table and took up her beer again. Geal decided to walk what little space they had in the safe house and sipped as she did. She could feel the onset of food coma, and the fatigue of the day set in, so to the cupboard she went to gather a couple of blanket each. They had a musty scent but not covered in dust like the rest of the place, until Asher got to work.

"Here", she threw him one. Yes she was avoiding the topic until she could no longer. "I have seen too much change", she added but would not expand on it, she was mainly speaking about herself.

Geal sat back down again letting her weight find comfort in the seat. "Initially, I came here to vanish, hide myself to deal with some stuff", she spread the blanket over her legs as she tucked them back up under herself. "But there is only so much hiding you can do before life finds you again. And it was one of these times that made me realise that things can change and one day walking the levels I could see that there was much need for change right here. I am only one person, the galaxy can do without me but down here I might, we might, just be able to make a difference", she looked at him, "One that might actually matter".

"We maybe fighting a loosing battle, but at least it will be on own terms". Not at the whim of an entire galaxy. There were flaws in this of course, she knew that better than anyone.

​

​

[member="Asher"]​

 

[Asher]

[member="Abaigeal E'ron"]

Part of him figured he knew this. Just as many people came to the lower level to hide as there were people trying to escape from it, or so it seemed some days. Some people stayed for the lawlessness, some stayed because they had no choice, and some were merely staying on their slow descent into the madness that grew exponentially deeper the further down you got. 1313 was the turning point after which those who had managed to descend that far, usually never saw a return.

“Yeah.” Asher mulled over his words as he began to shake off the blanket. “Die on your feet, or don’t die at all.”

It was unusually big words for someone so small. As much as Asher would have wanted to believe he would live as he said, he knew that given the option to run away he would most likely take the latter. At least until then he lead a pretty good life, given the circumstances of his situation.

With the blanket strewn across his chest and legs he leaned back against the rough pillows of the couch.

“Maybe one day, the top-siders will start giving a chit.” Asher said and yawned. “Until then, people like us are all the people have.”

 

[Abaigeal E'ron]

The lower levels, out of sight out of mind. Geal wondered if that day would come that the top siders would care enough to do something about the lawlessness of the what laid beneath their feet. It hasn't happened yet, will all the change of governments that Coruscant has seen over it's long history not one of them tried, not with any real conviction. She had to chuckle at this comment about dying on your feet, or not at all, she would prefer not to die not for a long time, you are no good to anyone dead, but she saw his point.

With a twist she placed the empty beer bottle down and settled into the soft seat, pulled the lever to pop up the extension to stretch her legs out and covered herself with her blanket. It was going to be an uncomfortable night, nights until they can make their way back to Head Quarters.

"Maybe people like us is all they need", she said softly as she began to drift off to sleep. What they truly needed was hope, and know how to act upon it. The light at the end of the tunnel, literally and figuratively in the case of the people of the lower levels.

​

​

[member="Asher"]​

​

​

​

The end.​