- - - - - - - - - -
Location: Aggraw, The Weary Traveler Cantina
Objective: Undefined, R&R
Allies: [member="Alexandra Russo"] (1), [member="Aedan Lochlan"] (2), [member="Tela Uolmi"] (3), [member="Loske Matson"] (5), [member="Cal Sedaire"] (6), [member="Choli Vyn"] (7), [member="Asmus Janes"] (9), [member="Lucius Varad"] (12), [member="Allyson Locke"] (13), [member="Owen Holst"] (14), [member="Devyn Lynton"] (17) | [member="Zark"], [member="Logen Brunner"]
Enemies: Plebes
Post: 1
- - - - - - - - - -
He'd been sipping on his ale for a good ten minutes, just content to watch the others. He noticed a few of his squadron mates and a few other people he'd seen before but couldn't remember the names of. The Weary Traveler wasn't anything terribly exciting but he couldn't complain. After the back to back missions, Rogue squadron was starting to wear thin. If the rest of the squadron wasn't, Vale sure was. Somewhat bitterly he finished off his pint. He'd have to go get another. If nothing else, the liquor here was cheap, and for that he was thankful.
Vale didn't usually indulge quite as much as he was at the moment, preferring to keep his wits about him but he'd gotten news. News that wasn't so good. The young pilot had received a message from a family friend back home, one of his close childhood friends had passed. Serah Denner had grown up right across the field from him, their neighbors to the south. They'd attended school together and even been a part of the local defense force on Naboo, ending up as a part of the same unit. It had been almost a year since the two had seen each other but they'd consistently kept in touch since Vale's departure from the local starfighter corps and signed on with the Galactic Alliance. In their last message, they'd even planned on taking a trip out to the lakes of Naboo as soon as he'd be able to secure some leave but now.. that would never happen.
He'd done his best to cope, even managing to talk to one of the counselors on Sullust briefly about it but it still ate at him during their down time. When he wasn't flying, he was busy volunteering for extra duty shifts, helping the crew chiefs around the hangar bay, or sometimes even helping other squadrons. Anything he could find to keep his hands busy. That, at least for now, consisted of getting another drink. He'd started off easy, with a few run of the mill local brews but he was about to up his ante. Pushing himself up from the table he was seated at he did a quick survey of the cantina. There weren't too many people but the place had certainly started to fill up. Most of the tables and booths had at least two or three people seated at them and the bar was pretty well filled.
Vale took a few steps, the edge of his lip twitching as he chuckled at himself. What was he becoming? He could already feel the beer going to work on his coordination. It was R&R, he'd be fine. Besides, it was just a little tingle right? He made his way to the bar, waiting patiently near one end as the bartender finished up serving another patron. He looked over to his right, about two empty seats away sat two older men, one taller and the other close to his height. It looked like they were in a pretty deep conversation to him so he minded his own business. Across the room he noticed two other patrons start making their way over to the bar, something about the way the first one looked at him threw up a red flag but the alcohol had started to do its damage and he paid no attention to it.
The bartender had finished serving the others and made his way over to where Vale stood. Picking up a pint glass from below the bar-top and wiping it down with a towel, he spoke to the young pilot.
"What can I get for ya there kid?"
Vale grinned as he set his empty glass on the top. Pointing at a familiar bottle on a shelf behind the barkeep.
"I'll take a glass of the Royal Theed whiskey." the pilot said, handing a credit stick to the man.
The barkeep turned, heading to retrieve a class and the indicated liquor. As he opened the bottle and began pouring Vale's glass, the Rogue noticed the two men he'd seen earlier were headed towards him. It made sense, there were two spots open next to where he was standing. He turned back, the barkeep smiling and handing Vale the glass. At least, that's what had started to happen. As the glass slid into Vale's hand, a sharp jarring motion knocked the glass free of his hand and he watched in horror as it fell, slow-motion towards the floor, the amber liquid inside appearing like one of those fancy Mustafarian Lava Lamps as it tumbled through the air. Vale himself had been shoved to the side, his eyes turning towards where the abrupt collision had occurred.
"Aw, did little man spill his drink?" the larger of the two sneered. "Maybe he'd better watch where he's going next time." The man's shadow smirked.
Vale stood there for a second as what happened finally registered, his hand reaching out to steady himself against the bar. He didn't really need to. While he had felt the effects of the alcohol, the sudden release of adrenaline into his system cleared up much of the general wooziness he'd felt before, but not all of it. Vale feigned a little more drunkenness, taking a stutter step forward as his eyes looked down at the man's feet. If the man hadn't felt in control before, he did now as Vale uttered an apology under his breath and bent down to retrieve the glass.
That had been his drink. A reminder of home. A reminder of his close friend. A bitter reminder of mortality... but it had been his. Unfortunate for the man, he'd picked the wrong kid to pick on... It happened quickly. So quickly that the man didn't even have time to react before Vale's fist came arcing up towards his stomach.
"OOF!"
The air was forced from the man's lungs as the fist made contact, his body folding over in half. The glass that Vale had picked up was in his left hand and came smashing into the side of his nemesis' skull sending the man sprawling onto the floor. As if struck by lighting, the first man's shadow reacted by throwing a punch at Vale's face. Too easy, Vale thought, ducking below the first punch easily. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to do after the first man fell but he knew he had to do something... unfortunately for him he wasn't thinking the clearest and charged.
Barreling into the man the two flew up into the air towards the patrons Vale had seen conversing earlier. Across the room, five similarly dressed spacers had risen from their seats, their eyes locking onto first Vale, and then the man on the floor. Snarling they started picking out the other Alliance pilots and advancing. Had Vale messed with the wrong spacer crew or had they messed with the wrong fighter squadron?
