In better times on better days

[Kenrath]

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Alderaan was a beautiful place this time of year. Norin Kellarov was glad to be at home but at the same time he was going a bit stir crazy. Since he had chosen to be with his people at home instead of staying with the Republic when they broke away he had entirely too much down time. He wore his uniform half the time out of sheer habit than necessity.


Today however he was going to go to a place he had not been to in a long time. Back when he was still in the Republic there was a Cantina on the edge of the city that catered to the military community. A place where they could drink in relative peace without having to worry about watching what they said or worrying about the riff raff coming in. After all who in their right mind would start trouble in a bar full of people who could kill you in an instant with one hand.


Norin made his way inside shaking hands and slapping on the back people he knew in there. Almost all of them he knew but the ones he didn't at least he knew of them. Norin was dressed casually. Making his way over to his favorite booth off his the corner Norin ordered an Ale and pointed to his table so that it would be there when he got there. The war stories were already in full swing as towards the center of the place some soldiers were regaling acts of heroism.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren was not the same man that he was when he first joined the Republic, that's for damn sure. He was not the 'by-the-books' rifleman that was fresh out of OTS anymore. He had, changed, to say the least. The Sergeant pondered this thought of change as he took the next left corner tightly, his combat boots breaking the silence of this part of Alderaan with light thuds against the paved pathways. After taking this turn, he'd continue down an alley that resided behind two decent eating establishments..Places he knew oh too well as a child. Valkren was in this alley simply as a shortcut to an old 'hole in the wall' military bar that he first started attending while in the infantry, a bar he continued to visit when he was promoted and assigned to the rag-tag group of commandos known only as 'Saber Team.' This bar he was about to step into was possibly the only place besides his family's farmstead he actually pictured as home while deployed. The farmstead, how long had it been since he'd been back to see his mother and little sister? Too long since the dispersion of the Republic, due to his team's dropping off the grid directly after.

With the most of the Republic going, so did his hopes to find his father and brother again. Both members of the Galactic Republic way before Valkren joined himself, they had gone missing during a classified operation in an unknown sector, that being one of the reasons the Sergeant actually left Alderaan for the Republic. Well, that and for the credits wiring directly back to his family's account.

By this time Valkren had made his way to the door, blinking as he looked to the cantina's sign momentarily. It felt so surreal, standing here again after being away from Alderaan for so long. He pondered if anyone would even recognize him anymore. He wasn't very clean shaven, he had leaned out abit but still held his athletic build, and his once healthy brown hair was now a dirty-blonde. The only thing that seemed to remain the the same and unharmed from the light scaring on his face was his icy blue eyes. Valkren sighed, running his hand through his hair, then over his face, preparing himself for the worst. It was very likely that everyone would remember him for the good drinking days and war stories, and it was very likely that they would not remember him whatsoever. He reached up and tugged his jacket on him abit tighter and rolled his shoulders back into it, taking his steps through the door. As he came into the open cantina, he stopped to take in all the familiar faces before him.

[member="Norin Kellarov"]

 

[Kenrath]

As Norin got to the group in the center of the room one of them turned and laughed.


"Hey Commander heard a rumor that you are in the dog house again?" "What did you do now?"

Norin laughed slapping the closest one to him on the back.

"I may or may not have allegedly buzzed the control tower.....................again."

The group shook there head and laughed as the original speaker replied.

"You know the Admiral is gonna string you up for it this time."

Norin laughed.

"Right and who is going to bail you knuckleheads out the next time you try and play King of the Hill with the enemy?" "The Admiral needs me.................nobody can pull off those missions like I can...................not even the Admiral." "So I will get scolded..........I will get chewed out but at the end of the day I will right back where I belong with you sorry sacks." "Next round is one me boys..............drink up."

Norin then made his way back towards his booth to grab his drink as the group laughed and cheer calling him by his old call sign. In truth it was not the fact that Norin had buzzed the tower that had the Admiral so pissed off. That Norin did after every exercise.........people were used to it. The problem was that the Admiral's relatively inexperienced son was also flying during the exercise and decided to play follow the leader."

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren took a step down onto the Cantina's floor, making a few heads turn toward him. Most of their eyes went directly to the patch on the Republic service jacket that he was sporting before they went to recognize who he was. There on the patch would rest a white Galactic Republic symbol, with a grey-sword like weapon directly over it, the symbol that designated someone as a 'Saber.' He offered a smile to some of the stray eyes that wandered to him as he moved slowly through the crowds. The Sergeant strayed from his path to the center table for a moment to reach for the bar, tapping the countertop twice with two fingers, flashing a smile at the bartender.

The barkeep's eyes were wide with surprise and confusion, not knowing what to say about the ghost that stood before him. It seemed to be that he knew what those two fingers meant because he slid out a 'stubby glass' with a blueish-purple liquid in it, suspending one ice cube in the middle of the glass. After wrapping his fingers around the glass and taste testing the liquid within it he'd turn around, letting the cooled alcohol flow and eventually warm him up abit. He felt abit more loose, he felt like he was at home. It was time to see who all remembered him. He'd step down from the bar and move toward the center group that was all 'hoopin' and hollerin' like a band of merry men, momentarily pushing through the group so they could all get a good look at them. Placing his glass on the table in the center, he'd look around and pipe up.

"Ya'll boys got time for some real war stories?" The young commando flashed an all too familiar smile at them all, including [member="Norin Kellarov"], who he just picked out of the crowd of familiar soldiers and combat veterans.

 

[Kenrath]

Norin smirked as he heard a familiar voice he had not heard in a long time. He turned from his booth. An really bad idea popped up in his head that was too good to pass up.

"Hey Calderon tell them the story about the time you nearly crapped your armor when you woke up with a Gizka sitting on your chest?"

Norin ale in hand walked back over to the group. When he got there he slapped Valkren on the back of his shoulder.

"It a personal favorite of mine."

Norin turned to the group.

"From what I heard the guy screamed so loud you would have thought a Krayt Dragon was after him."

Turning back to his old friend Norin smiled.

"It's been too long.................you here visiting the folks?"

Norin sipped his drink enjoying himself................Norin always enjoyed being around his fellow Solders and Navy men. Aside from combat it was when where he felt most at home.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren let out a laugh as he looked at an approaching [member="Norin Kellarov"], he had almost forgot about that day. Norin was Valkren's dropship pilot during a rather censored operation on Tattooine. At the Forward operating base, the young Sergeant had fallen asleep on the rear of a tactical buggy and one of the Gizka's had decided to pay him a visit.

"The damned thing snuck up on me, that face isn't what you want to wake up to now." He yelled out, reaching back down for his drink and taking a rather large, victory gulp. He felt much more relaxed after seeing the remembrance in his friends' faces, he was comfortable. He turned back to his previous ally after sharing a quick laugh with the entire group, "Mom and the pain in my ass that is my little sister, Pops and Brother are still out somewhere."

"But yeah..It's been awhile, brother." He smiled and placed his hand on his shoulder, this time not his signature smirk, but a sincere smile. He took another large gulp, making his glass almost empty. As his body shuddered for a moment, being away from the liquor for some time had lowered his tolerance, he'd look back to Norin. Valkren had heard stories, he knew some of what has been happening to one of the Republics once great pilots.

"How have you been, friend?"

 

[Kenrath]

Norin laughed.

"It was still funny."

Norin chuckled.

"Speaking of your sister....................she still got a crush on me?" "Well you know me.................trying to spend as much time as I can doing what I do best." "A little training flight here and a few insertion ops there." "Not as busy as when I was still Republic Navy."

Norin finished off his Ale just as the server was bringing the promised round. Grabbing his drink Norin looked at Valkren and motioned towards the booth. As he started walking that way he kept talking.

"You still kicking in doors every chance you get?"

Once he got to the booth Norin slid in. He was glad to see his old friend. Norin frowned slightly but didn't put to voice his thoughts. Instead he just took a drink of his Ale.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren refilled his glass, taking a cube of ice from the nearby bucket on the table and dropping it in soon after. After a quick sip he'd almost cough it up at the statement of his sister. He knew this also as one of the memories that refused to leave his head. Back when Valkren, Norin and the rest of their crew went out to the cantinas while on leave, most of them ended up having to crash or atleast bring Valk back to the family homestead..Ellin, his little sister, might have developed a crush for the big pilot of the course of several nights out.

Still, Valkren wouldn't want to admit it any time then, and not any time now. "Dream on, flyboy." He stated with a light shove, following after him to the booth that he had previously acquired. The sergeant nodded in agreement to his question, "They say do what you love, right?" He said this with some regret behind that same smirk, the thrill wasn't exactly the same as it had been with they were just beginning to become adults. Yet, he had a job to do, one that he'd continue to do until it was finished.

As the commando slid into the booth across from his old friend, he'd wave over a girl that would have been tending the booths individually. "Biggest bottle of Corellian Ale you got, please." As he looked back to his comrade sitting across from him, he picked up on the frown right away. "What's on your mind man?" Valkren asked this before taking another gulp from his drink.

[member="Norin Kellarov"]

 

[Kenrath]

Norin chuckled.

"Oh you know me.............the king of dirty deeds."

Norin sipped his drink.

"Just checking up on you brother................making sure you're good." "Lot of scuttlebutt floating around the net these days." "I figured the last place you would pop up is enemy territory." "Especially while sporting Republic colors."

Norin knew while they were on the edge their home was MC territory the exactly same group that is rumored to have put the final nail in the Republic's coffin.

"You forget that war has gotten much more complicated than when we were young, dumb, and thought we were invincible." "There were HNN crews all over Kashyyk." "Then the Republic goes dark." "Before you ask no I was not on Kashyyk."

Norin paused looking at his old friend.

"You ever thought about coming home?" "Being with your family." "I could use a man like you watching my back...........so could your dad and little brother." "Since I left the Republic they got my chairing warships.............it's why I have to take as many fighter training runs as I can." "Even then it is always as an instructor."

Norin sipped his drink.

"I can get you and your boys assigned to my Frigate." "You have seen me with a Blaster.............it ain't pretty." "You however..........................."

Norin chuckled leaning back in the booth looking at his friend. Alderaan had some good soldiers but they were mostly minor nobles playing guardsman. If Alderaan ever had to defend herself they were screwed and that was not a favorable position in Norin's eyes. Norin pointed towards the group at the center telling stories.

"Those boys over there are about the best we got if somebody decides they like the planet."

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren had a visible frown after Norin asked this question, sighing as he looked down to the liquid resting in his glass. He lifted the glass up and finished his drink. Placing the glass down and leaning back to meet Norin's gaze. "Those 'boys' of ours wont last a minute against what will come for this planet."

He leaned back, resting one of his arms over the back of the booth in a relaxed state. "But when that day comes, I'll come back to Alderaan. Not for the government, but for my family..And people like you."

He smiled, taking up the bottle that had just been brought to them and filling his glass and Norin's up soon after, speaking as he did so to try and change the mood slightly. He didn't want to talk about the past few months. Instead Valkren would have to settle for the horrid night terrors of the loss of so many Republic Special forces operators. "Besides, you know your place is not in the commander's chair, as much as it looks pretty for the ladies.." He'd let a laugh escape before taking another sip from his glass. Valkren was trying to flip the table on his long-time friend.

"I know you miss it..Pissin' off every Republic official you could by making those close-call pick ups of Saber team and those life-threatening strafing runs you love pulling off so much." The young Sergeant shifted his positioning in the booth slightly, lifting a finger from his glass and looking to his friend somewhat sternly, but with the same smirk. "You could use me? No..I could use you."

"Now that the Republic has gone under, resources are slim, makes our operations more difficult on the ground. I could use a pilot that can get my team in and out safely but right on the money. One that's not afraid to fly back through the crucible of a battlefield and provide close-air support."

Valkren shifted his positioning after finishing yet another drink, he planned on getting drunk, no matter the response from his ally.
"Hell, with a few strings to pull and a search through the black market. I could get your old fighter..You know, the only one you didn't wreck." He lifted a finger from his glass again and pointed to the group of friends they had spoke with previously. "They can come too, you can have your own squadron."

[member="Norin Kellarov"]

 

[Kenrath]

Norin chuckled waiting until his drink was refilled before taking a sip.

"You say that like I have ever needed help with the ladies." "And for the record I wrecked that one too............just not as bad as the others." "That one was salvageable for a change."

Norin sighed looking at his drink before looking back up.

"You know I never faulted you for staying............but my place is here." "Whether it is flying into hell, pissing off for a bunch of stiffs, or or sitting in the chair.................this is home and these are my people."

Norin paused sipping his drink.

"The Republic died a long time ago brother." "Not because a bunch of overgrown warmongering frat boys invaded a world of walking carpets." "It was poisoned from the inside by corrupt politicians...........betrayed by the elected officials sworn to defend it."

"I made a choice much like a lot of people hear." "I wasn't going to die..............wasn't going to waste my life for them anymore." "The ideals.............the principles were gone." "Once that bridge is crossed the only thing left is family."

Norin sighed.

"I can't ignore the elephant in the room Valkren." "And I am not going to pretend like I can."

The conversation had gone south quick but Norin motioned back towards the group in the center of the room.

"Those boys.................they may not be elite Commandos but they........................they are why my Father joined the Navy.................they are why I joined the Navy." "Protecting them...............protecting our family means more to me than my own Squadron............than my older fighter."

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren smiled, there was certainly some of the old Norin left in that pilot he knew so well and loved, the loyalty the ex-republic pilot had for his friends and family. That was what he needed, he needed loyal men.

"Well, theres no way I can change a man's loyalty, especially not yours." He lifted his glass slightly toward Norin, "If I can't convince you, then might aswell have one more of our lovely cantina moments before I leave Alderaan again."

"Cheers, to the Republic." He'd state this in private with Norin, before standing up out of the booth and raising his glass higher into the air. "And cheers to the people of Alderaan!" Valkren added the last hoorah' on to hopefully get the cantina going once more.

After finishing his drink and looking back to Norin, "So, are we drinking?"

In all honesty, he was quite disappointed he could not recruit his old friend for the cause, he hoped atleast he'd be able to call on the brazen pilot as a possible asset on the battlefield. He was still slightly confused at how he got his position so quickly with Alderaan's military. From Squadron leader to Commander in the fleet, it was impressive at the least. Not having him on their side on a constant basis would hurt them for sure. Yet, the young Sergeant figured that they'd find a way to control the skies during combat.

[member="Norin Kellarov"]

 

[Kenrath]

Norin laughed.

"You're an idiot......................but I'm in."

Norin raised his glass to his people before taking a sip. It was good to see an old friend. There were not very many of those around these days. The galaxy had become a complicated place with people jockeying for power and position. Not a single care in the world who's throat they slit to get there. At times it was all down right disgusting............and people like the Admiral got mad when he buzzed a tower.

Norin sighed. He knew he would not be able to keep up with Valkren. He just didn't drink that much anymore. Norin picked up his cup again and more to himself than anyone else.

"To Alderaan."

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren made his way to the center after finishing his drink, clearing two chairs for both himself and Norin. He'd raise his hand up again to the female that was tending the tables, "It's whiskey shooters time." If he couldn't convince any of them to come back to the Republic, he could atleast have one more fun night.

The tender walked away for a few moments before coming back with a trey full of skinny shot glasses full of a dark blue liquid. It reminded Valk' of hangovers and nights on the crime-ridden Nar Shadaa, another common stop for Republic special forces to blow off steam in some of the most twisted ways possible.

As he began to distribute each of the glasses, he'd speak to [member="Norin Kellarov"] soon after giving him his own glass. "What is this one to, flyboy?"

 

[Kenrath]

Norin laughed following his friend. When asked what they would be toasting to Norin without missing a beat raised his shooter.

"To liver disease."

Norin shot the whiskey like a man who hadn't done so in a long time much to the amusement of several people at the table. Everyone of which he shot a dirty look.

"Hey you try and keep up with this animal." "If a single one of you can...............then you can laugh." "The man can drink a Hutt pretty."

Norin shook his head.

"Well if you insist on drinking everyone into a coma we are gonna need some food."

Norin shook off the shot of whiskey and went over to the bar getting some good old booze absorbing carbs on the way before heading back over to the group.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

"Get some for everyone, flyboy?" The commando yelled as he snagged a piece of food from his plate. Just as Norin returned, so did the waitress that had been attending to their every whim, with two more bottles of the same whisky to fill all of the mens' glasses.

It seemed like Valkren's funds were in a rather healthy state for needed so many resources for the Republic, it seemed that he had some other form of income coming in on the personal side. If Norin would think about it, his family wasn't too bad off anymore either. It seemed to be that they were actually doing better even with crops and livestock failing the past few seasons. Strange, to say the least.

Valkren swallowed the stolen food before grabbing his shot glass once more, "This one's for the boys in the sky, even if they don't do any of the real work. They are the guardian angels."

[member="Norin Kellarov"]

 

[Kenrath]

Norin rolled his eyes at [member="Valkren Calderon"] watching the man steal food like it was in short supply.

Norin took one more drink when the toast was made rolling his eyes again. Don't do the hard work................the two got along so well because Norin had flown a mission to provide air support for Valkren's squad flying so low he could almost count the blades of grass on the ground. It almost cost Norin his career if not for the fact the General that had sent Valkren on that mission had gone to bat for Norin for saving his boys backsides.

Norin clapped Valkren on the should and nodded to the other guys at the table.

"You boys enjoy your night...............if you end up in the Stockade...........I don't you know you."

Norin smirked and stacked enjoy credits on the table to cover the tab so far and headed for the door to sleep it off. With the way things were going he didn't know what tomorrow would bring.

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren turned his head as he watched Norin make his way out, before knocking another shot back. As he began to shake off the liquor that went down much rougher than the previous shooter, he opened his mouth once more.

"Hey, Norin!"

He'd wait until the pilot was turned fully to Valkren before he finished his statement, "Stop on by sometime, I think you'll like to see what I'm rolling in some days, might even want to get into the captain's chair of it..I'll give you the coordinates if you want." There it was, that signature smirk. The sergeant seemed to know something that the Ex-pilot might have been interested in.

[member="Norin Kellarov"]

 

[Kenrath]

Norin would only half turn and glance back when Valkren called his name. When he finished Norin would simply smile.

"Take care of yourself Calderon..............say hi to your folks for me."

Norin turned back heading out the door shaking the hand of the guy at the door. It was good seeing an old friend. It was also a shame. Norin headed back to his officer instead of home. There was no particular reason other than it was closer and quieter.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]