End of the Line

[Siara Vorru]

@[member="Piraiba"] @[member="Crystal"]

“I don’t think you would screw me over no, but if you did I don’t care how many tricks you have you would be just as dead as the man we killed on Corellia. I also find it unlikely you would find a need to try and kill me, emphasis on try.” Siara stated fearlessly, she wasn’t easily scared anymore.

As the princess rose from here seat and started out of the room suggesting they go exploring together Siara followed keeping close by her side as she had noticed for the most part the pod people kept their distance which was certainly preferable. Stepping back into the outside air the Kiffar woman took a slow deep breath noting they were moving in toward the city away from the spaceport they had come into.

They approached a town square filled with soldiers in polished armor performing some form of formation marching, she dismissed the display and was about to suggest they keep moving when a rather large Togorian blocked their path. Cranking her head back Siara couldn’t help but take a large step back instinctively dropping for her holster. She relaxed a little as the two started a casual conversation though she didn’t like way the discussion was going and her displeasure was evident on her face.

“This Kiffar is no kitten, you would do well to remember that big guy, and I don’t appreciate the implication I am some kind of pet.” Siara glared up at the big being intently. There was little doubt the big Togorian could easily rip the much smaller Kiffar woman in half but Siara wasn’t going to start things off wrong.

 

[Piraiba]

The Togorian nodded to Crystal after her response.

"Piraiba is well and heals fast. Kalee has some of his best soldiers on display in the square. For motivation or morale or something like that."

Then Siara's response gave the feline some measure of pause. The large creature turned back to the woman slowly and craned his head ever so slightly as if to demonstrate confusion. "Not a kitten?"

The hearty laughter that followed might have been of some shock to her though Piraiba's compatriots wouldn't have been the least bit phased. The Togorian had a booming bass filled voice that could probably best be described as almost demonic. The ability to whisper was essentially non existent.

"Father still calls this one a pup. This one is not a dog, but that is how father is. Would you prefer pup over kitten?"

There was another pause before the cat curled his lips into a toothy smile and gave the Kiffar woman a good friendly pat on the shoulder. Granted a pat from a Togorian had a little more impact than usual. "This one just teases. Piraiba will call you Siara or Beautiful."

@Crystal @Siara Vorru

 

[Crystal]

@Piraiba @[member="Siara Vorru"]

Crystal was pleased to hear that Siara didn't believe she was going to screw the Kiffar over. She was slightly amused that she didn't think Crystal was capable of killing her easily. It didn't matter though. It wasn't as though their arrangement was one based on fear. She wouldn't fault the woman for expressing herself. The Sith Princess did have her limits however.

She almost laughed as Siara took offense to Piraiba's jesting. It was tempting to enlighten her of his jesting, but it would be more fun to see how the situation played out. It was unlikely to get out of hand. After all, the giant cat could knock both of them on their asses with one swat.

The Sith Master was also pleased to hear that Piraiba was doing well. And, she even got her curiousity about the goings on in the town square satisfied. She waited for Siara and Piraiba to finish their banter before speaking again.

 

[Siara Vorru]

As the Togorian responded to both of them Siara looked at the soldiers parading the square she smirked and commented offhandedly. “In my experience the best soldiers are rarely wasted on activities like this, these soldiers are probably simply the best at parading, which really isn’t the mark of a good soldier.”

As Paraiba patted her on the back she couldn’t help but brace herself, Siara knew his size would grant him a great deal of strength. She hadn’t anticipated the amount of power he had been able to casually put into the pat on her back and it caused her to stumble just slightly. She recovered gracefully as she looked back at the big Togorian and she shook her head. “No not a kitten, kittens are cute and cuddly which I wouldn’t use as terms to describe myself. As for what you can call me, I would prefer my name, but beautiful works just fine.”

“So if someone was looking for a place to bunk down until their next mission where would that someone go?” Siara asked Piraiba as apparently Crystal didn’t know. “Doesn’t have to be fancy as long as one has easy access to the depths of depravity.”

 

[Crystal]

@[member="Siara Vorru"] @[member="Piraiba"]

Crystal glanced over at the Kiffar woman when she spoke of the soldiers. It didn't seem to be the wisest thing for her to say at that moment....

And she laughed a little when Piraiba knocked her off balance. She recalled being underneath Piraiba in a mine and relief when she wasn't crushed like a grape. Siara seemed to be loosening up, which was nice.

But it didn't last. They were right back to business. She waited for a response from the twice her size kitty.

 

[Vascious Relens]

"The mark of a good soldier," came the male voice of a newcomer, "is discipline."

A large armored figure clad in battered mandalorian plate armor moved around the Togorian to get a better look at Crystal and Siara. The newcomer was tall for a human at around 6'8", but that still paled in comparison to the Togorian despite his heavy shocktrooper build. A worn and tattered black cloak hung behind the man like a cape.

The mandalorian's attention was first on Siara as she was the originator of the comment about his soldiers. It quickly turned to Crystal as the man awarded her a slight nod of acknowledgement. Admittedly the Sith Princess didn't make the greatest first impression with the Aesir, but he did come to eventually respect her for her involvement in the needs of the crusade. Whether or not the Sith Master had ulterior motives for for her involvement had yet to be seen.

Piraiba too only got the briefest of nods before he turned his attention back toward Siara once more.

"I am Aesir Kalee. Have you come to ply your trade for the Crusade? You seem the mercenary type from your stance."

@Crystal @[member="Siara Vorru"]

 

[Siara Vorru]

@[member="Vascious Relens"] @[member="Crystal"]

Doing a once up and down of the armor clad figure she returned to looking up at him. He had clearly been through a lot in the armor he wore, or at least that was the image he was projecting. She leaned in towards Crystal and spoke softly though likely loud enough for the other two to hear. “They breed em big around here don’t they?” Siara commented offhandly to Crystal. “They putting something in the water or something? If they are let me know, I would rather keep my figure exactly how it is.”

Returning to addressing the big man directly Siara responded to his first statement. “You can have all the discipline the world and that will certainly make for good cannon fodder on a battlefield but the ability to parade around a square in formation does not represent skill on the battlefield. I have no doubt these soldiers are good but I truly doubt any of those here would be classified as amongst the greatest, again as I was saying before you decided to step into the middle of the conversation is that the best of the best are rarely wasted on activities like this. If I had the best of the best at my command they would be nearly permanently assigned behind enemy lines advancing my cause in some way, at the very least they would be on the front lines not here parading around a square, but who am I to say what you should do with your soldiers.”

Clearly a woman of strong opinions Siara wasn’t afraid to share them with anyone, though she didn’t really have any concept of who she was speaking with she wouldn’t have been intimidated into silence regardless of whom she was speaking with.

“Mercenary is such an ugly term, I prefer free agent, credits just makes it easier to live a life of comfort when not out fighting someone else’s battles. If someone was willing to provide me with everything I could possibly want without taking credits in exchange I would just as happily fight as if I were paid but sadly the galaxy operates on credits and thus I have to earn a living.” Siara smiled sweetly up at the Mandalorian. “As for how I carry myself that comes from too much experience with bad employers, all of whom have met an early end because they were too short sighted to see my abilities for what they were truly worth. I am Siara by the way, Siara Vorru, and I have come at the suggestion of Crystal that my skills are worth something here.”

 

[Vascious Relens]

Everyone was entitled to their opinion, and Vascious waited quite patiently as Siara expressed hers. The mandalorian placed his hands behind his back just under his cloak. That was typically what he did as he stood in place, but it was also where he hid his lightsabers if needed.

Truthfully neither woman would see emotional reaction to the potentially offensive words. Whether or not he smiled in amusement of snarled in disgust was completely hidden by that lifeless and impersonal helmet. It was the classic mandalorioan t-shaped black visor that stared at Siara without even so much as the courtesy of a reflection of herself. Even Crystal would have difficulty trying to pick up on any subtle force signature changes. Vascious simply didn't really seem the least bit perturbed by the direction of the conversation.

It wasn't until the Kiffar finished that Kalee took a moment to finally gaze towards Crystal and Piraiba to see if they had anything to add. "Crusader Carter, I see you're picking em young off the vine these days." A light almost inaudible chuckle escaped the Aesir's helmet before he turned to Siara and calmly raised a hand to pacify her.

"My dear there is really no need to justify or rationalize your choices to me. You sell your life for credits. I also did this when I was your age. The Crusade has need of such people like yourself. Unfortunately I do not believe you have yet been in a situation where the lives of millions of your people were depending on your ability to judge a soldiers quality or to coordinate armies. Still I have no doubt that you are most excellent with that rifle. The pay is good if you survive, and I will notice you if you excel. That is the best I will offer you until then."

The man lowered his hand and placed it back behind his back.

"Of course you can always try to kill me if you find me to be an unfair employer. However, I must warn you that you've likely never worked for anyone like Crusader Carter or myself. If you feel like you have nothing to learn from us then merely unsling your weapon and raise it."

The Sith master's voice was level and soft as he spoke while that lifeless and unsettling black t-shaped visor still peered down at her.

[member="Siara Vorru"] [member="Crystal"]

 

[Crystal]

[member="Vascious Relens"] [member="Siara Vorru"]

Crystal returned the Aesir's nod and allowed the two to get acquainted before intervening. She was very tempted to slap the kiffar woman beside her, but instead let her deal with the consequences of her lack of a filter. Instead, she spoke two words in the woman's mind

~Tread carefully.~

Of course the woman didn't listen to her warning, and continued to run her mouth when it would have been better just to shut it. Luckily for her, the Aesir didn't seem to mind her running her mouth. When the Aesir addressed her again, she nodded in agreement. "Yes, it would seem so. Perhaps not old enough to be set in her ways however..." as she trailed off, she looked to Siara again.

The Sith Princess had to smile at the Aesir's suggestion that Siara could attempt to kill them. She didn't believe the woman foolish enough to do so when surrounded by beings that could kill her with thoughts, and with an army that was not just for display. Her employment would be very brief if she did try it, as would the remainder of her life. Hopefully her silent warning earlier would ring a warning bell for the Kiffar woman.

 

[Siara Vorru]

Watching the big armored man carefully Siara figured he had some form of weapon behind his back but she didn’t feel the need to reach for her own. If he wanted her dead she would not have had any opportunity to react, there was enough of a presence around her that even if she did manage to draw her weapon and by some miracle surprise and kill the big man she wouldn’t last long herself. Knowing those odds and feeling no particular desire to die today the small Kiffar woman smirked up at [member="Vascious Relens"] if she wanted to kill someone the element of surprise would be on her side.

Having heard the warning in her head she chose to ignore it, she had warned Crystal she didn’t want anyone playing any tricks with her head when she had first met the Sith woman on Corellia and though she apparently meant well the Kiffar woman was not impressed. She didn’t listen to the voices in her own head she sure as hell wasn’t going to heed a voice that didn’t belong there.

“You are correct I have never been in such a situation but I have seen my fair share of good and bad soldiers and though I have not dealt with millions I have little doubt I could assess the skills of any soldier pretty quickly. I also didn’t say these beings parading around the square are not good soldiers, simply not the best present, after all I am standing here.” Siara giggled at her own joke.

“It would be pointless to attempt to kill you right here and now, not only do I have no reason for it but there is likely a great deal I can learn from yourself and others around here, perhaps someone could start with how to keep a force user from planting thoughts in my head.” Giving [member="Crystal"] a short glance so she knew that was meant as a warning Siara looked back to the big man for his response.

 

[Vascious Relens]

In the end [member="Siara Vorru"] managed to break through the Mandalorian's calm yet potentially deadly exterior. The man bellowed out a laugh as something the mercenary said seemed to tickle his funny bone.

"No my dear i'm afraid there isn't enough training in the world to keep all these women from planting their thoughts in your head. Ah I did need a good laugh though," added the man with a sigh as he winded down from his amusement.

There was a lengthy pause as the Aesir gazed down at the Kiffar again as if sizing her up. Then he finally just simply nodded before speaking again. "These are some of my best soldiers, but they are not the very tip of the spearhead so to speak. I have a mission coming up that will be quite profitable for you. We're going hunting in the Silken Asteroids soon. You can go in with my squad. It should prove to be a very explosive experience."

[member="Crystal"]

 

[Crystal]

[member="Siara Vorru"] [member="Vascious Relens"]

Crystal was pleased that her faith in her new companion was not unwarranted. The woman had the good sense not to poke the bear. Perhaps she knew what was bad for her health. And she seemed to be getting along rather well with the Aesir. That was good to see. If she enjoyed the people in the Crusade, as Crystal did, she would hopefully feel welcome and want to stick around a while.

It wasn't until Siara's very last comment that she cracked a grin. And the Aesir's laugh was infectious, so she too was laughing. Only until he spoke though, then she simply stood grinning. "A good one indeed."

He spoke of their next mission, which delighted her. She didn't enjoy long periods of idleness anymore. She looked to Siara.

"Your first mission ought to be a doozey." She grinned. Explosive certainly sounded fun.

 

[Siara Vorru]

"Good, sooner I am away from here and out earning extra bucks the better, and as long as we understand each other that the more explosive we are talking the more hazard pay that will line my pockets I am all for it." Siara grinned up at the big man. "I should probably use a few of these credits to upgrade my gear a bit, some of it is a bit dated. It would be helpful to have a sense of what we will be facing out there so I can prepare properly."

Siara knew her armor was a little rough and depending on what they would be going up against she would have to make some modifications to her standard kit. She doubted force users would be involve themselves in anything but conflict with other force users for the most part. She had never personally faced a force user, in fact before just a few days ago she had never even met one, she would have to figure something to give her an edge against them since she didn't have the benefit of their tricks. She didn't figure Crystal would be willing to reveal her secrets to give the mercenary an edge against a force user as it could be used against the Sith woman at some point.

 

[Crystal]

[member="Siara Vorru"] [member="Vascious Relens"]

Crystal laughed. Money was of no consequence to her, which she'd made clear when meeting the Kiffar woman. "Well, we're likely to face other Force Users. There isn't much that you can do to shield your mind but be mindful of your thoughts. You can however, wear lightsaber resistant armor. But, that still won't help keep your head on your shoulders. Stealth will most certainly be your greatest ally."

She looked to the Aesir. "Any suggestions?"

 

[Vascious Relens]

Suggestions? Vascious had probably forgotten more armor and weapon configurations than most men would ever know. Unfortunately he couldn't stick around much longer. To be an Aesir meant that every eye was always on you. It really was a burden, but it was a price he gladly paid to support Amorella and Solaiel in their 'career' choice.

"Perhaps later we can speak more on this. I have some vintage Corellian Whiskey we can enjoy by the fire. I'm interested in hearing your story Miss Voru. I'll leave Crusader Relens here to assist as you get settled into our humble city." The Mandalorian then gestured over towards Piraiba so they knew who he was referring to.

Aesir Kalee finished by giving each of the two women a nod of his head before heading back towards his soldiers who were waiting to march out of the square.

@Crystal @Siara Vorru

 

[Piraiba]

"This one does not listen to the thoughts of others in this one's mind," added the Togorian finally after the Aesir started to leave. The Togorian had been suspiciously silent and still while the Mandalorian had been there.

"Can you wear heavy armor? Piraiba could show you how to kill force users."

The creature grinned from one side of his head to the other with massive teeth exposed at the prospect.

[member="Siara Vorru"] [member="Crystal"]

 

[Siara Vorru]

Nodding slightly as Vascious excused himself Siara watched the big man disappear into the crowd, she decided now as a good of a time for a cigarette as any as she reached into her pocket to pull one out and light it. She looked at the big Togorian and smirked as she took a drag from her smoke and blew it out, that small action relaxed her immensely, she didn't realize how tense she had become since landing on this world with Crystal a few days prior.

"Good you wouldn't want to read my thoughts anyway, far too disturbing for the average being." Siara giggled and continued. "I can wear heavy armor but I prefer something lighter so I can use my natural agility to it's greatest effect, I find that the heavier armor impedes my ability to move and slows me down overall. But I would be most interested in any tips on how to kill a force user, could be a useful skill in the future."

[member="Piraiba"] [member="Crystal"]

 

[Crystal]

[member="Siara Vorru"] [member="Piraiba"]

Crystal nodded in return and response to the Aesir's suggestion. "We would be pleased to join you later." She listened to Piraiba, turning in his direction once the Aesir had left.

"I do, regularly. Not even purposely. It's a gift." Crystal smiled a little. "As for teaching her to kill Force Users, I would like to see that." And she grinned too.

Crystal tilted her head slightly as she listened to the conversation between the two of them. She didn't concern herself with armor, so she knew nothing helpful and thus had nothing to contribute to the present topic of discussion.