Private Sheriff John Brown [Lucien]

[Eldin Daine]

He had been back on Bespin for a couple of weeks, and only now had he finally healed from Kingsley’s scratch to the face. The bird was not the only one that required shots, Eldin felt like a pin cushion by the time the series of shot had been completed. What was worse, he had to stay away from the booze which would have provided him with some form of relief from the ordeal. That was, until now, he had been given the all clear and whatever the hell Kingsley had infected him with, had passed through his system and he was fighting fit once more.

The sun had long dipped down below the clouds, and the blanket of night fell over Bespin. Eldin locked the door to his small apartment behind him and pocketed the keycard. There was a bounce in his step as he headed along the street toward the Solstice Vine, looking forward to a drink and see who might be on Bespin from the Bepsin Black Suits. Although the suit was perfect for the Vine, out in the field it was not practical in most case and he was thinking about the options when the doors to the Vine opened before him.

“Well look who finally crawled out of his hole in the wall”, he was greeted by the bar keep, a pretty little thing with long black flowing hair and big blue eyes. Eldin did not have to order, a glass of whiskey with ice was poured and placed in front of him on the bar. “Sherriff John Brown’s looking for you”.

Eldin pretended he did not hear her, all he wanted to do was savour the taste burning down his throat and nothing was going to distract him from that. The glass in his hard swirled the ice, he watched it with satisfaction. Them Perl’s have good taste in booze. “He says, he wants to speak with you as soon as possible”, she persisted, he flashed her a look as she slipped a fob across the bar top.

He picked up the fob and the whiskey and headed to the back room behind the bar, although the Vine was no busy for now, to early for the ‘creatures of the night’ yet, he wanted privacy. The blue holodisplay of Lucien Dooku appeared before him, wanted for three counts of slavery. Wanted alive.

And he is on Bespin.

Seems while Eldin was away on Tatoonie, there had been incidents of Ugnaughts going missing and intel points to the young kid. “Why couldn’t Brown do it himself?”. The whiskey was shot back in one go with no small amount of displeasure.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

The Crescent Cloud Cantina, Cloud City, Level 140​

Lucien tapped his fingers on the edge of the table in unison with the music reverberating across the wide expanse of the cantina. It was known by the name of Crescent Cloud, and while it was located smack dab in the middle of Port Town, Luc considered it far superior to most of the establishments that made the area its home. Frequent traffic by both the locals and those wanting a chill place to relax had made it a popular choice among the more well-off in Port Town, and the cantina's generous amount of security guaranteed that violence remained at the minimum. It helped that the cantina was owned and frequented by the criminals who controlled that level and the two above and below. Luc wasn't part of those criminals, though he kept enough friends in high places to earn him a permanent booth near the back when he wanted.

But today was a different day, as he wasn't posted in his usual booth along with the usual pair of women that kept his booth warm and him company. He found himself at one of the private sabacc tables alongside a number of spacers, criminals and the sort that his mother had always told him to avoid. At one time he would've took her advice without second thought, but ever since his exile from Serenno, Luc engaged in many activities that the Royalty of his homeworld would find distasteful at the least. They were engaged in a game of Corellian Gambit, and so far he wasn't regretting his decision in the slightest. He'd won a few games, lost a couple more, and won back his earnings with interest when all was said and done. But of course the gamblers within his company did not wish to see some upstart kid take their credits without a chance to earn it all back in full.

Luc only agreed to continue after one of the near-humans at the table decided to ante up the rights to a upscale apartment on level 86 as collateral. He may have been a spacer, but the noble within him couldn't help but take the man up on his bet after he showed Luc a picture of the apartment in question on his holodisplay. It was a damn good opportunity if he could win, and by the force within him, Luc had a hand that none of the fools in his company could beat.

Cards were slammed down on the table, and Luc's attention snapped away from vibing to the music and back to his task at hand. Hands were called out one-by-one until the round was down to Luc and his 'rival' for the night. "Peetch goola, mah buhkee." The man said with a confident laugh that did little to impress the little group that gathered around them. "Pure Sabacc." The mechanical dealer plainly announced, much to the dismay of the other players. A flurry of boasts followed him prematurely reaching for the sabacc pot containing both Luc's pile of credits and the electronic key to his apartment. Luc wagged a finger at the man, his lips curling into that familiar smirk that either won over a crowd or caused him to draw their ire.

The former was the case this time, as Luc sat down his cards. "Cheespa bo coopa, My boy." Luc replied back, both his rival and the entirety of their little group turning wide-eyed at what the boy had just threw down. "Idiot's array. Now if you don't mind, i'd like to return to my booth and enjoy a cold glass of Vasarian with my lady friends." He winked in the direction of the two women that patiently awaited him off in the distance. Silence filled the void for a bit too long than he liked after his retort.

Both their table and the onlookers around were initially dumb-founded with shock, and Luc took this opportunity to gather up his credits -- and the key, of course -- and make his exit from the Sabacc section before the shock had worn off. He didn't put it past the man to try something later, but for now he knew things would remain chill. Luc's connections with the cantina's owners, who in turn ran the entire level, would ensure that much at least. And even if that wasn't enough, he was certain the man knew the consequences of making an attempt on his life. Young he was, but the Prince wouldn't hesitate in terminating the lives of him and those who associated with him if they wished to take it that far. He was a young man of extraordinary talents, with a reputation that was only growing with each lucrative assignment that was being tossed his way.

With a fat bag of credits beneath his arms, Luc returned to his happy corner, the smirk shifting into a grin upon seeing the warm look in his female companions' faces on his arrival. One of them got up, allowing Luc to slide in between them after he dropped the bag of credits onto the floor beneath their table. Shortly after, a waitress delivered a bottle of Vasarian brandy, three glasses and a bucket of ice. His life wasn't perfect, but it was damn good to be a free man capable of sipping expensive liquor with beautiful women under his arms.

Nothing could ruin his night, as far as he were concerned.

Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

Stepping behind the bar, Eldin poured himself a large whiskey, he would feel the eyes of the pretty blue eyes on him. “Don’t like workin’ on an empty stomach”, he grinned before he downed it. “Keep a stool warm for me will ya?”. Blue eyes said nothing only shook her head before attending to a new arrival the first of many by the end of the night.

On paper, this job appeared to be an easy one, but Eldin knew nothing is what is seems and was going prepared for a fight. The fob blinked and kept streaming co-ordinates for the target’s location, he didn’t like fobs if he was honest with himself, they took the fun away from tracking a target and made the bounty hunter lazy in that regard. The thrill of the chance was gone. From the Vine, he made his way to Port Town, his ground speed whipping from the streets along a well wore track he knew by heart until he pulled up outside the Crescent Cloud.

He entered and clung to the shadows of the establishment as he made his way to the bar and ordered. A Black Suit on in this part of town was no unusual in fact there were a few familiar faces here tonight and most of them paid Eldin no mind. He turned his back to the bar and sips his whiskey, swirling the ice as he watched the end of a card game in which the target was participating. The kid was good, he had to admire that and by the look of the faces opposite him, the kid took more in the winnings than coin.

Educated eyes, flicked around the room, slavers don’t travel along especially if they are enjoying entertainment in a place as seedy as this, in fact they never travel alone anywhere. So where were the kid’s goons? Everyone was armed, standard for the galaxy so that is never an indicator but if you watch carefully and patiently, the tell-tale signs appear. But from the looks the kid received after the win, everyone in the room appeared to enjoy the entertainment of the win, not one person remained neutral, in fact his senses did not alert to any connection of anyone. Apart from the two ladies the kid joined at the booth, he was alone.

So, there was only two possibilities, if the kid was a slaver, he was either stupid not to have protection, young and cocky or he was not a slaver at all. Eldin turned and ordered another whiskey, before he set off toward the booth and leaned on the end of the back rest as casually as it pleased him and flashed a smile to the ladies. “Smart play kid”, he raised his glass to him in salute.

Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Eyes remained half-closed as he slowly drifted his head along with the music while his two lady friends talked among each other. Luc did his usual spacing out, intent on enjoying the brandy and free time while he preoccupied himself within his thoughts. The night was still relatively young, and he pretended as if he paid the women no mind as they hinted between each other a desire to go out dancing and the sort. There were plenty of high-class establishments in Cloud City for them to frequent, but Luc wasn't in the mood for any of that good stuff.

His last job had him traveling across the Arkanis sector on a personal request by one of the local crime lords in the area. It was a success, and the pay was more than enough to finish the modifications on his starfighter, but the whole process left him exhausted in the end. Luc was fine with hunkering down on Bespin for a couple of weeks before he made his way off-world. The life of a spacer, adventurer, or whatever you wanted to call him was his calling, and it paid the bills whenever he found his monthly stipend from back home running short. An apartment to call his own was a nice addition too; not that he couldn't afford his own, but opportunity when it's presented should always be taken-- or so his previous master had guided him.

Eventually the conversation around him ceased, and a voice picked up right where the two women ended. A single eye opened and curiously looked to see who had walked up to his table. Luc did his best to stay in his own lane when he could, and the booth reserved for him usually provided an air of intimidation from your typical spacer out searching for connections. A single eye scanned the black-suited man, silence taking place where conversation had once filled. "Lady luck happened to be floating on my side, tonight." He finally spoke up, his opposite eye opening as he took in the full picture of the man leaning near his booth.

He glanced across the room, his eyes floating towards his former table as he scouted out the same group of men continuing their game. "Take what is offered and that must sometimes be enough~" He said with a grin as he raised his glass in a returning gesture to the man. Returning his gaze towards his two companions, Luc gave them a nod and the pair scooted from each end of him before sauntering across to the bar. Luc shifted to the far end of the table -- making sure to drag the credits between his feet, of course -- and gestured with a hand towards the opposite end of his booth. "I don't normally entertain strangers when i'm enjoying my me-time, but you don't strike me the same as some of the scum that call this city home." The grin loosened a bit, but he appeared welcoming enough in his request. "Have a seat, friend."


Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

There was a momentary pause as Eldin watched the ladies depart from the booth, and go about whatever business they had intended for the night. The kid also had taste it seemed. He pushed himself straight by the elbow and before taking the offered seat, he skimmed the room one last time for any movement among the patrons. Nothing, apart from his female companions, he was alone and even if the kid had some form of back up with the owner of this ‘fine’ establishment, that was probably void by the presence of OPA Black Suit.

He could not help but grin as he sat down, noticing the bag of credits sliding further under the table, “Wise words, they should serve ya well”, he shimmed into the booth a little more than was necessary but not a threatening closeness to the kid, only because he wanted a wider view of the place. To get more comfortable, he undid his jacket button, the folds of it hanging loose and allowing for easy access to the pistols.

“Everywhere has it’s fair-share of scum, this place ain’t that bad”, he looked at the table of players the kid just rolled, the one with his back to them kept throwing glances over his shoulder in their direction. “Thanks for the invitation, me names Eldin”. He already knew his name and he took a moment to look the kid over.

“Not from around here are ya”, he knew that too, but wanted to get the kid talking, because there was something niggling the back of his mind. Slavers are usually cold and malicious, there was no sense of that coming from him. And his clothing, although well worn, they had once been opulent. Could have stolen them of course or purchased second hand, but they seemed to fit the kid perfectly as if born to it.


Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

“Everywhere has it’s fair-share of scum, this place ain’t that bad”

Luc shrugged his shoulders at Eldin's response. Bespin had plenty of interesting and friendly people, but for each one of those individuals he'd come across, there were at least a pair of gals and gentlemen that were only out to make a few creds at the expense of their neighbors. Granted he wasn't in the best position to throw judgement onto others himself, at least he could count himself among the crowd that wouldn't rob his own mother if it meant setting himself up for a quick come-up the next day. "Fair enough, I suppose~" Luc continued, the glass of Vasarian being brought to his lips to partake in another sip of the smooth liquor.

The man introduced himself as Eldin following that quick exchange of words, to which Luc gave a nod and raised the glass up slightly between them. "Well met then, Eldin. I'll admit that it's not everyday that I get to enjoy a drink with someone who's not secretly out to put a bolt into my gut. " He replied with a grin. "Or maybe I'm just a bit jaded about my last few encounters here on this world." Luc chuckled. He was always interested in finding good company wherever he decided to settle down his feet. Having spent most of his life shuffling between worlds, it was a markedly disparate feeling to truly be on his own, traveling the stars and leaving his mark wherever he went. Whether that was engaging in the occasional job for a crime-lord on the Rim, or joining up with a smuggling crew and making the closest thing he could call friends, it was a new and appreciated feeling.

He lived a lifestyle that he'd only dreamed of as an edgy kid, and his various occupations would make his parents grimace if they never knew the true details of what the Prince called his line of work. It was a grim world once you stepped outside the pretentious box of royalty and nobility, but he still carried with him a sense of chivalry that helped keep his morality in check whenever he drifted a bit too far off the right path.

Another drink followed, the smooth burn of the liquid settling into his stomach being greeted with a satisfied look encompassing the expression on his face. Eldin moved on with another question-- Small talk, if you will -- to which he looked as stoic in his satisfaction as he was the moments before. He was decently buzzed, and that was perfectly fine with him. There were methods to temper the effect of alcohol on the system, though Luc held off on that in favor of enjoying the moment for what it was. After another sip of his drink, he sat the glass down on the table and reached for the bottle to refill his glass and top off Eldin's as well.

"Nah, i'm definitely not a local." Luc spoke up as he screwed the top back onto the bottle before dropping it back into a bucket of ice. " The name's Lucien, but my friends call me Luc. I'm from a little 'ol world in Sith-space called Serenno. Lovely planet at times, but it can be just as cut-throat as any world when it wants to be." There was no need to introduce himself in full. The nobility that still lingered within him made it a habit to introduce himself fully, but the spacer within had long implanted the value in keeping his heritage as discreet as possible. On more than one occasion he found himself on the targeted end of a kidnapping attempt due to his status as a Prince, and he'd be damned if he gave some of Bespin's natives the benefit of the doubt to not think up that bright idea as well. Granted he didn't get that vibe from Eldin, but Lucien was playing it cool regardless.

Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

Serenno, not a place he had visited, did not know much about it other than what would pop up in the files. Quite frankly, Eldin had no real cause to do so. Might after all this, however.

Eldin settled comfortably in the booth, “Now who would be secretly tryin’ to do that?”, referring to the hit to the gut, more fishing for the feel of the kid. Nothing was adding up, which made Eldin more intrigued by the so-called intelligence. Or the kid was just very good at playing a part. It was still to early to tell.

“Sounds like ya had a bit of trouble on Bespin, this place ain’t void of it to be sure .. ya can find it without lookin’”. He downed his drink and raised his hand to order another, signalling for a refill for the kid as well.

He felt a shift in the air, there was a prickle of tense from the people in the bar which caused Eldin to look up. A man hunched over his drink, not wanting to be spotted, another in the far booth receded back into the shadows as best he could, and others just simply abandoned their drinks and left the place. A man had entered the place, he was not trying to disguise the fact either, he was a Judge. One of Sherriff Brown’s men.

That had not been part of the plan, this was a solo mission given by Brown so what was this guy doing here? And by the action and tension of the bar, he was no stranger to the place. The Judge sat waiting for his drink, under the brim of his hat he could feel his eyes looking in his direction, and beyond him to the kid.

Eldin dropped his right hand to his thigh, slowly peeled back his jacket and rested a gently hand on the handle of his pistol. This was not right, something did not feel right, “Ya got a gun on ya kid?”, he asked softly.

Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Lucien sat the glass down and exaggerated a shrug with the playful grin still planted on his face. "It's an unfortunate side-effect of being slightly charming and equally as competent in what I do. Alot of these old-timers don't take too well to young-blood shining brighter than they did, and presently do." He said with a laugh. He was half-joking when he said it, but there was truth veiled behind the playful exterior that was the norm the young spacer. Greed was the primary motivation for the previous attempts on his life. He wasn't the type of guy to involve himself in the seedier underbelly of the world he now lived in-- well most of the time at least. He still had his morals from his previous life, and overall Luc still considered himself a half-decent person whenever he wanted to be.

The grin toned down after Eldin ordered another round of drinks for the two of them. He grabbed an empty glass -- his current one filled with the brandy he'd be drinking on -- and graciously accepted the offer as a waitress moved to their table and filled their glasses with more alcohol. Though he was seemingly caught up in the good vibes of the moment, Luc wasn't enveloped to the point that his senses were too far gone to notice the subtle shift in the winds of the building. He was a regular there whenever he was visiting the city, but most of all he was far more competent than the vibe he usually gave off to the scoundrels of the city. Eldin too noticed the shift in tone from the cantina's patrons; drinks were abandoned entirely while others simply chose to keep to themselves where before they were happily engaging in the revelry of the night.

It all culminated with the entering of a man that clearly stood out from the majority of the people that were there from before. He brought the newly-filled glass to his lips, his eyes trailing across to the man as he moved to the bar for a drink. "Interesting." The word popped into his mind, what haze from he liquor which the let simmer in his mind beginning to dissolve the moment his interest began to pique. It wasn't his first time dealing with a similar situation, nor was he inwardly or outwardly alarmed by the sudden shift in the room's vibe. He scanned the room one last time before his eyes settled back onto Eldin, who he figured was on the same page as him based on the position of his now moved right-hand.

“Ya got a gun on ya kid?”

He said, to which Luc responded with his lips curling up once more into that playful grin. "Perhaps I do, Mr. Eldin." Was his response, although unlike Eldin, the boy didn't make any motion towards any weapon on his person, concealed or not. Instead he sat down the glass of whiskey and reached for his brandy, the glass moving to his lips before he downed the remaining contents with one quick motion. "Although I much prefer to handle my problems directly. My father always said a man should face his troubles head-on."


Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

“Head on, mm sounds like a plan”, from inside his cuff slipped the bounty fob, Eldin placed it on the table in front of the kid.

“Gonna level with ya kid, but I need ya to level with me, if ya wanna get out of here in one piece”, his head nodded toward the fob, “Has that got any truth to it?”. The fob would show the details of the bounty of him, the leader of the slave gang operating on Bespin in the past weeks.

Eldin kept his eye on the man at the bar, one flinch from him and Eldin would open fire, there was little doubt in his mind that not only the kid had been set up, but so had he. Killed in the line of duty and all that, the kid taken into custody for his murder and slave dealing with of eyewitnesses to ‘collaborate’ the story. And if the kid was killed as well, that would be no more of a problem, the cover up would be easy enough for Brown to achieve.

Whether they wanted it or not, Eldin and Luc were now allies, regardless if the kid was running slaves, Eldin would deal with that once they had dealt with the Deputy judge. Although not a high-ranking member he is a sharpshooter and as mean as they come.

The Deputy shifted in his seat, turning his chest toward them as his hand reached for the drink on the bar, it was subtle movement but Eldin caught the other arm move out of sight, he knew the move and without warning Eldin stood up flipped the table in front of him and drew his pistol and fired. The Deputy fell back off the stool as if shot, it was a ploy to take cover. Everyone that had remained in the bar dived for cover on the floor, the bar keep hid behind the counter. Eldin took cover behind the flipped table, taking quick action to change his pistol to gunslinger mode. Five shots left, before he needed to reload.

Mood​

Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

VIBES​

Blue-grey orbs drifted from Eldin to the fob now sitting on the table between them. The truth of his new friend's visit to his private table was finally revealed, and while he suspected the man's intentions were never just to befriend him, it was surprising to say the least that he had a bounty on his head for something so utterly unbelievable. The grin remained planted on his face however, and surprised as he were, Luc remained impartial to the newfound revelation. He was confident that getting out of the building in one piece could be accomplished with or without Eldin's help. Lucien, though young, was far from being a defenseless young man who relied on a gun to solve the hard problems in life-- such as being labeled the head of a slaver gang with a modest bounty on his head.

"I'm alot of things, Mr. Eldin, but a murderous leader of slavers is sithspit if I ever heard of it." A response didn't come fast enough as the hulking man perched at the bar displayed subtle signs of movement, prompting Eldin to react immediate by flipping their table in preparation for an old fashion cantina gunfight like the scoundrels of old, or new, since Luc had never been granted the luxury of being involved in one until then unfortunately. His comrade-in-arms unleashed a clip of high-powered bolts at the bar in quick succession before diving behind the flipped table like the smart man he was. Others hit the floor or made their way for the door while the lone enemy behind the bar seemingly took cover out of necessity of the successive shots that smacked the bar around him.

Meanwhile Luc remained seated during this exciting turn of events, the grin contorting into a look of disappointment as narrowed eyes trailed the half-spent bottle of expensive Vasarian brandy now shattered on the floor. "Now that is what I call a tremendous waste of fine brandy ." He commented, a hand reached down to the bag on the ground and slinging it across his shoulder before anymore damage could be done. He could accept the wasted Vasarian, but he would not be enthused if his bag of credits met a similar end as well.

During the lull in the gunfire, Luc spotted his two lady friends frightened and cowering behind a flipped table of their own. He pulled the bag from over his shoulder and tossed it across the room, the bag landing between the two women as he forced a grin to his face to bring a semblance of comfort in a shitty situation. "I'll meet yall back at your place in the morning, now get going!" Luc yelled to them loud enough for them to hear him over the frantic voices of the cantina. One of the Twi'lek women grabbed the bag and her friend and made for the door, just as the party-crasher popped out of cover, weapon in hand.

Luc pushed out of the seat, his lithe form gliding across the cantina with an unnatural quickness that was seemingly unaided by any sort of bionics or augmentations. He came to a stop between his lady friends and the weapon drawn on their position just as the man let loose a well-placed bolt that would've surely took off the bag-holding Twi'lek's head with ease. He threw an open hand forwards, a compressed ball of charged tibanna being stopped dead in its tracks before Luc whipped the hand at the man's position with a closed fist. It was redirected right at the man's silhouette, who ducked behind the bar in time for the tibanna bolt to slam into what remained of the glass backdrop from Eldin's barrage. The two women were given ample enough time to dash for the door and make their escape from the otherwise clusterkark of a situation.

It shattered what remained of the backdrop with a loud crack, his free hand reaching into his jacket and removing the ornate vibrodagger that was holstered on one side of his chest. Several more bolts followed up at Luc this time, with each successive shot met with a fluid strike from the dagger. dissipating the bolts on contact with the edge of the blade. It was one thing to ruin a good bottle of brandy, and another to almost cost him a bag of credits. But the final strike he wouldn't take was almost costing him a fat bag of credits while also targeting a bystander-- who just happened to be one of his lady friends.

Luc dashed the opposite way across the cantina, finishing the daring maneuver with a slide across the liquor-strewn floor that landed him behind his flipped table and next to Eldin. "Mind telling me who the hell is the slimeball who just ruined my night?" He asked, the unique vibrodagger being flipped into a reverse-grip while they holed up.

Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

The kid could handle himself in a fight, quick on his feet and quick in the mind. The bar erupted into a show of flying people and gun fire, but there was no sign of the Deputy. There was not any place for him to go so he had to have taken cover behind the bar. Luc slide across the floor toward him, taking up cover behind the table, not that it provides much.

“That’s Deputy Bridie one of Sheriff Brown’s men, the man that sent me here to capture ya”. Eldin twisted on the spot readied himself to open fire once more, they needed to draw Bridie out. “And it looks like they wanna frame me as well”.

Eldin poked his head up from behind the table, gun in hand aimed for the bar. There was nothing left of the mirrors which might have helped to locate the man. He was there alright, he could sense him, but the bar was to thick to put a shot through it.

“That all ya got kid?”, looking at the vibroblade, who brings a knife to a gun fight, but the kid would not have been expecting this turn of events.

“We need to flush him out”, just as Eldin popped back down behind the table, Bridie open fired hitting the table. Each hit was load and singed the table surface splitting it and it would not take much more before it would disintegrate, they would have to move fast.

“Daine, hand over the kid and you can walk away”, the voice came from the right end of the bar. “No need to get yourself killed over a punk kid, don't be a fool”.

“Can ya throw that thing?”, he nodded toward the blade. Eldin puffed out his cheeks, draw back the courage before crawling toward the left end of the bar, he just made it out of sight when Bridie open fired on the tabletop where Eldin had left Luc. But it gave Eldin the opportunity to move into position and while Bridie was focused on killing the kid, Eldin took aim and fired. The high-powered bolt struck his arm, the intention was to blow his arm clean off, but it didn’t. Bridie was wearing some sort of protection.

However, the sudden surprise of Eldin’s close presence made the man stand up and turn his attention on Daine. Eldin dived for cover at the end of the bar, feeling the impact of each bolt as it hit it.

Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

“That’s Deputy Bridie one of Sheriff Brown’s men, the man that sent me here to capture ya; And it looks like they wanna frame me as well.”

Ah, now it was starting to make sense. Well actually it still sounded like a sopping, wet jar of sithspit, but the scenario being presented matched up with what Eldin was telling him. The topic switched to the weapons he had available on him, with Eldin making a comment that Luc perceived as the Vibrodagger not being enough. He was ready to comment back with a boast of his ability with a blade, considering the kid had just deflected multiple blaster shots with the aforementioned weapon. Eldin's next comment stopped him before a reply could leave his lips, as the 'Judge' or whoever he was, interrupted with another volley of shots that threatened to leave him exposed.

Deputy Bridie's next move was to negotiate with Eldin, giving up Luc in exchange for his own life. In his experiences, it never went down the way one thought it would when bowing down to a crooked man with a gun. "I take offense to being called a punk-kid you fething imbecile!" Luc shouted over his shoulder, his attention returning back to Eldin's question on what he was capable of with his weapon. "Of course I can." He responded. Lucien was capable of a fair amount of parlor tricks with a blade in his hands, but he wouldn't be caught dead or alive throwing an ornate Sith weapon at a target which wasn't guaranteed to hit flesh.

He sheathed the dagger, only to draw a pistol from his thigh-holster; a DC-15s blaster that offered unlimited ammo at the cost of stopping power and cool-down. Eldin made his move, and so did Deputy Bridie as well, who began reducing what remained of the table into further piles of cheap sawdust. "Fething-" He gritted his teeth, keeping his form low to the ground as to avoid getting clipped by anything other than splinters. He drew back his arm, his free hand clenching into a fist as his focus shifted onto the nearly-destroyed table blocking his sight. The force swirled within him, coursing through his arm and settling into his fist. "Let's see how you enjoy sawdust in your eyes!" The fist jolted forwards, crashing into the table with a decent amount of power, albeit not enough to translate into what just happened. The mostly-destroyed table erupted off the floor, shattering even further upon impact and sending all of the pieces of wood and debris at the now-standing Deputy behind the bar.

The pistol followed up next, iron-sights lining up just in time for him to let loose three shots aimed center-torso, just like his master had taught him. Afterwards he leaped to his right, kicking over another table and taking cover to avoid any return fire coming his way. Eldin was on the left, so Lucien kept to the right. If the Deputy wanted to fight them both, he'd have to do so at the risk of getting himself flanked in the process. That is, if he was still alive, which Luc was completely fine with if it was the case. The bastard had ruined his night, so this was definitely personal.

Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

From Eldin’s viewpoint, he could see Luc exposed after the table had been shattered. The kid was cocky, but had every right to be, he could handle himself very well. A ball of debris and three bolts fired, the kid hit his mark each time, sending the Deputy back and off balance. Didn’t kill him though, his armour enough to prevent that. That left only two options, the hand or the head.

Eldin needed Bridie alive.

Luc moved right, Bridie knew he was flanked if he did nothing about it, but there was nowhere to go, he looked around for an escape route and only found the door leading out to the back from behind the bar. Storage room most likely, and there was no guarantee there was an exit. He would end up trapped. The only way out was through the front door, but he would have to cross the open room.

A caged killer is a deadly force.

Eldin pushed off the floor from his crouching position, time stood still and the success of this depended on a split second. His pistol fired, aimed at Bridie’s hand holding his gun. The high-powered bolt hit the mark and Bridie screamed with pain as he looked upon his shattered hand, the high-powered bolt unforgiving.

Bridie turned looking at Eldin almost in disbelief, only to see the barrel of the pistol aimed at his face and cold blue eyes devoid of emotion looking back at him. Eldin Daine was a cold-hearted killer when no other option was present. Instinct to remain still knowing that one false move and the Judge would open fire, kept him in place. People act strangely in these situations, Bridie looked to the kid as if he was somehow going to help him, maybe find compassion in the him. That is the hypocrisy of them.

The only thing stopping Eldin from pulling the trigger was that he needed Bridie to get to Brown.

"Cuff him Kid".

Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

The bolts from Lucien's blaster connected, striking the Deputy center-mass but not dropping him out of the fight for good. "Tch." Lucien rolled his eyes as he peered from over the table he was no using as cover. Luckily he didn't need to escalate things even further, as the Judge on his side proved himself once more a capable ally as he used that high-powered blaster of his to incapacitate the man's firing hand, knocking the gun from his grip with a well-placed shot that shattered the hand completely. Eldin followed up his shot with the barrel of his weapon pointed in the man's face, who instinctively remained frozen in place as to not proceed in the next few moments with not just a shattered hand, but a massive hole in his cranium as well.

Lucien dashed across the table in that moment, the pistol sliding into his thigh-holster and the vibrodagger reentering his grip halfway through his small sprint. He ended the maneuver on the Deputy's flank, a mixture of anger and determination filling his expression as he whipped his arm forwards, the vibrodagger coming within millimeters of the man's carotid artery as Luc intended to end the man where he stood for the transgressions that he'd undertook to completely ruin his night. The blade stopped before it punctured flesh, a move which undoubtedly would have ended his life within minutes, all thanks to the interruption of Eldin's voice bringing him back from the moment of anger that had swirled and multiplied in his mind over the course of the fight which had been taking place.

"Cuff him Kid."

Luc narrowed his eyes at the Deputy, his teeth gritting beneath sealed lips before his eyelids shut closed, a deep breath being exhaled before they opened back up to reveal a slightly more calm expression on his face. "Right." He replied, lowering the blade from the Deputy's neck to reveal a trickle of blood sliding down from the very fine laceration that could easily have been fatal with a hint more pressure behind the blade. Lucien reached behind the Deputy to remove a pair of stun cuffs from the man's own belt and wasted no time in forcefully cuffing him, shattered hand and all. "Consider yourself lucky on this fine evening, Deputy Bridie. You shot at my friends for no reason, and for that your life should've been forfeit. Lucky you, indeed."

His attention shifted back to Eldin, the vibrodagger being holstered beneath his shoulder once more. "So what now, Mr. Eldin?" He asked, a step being taken away from Bridie in case the man got any not-so-bright ideas about trying to turn the tables on his captors. "I'm ready to finish this- whatever this is. The one thing I despise more than amoral scoundrels is corrupt officials of the law, especially those who tarnish my reputation for no reason."


Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

There was no sense of relief after Luc had cuffed Bridie, this was only the beginning of what appeared to be something much larger. And Sheriff Brown was at the heart of it. Not only framing the kid for this racket but him as well, the scape goats to draw attention away from himself. The pieces were falling into place, had it not been for the skills of both Luc and himself, Brown’s plan would have worked. The answer to the question of why Brown did this, framed them both, was obvious. It was him running the slave trafficking and Eldin and Luc had upset the plan, but now they had the advantage. They were still alive, and Brown did not know what had happened here.

“It’s time to ask a few questions”, he took Bridie by the arm and shoved him through the door leading out the back of the bar and into the narrow alley where they all could be alone and no one would hear them, or care for that matter.

Bridie had been whimpering in pain but as soon as he realised what was about to happen to him, he stopped and snarled, as Eldin threw him down on the mucky ground of the alley.

“We can do this the hard way or the easy way, I don’t mind either”. Eldin crouched on his haunches next to Bridie. “Ya see, the kid here is not very happy ya tried to frame him for slavery”.

“You can’t kill me Daine, I’m a Judge. You would be charged with murder”. Already he was grabbing at straws.

“Nope, ya right Bridie, I can’t. But he can”, he indicated to Luc with a tilt of his head. “And he would have a Judge as witness for his self defence argument and naturally an investigation would start and what do you think that might uncover? Either way, I think we have the upper hand here”. Eldin stood up and step back leaving Bridie floundering on the ground, eyes darting between the two men.

“Ya only got two choices. Tell us what we wanna know and get ya sentence reduced, or … well”, he folded his arms across his chest, and took one more deliberate step back, giving Luc room.

“Brown sent ya, didn’t he. He’s behind all this”.

Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

It was probably a massive failure of Luc's part, but prior to that night he'd never even heard of these Judges, Sheriffs and Deputies that were apparently the word-of-law around Bespin. He figured it was tied to the OPA, and the thought of more of these corrupt 'judges' running about did not help to improve his confidence in their governance. He set aside the thought with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He really didn't want to get into an internal debate over the reliability of the OPA's method of governing its territories, plus him and Eldin still had not resolved their issues yet in the slightest with these crooked men.

He kept an eye at the door while Eldin set about questioning their captive. Bridie remained uncooperative, and Luc assumed the man could've potentially been waiting for back-up, unless he was foolish enough to have thought the pair were an easy enough mark from the get-go. Eldin's line of questioning soon turned to coercion via the threat of Luc getting his way. It caused him to let out a laugh when he saw the look upon Bridie's face when Eldin all but gave him the go-ahead to deal with the man how he pleased. Luc didn't enjoy taking the lives of people, at least when they were somewhat decent human beings, but this Bridie character deserved none of the mercy that Luc carried within his heart.

Bridie's arrogance led him to the hole he was now buried in, and there was nothing he could say or do to crawl out of it. Luc rolled his neck a bit once Eldin stepped back and gave the two a bit of room to 'conversate'. He stepped closer to the man and brought his body to a kneel, ensuring that the two were close enough to lock eyes from an uncomfortably close distance. Luc focused his gaze upon Bridie continuously, that devious smirk sitting on his face the entire time whilst he let the man marinade in the fear that seemed to exude from the Judge's aura. Luc could feel the arrogance, fear and apprehension that welled up inside the man's mind, and that was enough for him to realize that threats of violence weren't necessary to get the answers that Eldin wanted.

A hand slowly moved between Luc and Bridie with his middle finger and thumb pressed against eachother tightly. He waved the hand slowly infront of Bridie's face for long enough that the man's eyes began following his fingers as if on command. Snap. Luc's hand paused where it was upon the snap of his fingers. "Deputy Bridie, I'm certain you realize it's in your best interest to cooperate with myself and Mr. Eldin, am I correct?" He asked politely with suggestion laden behind his tone. "...Ye-yes, you're correct." Bridie responded with a clear shift in his previously frantic behavior. His demeanor had shifted to being visibly more placid, and the man shifted his impassive gaze between Eldin and Luc as if waiting for a command. Luc shifted his gaze towards Eldin next and gave the man a thumbs up. "I'm certain the good 'ol Deputy here will be more agreeable with your demands now, Mr. Eldin. It's in his best interest to be compliant, after all."


Eldin Daine

 

[Eldin Daine]

Well, now that was interesting. The kid went for the soft approach with help from the force it appeared. I really gotta learn me some of that. Although Eldin has the gift, and from time to time, uses it, he does not hold much stock in it. But watching Luc highlighted the benefits, and who knew what else the ‘gift’ could be beneficial for. The thing was, Eldin had not been around anyone that could explain it with any sort of logic outside of the monks and their Way.

And he could only take himself so far learning solo.

Now Eldin stepped forward once more and looked Bridie in the eyes, it looked like he had a thin film over them, glazed over and compliant. “Hmm, impressive”. He spoke his thoughts.

“Right, now, once more. Sherriff Brown set him up”, he nodded toward the kid, Bridie shifted gaze between them and simply nodded.

“Put me in the frame as well”, Eldin continued and Bridie nodded again. “I was sent to kill you both, make it look like the bounty hunt went wrong”.

“Why?”, it seemed like an elaborate plan, even though Brown had taken a dislike to Eldin, this seemed overkill.

“They’re getting too close, people asking questions back at HQ about Brown and he wanted to pass the blame so when Lucien came on his radar, and his hate for you, he set it up”. Bridie started shaking uncontrollably, even Eldin could sense the fear in the man, even with the placid control Luc had, Brown’s influence still got through it seemed. He did not care about the hate Brown had for him; it was met equally.

So, Brown is under suspicion, and the Judges don’t have evidence to pin him with the slavery. Bridie was in no fit state to help them, Eldin would not trust him anyway. He would crack and warn Brown.

Eldin suddenly punched Bridie, knocking him out cold. “Grab his legs kid”, they would hide him until this was over. As Eldin dragged Bridie by the scruff of the neck, “Ya seen that space flick were the wookiee is handcuffed and these guards pretend to transfer him to a prison block?”, Eldin threw Bridie against a couple of abandoned crates, and covered him over with whatever he could find around them.

“Can’t remember the name of the flick, but it is as good a plan as any”.


Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

I should've ended this bastard already.

The thought crossed his mind more than a few times in the moments that passed between capturing him and questioning him for answers. A little bit of the force was all it took to get the man to speak, when it was all said and done. He may have been solid with a gun -- debatably, if you asked him -- but his mental fortitude was lacking where his other talents made up. Then again, behind Deputy Bridie's gunplay and physique, the man was a corrupt coward who turned into a craven when his life was second away from being ended. This same man probably took the lives of plenty of others in his role as the Sheriff's yes-man and lackey, which made it all the more disgusting to feel the fear well up and explode to the man's surface.

A punch from Eldin knocked the man clean out, which thankfully put an end to the disgusting aura of fear and cowardice that emanated from the unconscious man. "Closest he deserves to being put out of his misery." Lucien responded to Eldin as he reached for the man's legs, the two of them tossing him against some crates and covering his form up with what looked like a stained tablecloth. Once the adrenaline receded, Luc couldn't help but roll his eyes away from the sad case of a man, shifting his gaze across the sights of what was a lively cantina in the minutes before things went downhill.

Eldin continued on speaking, Lucien's eyes returning back to Eldin as he gave off a chuckle in response to the man's question. "I think I see where this is going." He replied, kneeling down over the unconscious Deputy and 'borrowing' the last set of cuffs from the pouch on his waist. Pivoting away from Bridie, Luc tossed the cuffs to Eldin, then paused to stretch his arms and let out a yawn before the two continued on with their crusade to clear their names. "The plan won't work unless we commit fully, am I right?" Lucien reached down to his thigh holster, then into his jacket to free himself of the primary weapons that would definitely give up the plan.

He tossed the pistol to the side, then hesitated as he removed the holster from over his shoulders and held it out towards Eldin. it wasn't everyday that he willingly handed over the two weapons that had been in his possession for as long as he could remember. "Take care of 'em, yea?" He asked, then nudged the hand fully towards his partner-in-crime. Of course, he wasn't completely defenseless. He may have been willing to give up his blade and lightsaber, but Lucien was far too cunning to let the chance pass by to sneak in a concealed blade or three. He would keep that fact to himself, though, just in case they needed to sell the idea of an unarmed prisoner with more conviction.

Lucien raised his hands towards the man after another deep breath, then gave him a nod once he was mentally prepared. "Well, silver lining-- I've got a sweet hideout to renovate if we survive all of this."

Eldin Daine

[sorry for the lateness, i totally didnt get a notification for this before!]

 

[Eldin Daine]

“I’ll take good care of them”, he grinned knowing full well his partner had not handed everything over. And a good thing he did either, as this plan was not exactly a great one. They just had to get in the front door of Brown’s office. “Well if ya think we should be fully committed”, click, the cuffs went Luc’s wrists. He gave the kid a look over, there was something missing. A slaver wouldn't come quietly.

“Ya need some make up on that pretty face of yours”. Eldin punched Luc in the face giving him a nice red welt immediately. “Ya’ll thank me later, when them pretty friends of yours see ya with that shiner”. He gave Luc a wink. And something deep down in Eldin knew the kid would get his own back at some point in this. Eldin handed Luc the key to the cuffs, if things went pear shaped, he would need to get hands free quickly.

One hand carried Luc’s weapons, the other his pistol pointed in the kid’s back as they walked out of the alley into the main street. Eldin opened a commlink to the station. “Deputy Daine requestin’ transport at my location. Bringin’ in a prisoner”. Now all they had to do was wait, something like this soon travels fast around the corridors of the Judges branches. The passersby stopped to check out the prisoner, some walking wide of them both uncertainty on their faces, fear even. "Move along nothing to see here".

Eldin was getting a little nervous, the longer this took the more Brown might cover his tracks if he got the slightest sniff that something was up.

Transport soon turned up and Eldin guided Luc into the back of the secured speeder. “Take me to Sheriff Brown. And step on it”. The kid driving the transport took off at an alarming pace, making people crossing the street jump out of the way. And throwing the passengers around. Well he did ask for it.


Lucien Dooku

sniffs with sadness at Luc's Imp kit
Write me a OPA char!