Leave. (Naboo)

[Davin Jusik]

"Lt?"

"Yeah?"

"The detonator's status just went red."

"Then we have thirty five seconds until your failure kills everyone within a twenty meter radius."

"I--- Yes sir."

"Thirty."

"If I could just--"

"Twenty five."

"Sir the breaker on the cuplink tripped."

"Ten."

"Kark."

"Nine."

"Eight seconds private."

"Kark. Kark. Kark. Kark"

"Six."

"Almost."

"Five."

"Done! I did it sir."

"Congratulations Private Noman. You met my standard, welcome to the team."

-------------------------------------------------

Break. Light flooded through Max's closed eyelids as a cloud passed from in front of the glaring sun. His irises contracted and he squinted at the bright landscape above him. The peaceful blue contrasted with the flood of negative emotion that came with the memory of Noman. He pushed it from his mind and tried to remember the reason he was here. Relax. His Commander's vocabulary, not his own. The conversation had been short and had nearly ended with Max getting demoted, despite the fact that his Commander was right. Max needed a break and had decided that Naboo was probably the best place to take such a vacation, despite the fact that it was in OP territory.

Why did Sith Space hold the least vacation-able systems in the galaxy?

He looked like a traveling businessman, complete with a suit jacket and tie he'd currently abandoned for his nap. A heavy blaster pistol was strapped securely in a shoulder holster which was currently visible. Perhaps a cautious businessman.

So there he sat, on a small hill overlooking one of Naboo's many rolling plains, enjoying the temperate climate and occasional animal that roamed about. Max sighed slightly as another cloud moved over the sun, casting a shadow upon the plain and all underneath it.

He needed a drink.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

@[member="Maximilian Mercer"]

Another day, another planet... Naboo... Well, Lilith didn't know the planets not controlled by the Republic... After all, she didn't care about any planets. But Naboo... it seemed a bit different. She actually liked it with its Gungans and... well, other beings. Naboo's climate was warm. It was better than many planets and definitely better than Tund. But she felt like Tund was her home, so she was pretty disappointed when she understood she likes Naboo more than she likes Tund.

And now... She was just on Naboo and looked at a man. It had to be a man. And he was relaxing there. Just... relaxing. She couldn't understand whether the man was Sith or Jedi. Or maybe he was a Republican or an Empire man or... an Omega native? She felt like being silently and looking at him was the best thing she could do.

 

[Daxton Bane]

If he was good at anything it was raising a little hell, that and starting a good riot. Hardly the most diplomatic of traits but that was why Daxton left the boot licking to the experts. The Way Finder of the Order of Seekers was here because his contacts gained a lead concerning information he needed. About the Heart and for the Sith Lord, nothing mattered more to him than that.

His travel worn cloak hid most of his features as he sat in the shadows of the bar, patiently waiting for his contact to show. The half empty bottle of Corellian Blue a testament to both his taste and his ability to hold liquor. Chewing some nuts, his fingers drummed a slow silent beat, mere inches away from the lit death stick sitting on the ash tray.

@Maximilian Mercer

 

[Davin Jusik]

Max felt the uncomfortable tingle one gets when being observed. He stood and looked around with practiced eyes, quickly spotting what appeared to be a woman off in the distance. Odd. He ignored his normal suspicions gained from his deployments. Anyone unknown who had eyes on him was a potential threat and very probably an observer for insurgents. All it took was one holophone wired to one large IED to wipe out a squad.

But you're not there Max.

Remember.

He shook off the urge to shoot the woman and put back on his jacket and tie, while activating his holonet glasses and contacting a local cab service. Max decided he didn't feel like walking back. The cab arrived within a few minutes, while he continued to look at @[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"] . Not stare. Look. Max never stared, it allowed to much to go on without him knowing in his peripherals. Not good if the enemy had friends. He boarded the cab quickly and tossed the driver fifteen credits.

"Closest cantina please." Max said quickly as he slunk back into his seat.

How many times had he shot or ordered the shooting of beings for watching his troopers? At least seven. Was it justified? Completely. It was either them or his men. He'd watched whole teams pay for the mistake of letting a "civilian" who was just "watching" slink away or continue to stare. Max's brow sank slightly.

Relax.

 

[Akodya Mune]

Striding through the long grass plains that overlooked the many drinking and shopping districts on Naboo, Akodya must have looked quite odd to those who caught sight of her. With the friendly rays of the planet's warm sun gently tickling her bare arms, the young Jedi felt very exposed without her robes on. It was very rare of her to be seen casual attire, but she was advised it would help her blend in more here and the locals would leave her to her business. With a large medical journal on diseases in one hand and a small mat in the other, Akodya hunted for a good place for her to rest. The wild and lush grasses were her last chance of escape from the noise and festivities of her location, and she longed for a little silence and nature.

After her encounter with the chemical attack on Iridonia Akodya couldn't stop thinking about the victims of the horrible illness it caused. The feeling she first got as she stepped on that planet would never leave her. The faces of the dead children would be imprinted in her mind forever. The anger and rage she held for the scum behind the attack was constantly burning inside her like a wildfire, no matter how much meditation and long talks she had with the masters...

And that was why she was sent to 'peaceful' Naboo.

Slamming the mat roughly onto the earth, she sat down, and flipped her book open to the first page.

"Remember, deep breaths. There is no emotion, there is peace..." She muttered, trying once again to focus on the words on the paper rather than the noise in her head.

@[member="Daxton Bane"] @[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"] @[member="Maximilian Mercer"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

@[member="Daxton Bane"] @[member="Maximilian Mercer"] @[member="Akodya Mune"]

The man stared at her. But she didn't move. She tried to stare into his soul. She tried to read his minds or something. Even though she knew it's impossible, she tried to do it. But the man moved. He went away. So Lilith just stayed there on one place, thinking, what to do. if she would've followed the man, she would've become to seem really creepy. And if she would've stayed, she would've seemed really creepy, too... So she followed the man.

She tried to find the man by his thoughts. And she felt really powerful, because she managed to locate the man after a few minutes. Yes... he happened to move towards a cantina. It was pretty close to the place they had been before, so she started moving towards the place, too.

 

[Akodya Mune]

The letters on the page were just meaningless symbols printed onto white. Akodya just stared down at shapes with a look of annoyance plastered on her face. Usually reading made for a healthy distraction, submerging herself in knowledge and hard facts helped to keep her mind from wondering...but not today. The Naboo breeze rushed past and slammed Akodya's book shut, and she responded with a frustrated groan. She hated it here. She hated doing nothing. Everything needed to have a purpose with her, it all had to add up into some other goal. But sitting around moping was all she seemed to be capable of these days anyway.

Standing up Akodya shoved the book under her arm and rolled up her mat, deciding to call it a day. Maybe she should just go back to where she was staying and kill the time by sleeping...then again, her thoughts haunted her even more when she was dreaming. With sigh the padawan stomped through the plains back towards civilization. Feeling abandoned and hopeless, the next place that caught her eye was a small cantina near the end of the long line of shops and stalls. Raising her eyebrow, the young woman peered inside. She had a few credits on her, maybe she could numb herself with a few drinks.

I am here to relax, aren't I? A drink can be justified. She thought to herself as she made her way in, ignoring the odd stare before sitting at the back behind a small lone table.

@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"] @[member="Maximilian Mercer"] @[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

Max sat up slightly in the cab's back seat and peered down at the plains rolling below, attempting to forget about the strange woman who'd shaken him a bit. Too much of a reminder of combat. So many things were like that now a days, but the continuation of insurgencies and conflicts didn't allow the military much rest. Besides, it wasn't like he had much family, no significant other, and the only person he cared for outside the Imperial Military was his father.

Was that a life?

Sure he was accomplished, made plenty of credits, but---. He stopped his thoughts right there. He was a soldier. He'd volunteered. Stop your whining Max.

The cab slowed before they reached the outskirts of the small city they were approaching and began settle next to a woman who appeared to be heading toward the city.

"What are you doing?" Max asked the aging cabbie cautiously, hand already moving towards a now concealed blaster. Perhaps his paranoia was warranted?

"Offering the young lady' a ride. The cabbie said with a shrug and apathetic look.

Greed was universal.

Max only snorted in reply and scooted over. He didn't much care, besides, he was on vacation.


@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"] @[member="Akodya Mune"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

@[member="Akodya Mune"] @[member="Daxton Bane"] @[member="Maximilian Mercer"]

Lilith was really calm. Typically, she always worried about something. Or she was furious, full of rage. But now... she was completely calm. The situation seemed normal. Yes...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the taxi which slowed down, mostly because they wanted to give her a ride. She didn't think she wants to take the ride, but after all, it was her first time on Naboo and she should have taken every opportunity to do something fun. It was fun, so she had to think fast. The taxi was already really close to her, so she thought... she will go.

 

[Davin Jusik]

@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"]

Max tensed slightly as he saw the woman up close. That same one that was staring at him earlier was now entering the cab. Calm down Max. Calm. He thought to himself as the strange woman adjusted herself.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked as he shut the door back.

Somewhere else. Somewhere else. Somewhere else. Max thought to himself as the cabbie spoke.

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

@[member="Maximilian Mercer"]

Lilith looked at the driver and smiled.

She doesn't have emotions.

"I believe I shall go to a... cantina. What's the nearest cantina? I'd like to take some time off..." Her voice was calm, emotionless. She had become an emotionless being after the final corruption. But she didn't think it's bad. She thought it's a positive thing. After all, people with emotions were so weak and they didn't have any powers... Emotions are a weakness....

She remembered she was not alone in the taxi. There was a man too. The same man she had tried to find. Of course she knew the man was there. Or did she?

 

[Akodya Mune]

Akodya had ended up just ordering a glass of water.

Was she so stuck on her own rules and guidelines of being the perfect Jedi that she didn't even risk buying a proper drink in a cantina?

Staring down at the cup of liquid with disappointment, blew a small strand of her sleek hair out of her eyes. Having this time away from the Order had made her really question if this life was right for her. Then again, what does she have to compare it to? She had been training to be a Jedi all of her life. Her childhood was spent learning to be balances and reserved and a being a peace. She didn't know what normal people her age were suppose to do. Tapping the edge of the glass, the padawan's thoughts wondered to what her life would be like if she had stayed and grown up on Corellia. What would she be doing for a living? would she have her own house...would she be in a realationship?

At her last thought Akodya's eyes widened and she chugged down the ice cold liquid to snap herself out of it. No. She was a Jedi, that was that.

@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"] @[member="Maximilian Mercer"]

 

[Davin Jusik]

@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"]

Max mumbled a curse and the cab driver simply nodded and started the meter. The rest of the short ride was mostly in silence as Max glared out the window and waited impatiently for the speeder to slow. He'd already paid the cabbie and exited the moment he halted the vehicle. Max stretched a bit and entered the cantina as quickly as he could, ordering a bottle of whiskey as soon as he got within earshot of the bartender. He took the booth closest to the back of the cantina with the best view of the entrance. Old habits.

He impatiently poured himself a shot and downed the liquor quickly, enjoying the burn it gave him as warmth spread throughout his chest. Time to drown some troubles.

@[member="Akodya Mune"] @[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Nikolas Faselli]

@[member="Maximilian Mercer"] @[member="Akodya Mune"] @[member="Daxton Bane"]

Lilith enjoyed the ride. It was calm and peaceful. They didn't talk. And it was better. Lilith had other things to do. She had to protect her staff which had always been a friend for her. Even though it didn't have any magical properties, it was like a guardian angel for her.

Or at least it had been.

As the taxi finally reached the destination, she saw the man hurrying out and into the cantina. Lilith didn't want to hurry. She slowly payed the money and then calmly walked into the cantina. And she smiled again, now even more slyly than ever before.

She wanted to create an illusion.

 

[Akodya Mune]

A few moments after arriving, the quiet cantina was shaken by a young man in a suit storming in with a distressed expression on his face. He bellowed at the bartender, demanding a whiskey. The entrance had sparked a mild interest in a few others around the room, but was soon lost when he slumped down in a booth in a short distance of Akodya's. Although she told herself not to, the young woman found herself watching the man out of the corner of her eye. She could sense a feeling of turmoil coming from him, for what reason, she didn't know. Staring down at her closed book, she felt compelled to approach him. She didn't know if it was just because she was concerned for him, or if it was because the feeling of turbulence that radiated from him was the same as she had been feeling ever sence she left Iridonia.

Don't bother the poor guy, Akodya. Leave him be...you are here to have a break from your duties anyway. She thought to herself.

Discretely turning her hazel gaze away from the man, her eyes wondered toward the front doors of the cantina. The padawan watched as more people slowly poured into the building...but one stood out more then the others. A woman with dark hair strode into the building, and Akodya was suddenly on high alert. Her gut knotted into painful ties as she stared at her. She sensed this person was here to cause trouble. Akodya's hand instinctively crawled toward the hilt of her lightsaber, which had been hidden in her satchel this whole time.

The other woman's face twisted to a sly smile, and Akodya followed her line of vision.

Which stopped at the man she was been observing before.

@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"] @[member="Maximilian Mercer"]

 

[Alan]

@Lilith Mae Lancaster @Maximilian Mercer @Lilith Mae Lancaster @[member="Akodya Mune"]



Tracyn sniffed, turning to face the young Padawan. The bartender glared at him, he clearly wasn't welcome here, mainly due to his choice of apparel. Armor, to be exact. Mandalorian super commando armor. Stuff of legends. Bad legends. He turned to the padawan, receiving a glass of...water. He turned towards her, his icy gray eyes fixating on her like a hawk. He decided to not yell at her, but instead to grill her."Tell me everything that's going on in this bar, right now."He said, his eyes never leaving her skull. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking straight through her. He had that sort of powerful gaze nowadays. The mean appearance also helped.

 

[Davin Jusik]

Max poured himself another glass as the Mando and someone who appeared to be a Jedi conversed. Despite his affiliations, he held no hate for those "enemy" states. He'd spent his whole career fighting terrorists and besides, such hate was for those who couldn't come to terms with what their duty required them to do. Then he saw that blasted woman enter the cantina with a smug grin.

His temptation to wound her could not be overstated.

Max wasn't worried in the slightest about her being an agent or something similar, besides the fact that he had absolutely nothing to do with anything high enough up to cause such groups to take notice, who would really keep track of a Stormtrooper Lieutenant? The only time he was a HVT was in combat.

He caught the eyes of the Jedi and felt a flash of recognition. Understanding. With that, for Max, came guilt. Today was just not his day.

@[member="Tracyn Ordo"]@[member="Akodya Mune"]@[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"]

 

[Akodya Mune]

Akodya inwardly groaned when a man in armor, mandalorian armor at that, that had seated himself in the chair in front of her. With eyes as cold as ice, he quietly growled at her. His frosty gaze was locked on hers with extreme intensity, silently challenging the young padawan. The violent rage that seemed to be hiding in the shadow of the grey storm in his pupils made a shiver surge down her spine. She was planning on ignoring him and hopes that he will go away and leave her to her thoughts.

But, Alias, He had to open he mouth.

Usually, she might have replied calmly and with some kind of forced politeness and a sickly sweet smile. But after everything that had happened in the past few weeks, her anger had just boiled over. With her left hand curling around her lightsaber hilt just in case, her glared at him with her eyes ablaze. "I don't have to tell you anything, you rude piece of stang. Now I suggest you move along before I spill water all over your pretty little outfit." She hissed, her word tone fierce.

Her gut was now twisting itself into knots, this mandaloian and the woman and the young man with the whiskey was sending her senses into overload.

@[member="Maximilian Mercer"] @[member="Tracyn Ordo"] @[member="Lilith Mae Lancaster"]

 

[Nyxie]

So a Mnenchei Shaman, a bodyguard and a captain walk into a bar....
"Hey 'keep: Corellian Rum on the rocks, if you may...."

(((Oh, I just went there. Two liner, baby!)))

 

[Alan]

Tracyn reached down to his waistline, and placed his lightsaber hilt on the counter for her to see."Not really a good tone to use to a Jedi Knight, now is it? Now, I'll ask again before I make you do laps around a comet...tell me everything that is going on in the bar right now. Every little. Detail. Consider this your field testing, padawan."The Knight growled, an agitation in his voice. Oh, he was certainly agitated. Oh he was so agitated that he might just go find a couple of Sith soldiers to kill like he did about a week ago. Oh how he looooved doing that.

"My name is Tracyn Ordo, Knight of the Jedi Order of the Republic. Your's is Akodya Mune, Jedi Padawan - of the Republic. So. Tell me...Padawan. Tell me what exactly is going on in this cantina, that I'm pretty sure you're not even old enough to drink in...that could be a potential threat, or just to be aware. Use your senses, intuition, and the force."He took a long sip of his water, tapping his armored hands on the counter, in a very, very, very unhappy manner.
@[member="Akodya Mune"]