Private The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

[Millicent Tharoul]

The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

Nar Shaddaa

Sector Q-11 "The Merchant's Sector"

Local time 21:44

Millicent leaned back against the handrail by the edge of the platform, her eyes watching out over the ever thickening mass of people that were gathering by bridge. Things were starting to get rowdy - they had been for the past few nights. She had been told that the locals were fed up with being extorted by the local criminal gang: The Red Bolters. Everything she had seen so far indicated that it was true. It didn't matter much to her. She had a good nose for trouble and had known when it was time to disappear before things got too bad. This was not that kind of occasion. The night was still young and she knew that they locals wouldn't get too worked up until much later. All she needed to do was to wait for a little bit.

Letting her shoulders fall as a big breath escaped her, Millicent's eyes started wandering upwards. She could see the outlines of Nal Hutta from where she stood. It was night 'up' there - unlike Nar Shaddaa, the planet which the moon circulated around actually went to sleep. In a way, she longed for the peace which could be found there. But then, if the stench of Nar Shaddaa could be rivalled, it would be by the stench from Hutta.

With a little shove, she left the handrail behind as she started to move into the crowd. Dressed casually and her shoulders pulled in, Millicent soon blended into the crowd, slipping in and out between groups and making sure not to bother anyone, in large part thanks to her small form. Still, she refrained from striking - the timing was not right. Many seemed to be somewhat alert and she didn't see any marks who were obvious fits. Patience was the name of the game. And as it seemed, that would pay off. In the distance, by the other end of the bridge - she saw a group of people around the same age as herself - one of them had an open backpack with a large bag inside.

She had long since trained away the smirk that would appear upon spotting a good mark. Instead, Millicent continued with determination, slowly but surely creeping closer to the group. Once near enough, she waited until a larger person passed them by and used the 'cover' that the created to snatch the bag from the open backpack. It was an easy steal and before anyone knew better, she was once more part of the busy crowd. Her luck ended there - because once she got far away enough to inspect her prize, the thief discovered that the bag just contained some posters, a couple firecrackers and a worn photograph of an older couple.

Another sigh escaped her - this time, she was distressed. Her eyes fixated on the worn picture as her mind wondered why they didn't just get a new picture. The potential answers were many - but most if not all of them were tragic. At this point, she didn't even bother looking for a wallet. There was only one thing to do. It was to give the bag back.

After taking the hoodie off and putting her hair up in a bun, Millicent walked back to the group - they had not even noticed that the bag had disappeared. "Hey guys" she said, her voice careful with a hint of uncertainty "I just found this back there" she continued, pointing behind her with her thumb. The mark had a look of horror spread across his face as he frantically took off his backpack to see that the bag which had been inside was missing. "Yes!" the response was quick and lacked hints of any doubt. I warm smile spread across her features as she took a step closer "Well, you better take it back then" As she spoke, she stretched out an arm to give it back.

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

While people were doing their own thing, a hooded figure walked through the crowd along the bridge. The man accidentally bumped into Millicent Tharoul but quickly turned to face her. Under the hood was a glowing T-visor staring back at her. "Oh shit, sorry babe. Didn't mean that." he quickly apologized and gave a two-fingered salute. "Have a nice evening." he greeted before walking on.

In other areas, other sketchy figures were walking into the area as well. But with their getup, they didn't look odd at all. Things suddenly came to life when a missile sailed from a rooftop into a nearby parked speeder, blowing it up along with a few people. The figures suddenly drew weapons and opened fire on anyone who seemed to be carrying a weapon or looked suspicious. The figure threw off his cloak and blasted into the air as he drew his twin pistols, joining into the ambush. "Keep your eyes out for those kriffers!" he shouted over his comms as he gunned down a man carrying a rifle on the ground beneath him.

In no time at all the place became a warzone when a bunch of other people appeared as well, packing serious weapons and gear. A few shots came at Kaz but they merely deflected off his armour before he fired back at them. There was shouting and screaming as the attackers and rebels traded gunfire, civilians caught in between with no regard shown to them.

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

Millicent was used to it - brushing up against people as she past them by, getting a light bump from someone as they tried to get past her, sometimes even gently shoved to the side, if they felt so inclined. She was not a hard person to move. There was no reason to think much of the large hooded figure until she noticed how hard he seemed under the cloak - armour. And then she saw the T-visor, the telltale sign of a Mandalorian. It was a sign that she should make herself scarce - for where they were, violence often followed. A forced smile spread across he lips "It's OK! You too!" she chirped before turning back to the group she had been interacting with.

The victim of her theft was now looking through the bag and let out a sigh of relief once he saw the worn old image - he had not even bothered looking for his wallet or any other belongings yet. Looking up from the bag at her, he let out a heartfelt "Thank you" before opening a side compartment from which he brought out a few credits. The girl smiled - she felt for him and wished him well - but if he was just going to give her credits like that, she assumed that he could afford it. Her eyes went down to his hands as hers slowly extended to take the reward "I kinda needed these - so thank you" she said.

They were having an odd but tender moment together when blaster fire could suddenly be heard. Before the guy had a chance to react, she had already turned around to look for the point of danger - but there were too many. Thugs with blasters could suddenly be seen everywhere and they were opening fire already. "Run!" she screamed, turning around and putting both hands on her victim's chest to push him along. But he remained still, pushing back as she tried to make him run. "I can't. They killed my parents!" he said with rage clear in his eyes.

"Don't do something you'll come to regret" she pleaded, trying to pull him along - but still to no avail. Instead, he brought out the firecrackers he had in the bag she just returned to him and fired three off towards the airborne Mandalorian.

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

The blasterfire was indiscriminant. The attackers didn't care all that much about who they were targeting as they fired away. But they weren't alone. The rebels on the ground simply fired as well, seemingly not budging when a civilian ran into the bolts.

Another missile was fired but the culprit was gunned down from the ground, falling off the building with a pained scream. Kaz lobbed two bolts into a person targeting him as he zipped around the area with his jetpack. The one moment he halted to target a rebel firing at the other thugs, he heard a very familiar sound of firecrackers flying. He turned his head to get a glance, just in time to move out of the way of two. The last cracker impacted his jetpack and caused him to lose control.

"Oh kriff!" was all he managed to shout before his jetpack sent him flying through the window of a building, crashing into someone's apartment. He didn't feel too bad though. Judging from the soft couch and fine liquor on the coffee table, this dude was living quite comfortably. He took his time to recover and even stole a drink of the liquor before rolling off the couch and getting up. "Who the kark uses firecrackers, what the hell?" he grumbled as he started to look for the exit.

Things weren't so calm on the ground. One of the mercenaries took note of what happened, firing a few bolts at Millicent Tharoul and her friend to try and gun the new opposition down.

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

It was not just a little surprising when the firecracker attack seemed to work, at least somewhat because the Mandalorian whom he fired upon soon disappeared into a nearby building. "Okay, you got your revenge, now let's go!" she pleaded, but the success had only made him more eager to fight. A lot was happening around them and while she was used to chaotic situations, this was something entirely different. Millicent heard him say something about how he had to do it but couldn't fully hear it all before he shoved her to the side. It was not a violent move but it was not gentle either.

Her lower lip shivered for as her eyes grew sad - but it wouldn't last for long as she would soon produce a determined facade "Fine! Suit yourself" she exclaimed. Just as she turned and took a step away from him, a blaster bolt swooshed by just where she had stood, causing her to quickly hunker down to the ground. She only stayed there for a short while before making a run for it - the shops were being plundered and the streets were unsafe - and with that, she made her way into the nearby apartment building. It was only when she arrived by the door and looked back that she saw the guy with the firecrackers dead on the ground.

Millicent let out a low gasp as she felt how fear started to creep into her mind. Her eyes were getting wet but she had to concentrate. With a few short moves, she soon managed to trick the security system into unlocking the doors and with that, she slipped in. Electing not to take the turbolift, Millicent started climbing the stairs until she arrived at a floor where a man stood in a morning suit with his back against an apartment door, looking as if he had just seen a ghost.

Was this a bad time to do something daring? Maybe. But if she could win him over, then maybe she could hide out in his apartment until the storm blew over outside. "Hey" she said, speaking with a clear voice "Locked out?" she asked. The man was first startled upon hearing her voice but soon relaxed when he saw her - Millicent was completely unarmed and had a rather unimposing figure. Still, he frantically shook his head whilst trying to overcome his fearful stuttering to tell her something.

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

Kaz managed to find the exit... but the place was damn nice. He stood in the middle of the lobby for a few moments as the fighting continued outside between the mercs and rebels. With a shrug he walked back and helped himself to a few goodies. The bottle of liquor, a case of spice, a convenient designer handbag filled with a bunch of other stuff he knew wasn't common stuff people bought... all of it would fetch a decent price once the fighting was over.

When he was done he walked to the xit and opened the door, his helmet resting on top of his head as he took a sip of the bottle. He blinked in surprise at the man standing in a gown then looked back to the apartment. "Oh shit, you live here?" he asked with surprise as he pointed to the apartment. His surprise was gone with a bright smile as he gave the guy a tap on the shoulder with the bottle. "Bro this whiskey is fire dude! You got good taste, my man!" he quipped with a chuckle as he handed him the bottle and slid his helmet back on. With the purse fabulously around one shoulder he turned to leave the building but stopped when he saw the same girl from earlier standing merely a few feet away. "Hey I know you, I bumped into you earlier!" he spoke up with a smile in his voice as he pointed at her.

Nonchalantly he drew a blaster and aimed it at her as it gave off an unnerving 'hiss-and-click'. "You also messed up my jetpack, girl! What's up with that?!" he continued with disappointment as the blaster remained aimed right at her chest.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

The door opened and a voice could be heard. It sounded familiar - but still, she couldn't quite put a finger on who it was. Kaz's voice was no longer distorted by the helmet as before and the situation was far from the same. She was apprehensive - but the guy only stood in a gown so she figured that it probably couldn't be all too dangerous. Still, she mentally prepared to make a run for it.

While the man she had tried to talk to still seemed as scared as ever, the voice from the door was still as friendly as ever. And then he showed himself. Millicent's eyes went wide as she saw the T-visored helmet and the large armoured figure underneath. She quickly realised that running wasn't an option - she was too far away from the stairs. And there was no real blending in or hiding now - she had been spotted and even if she could break into an apartment, he Mandalorian could easily follow. Instead, she let her gaze fall as she moved closer to the wall - trying to make herself small and hoping that he would just pass her by.

Alas, she would not be so lucky. His seemingly lighthearted voice sounded up. With shy eyes, she looked up to him and let out a careful "Yyeah?" but her gaze quickly fell back to her feet as she hoped that he would move on. Yet again, things didn't go her way, for instead of moving on, he pulled a blaster on her. Millicent was quick on her feet and was used to improvise - but this was the first time she had ever been held at gunpoint, and so she froze. Her scared blue eyes stared straight ahead at his mouth for what felt like an eternity. In reality, it only lasted a few seconds.

"It wasn't me! I didn't know that guy, I promise! I just returned his bag to him. I would never have shot at you!" she pleaded with the hint of desperation in his voice growing more clear with every word. "Look! I'll make it up to you. Anything. I'll get your Jetpack fixed. I'll get you a brand new one. I'm so sorry!" She was several steps closer now than when they started. Unless he stopped her, she would raise her hands to put them on his wrist that held the blaster. Her hand looked small against his armour and it was very clear to her that she would be hard pressed to even make him budge. "Please don't shoot me" she asked, her voice small and her eyes pleading to his directly.

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

The girl -quite understandably- got very nervous very quickly. His emotionless T-visor remained locked onto her as she begged for her life. However behind the visor, Kaz wasn't on edge at all. He simply watched with shock as she kept freaking out and offering whatever she could to stop him from pulling the trigger. She kept getting closer as she spoke, to the point where her hands rested on his gun hand. He didn't budge. His blaster remained trained on her gut as she got closer and he wasn't going to move.

"Hey girl, stop stressing so hard. You're making me nervous here." he quipped with a chuckle. "My jetpack's fine, I just got thrown off balance." he admitted with a shrug. Another explosion went off outside, making him flinch a bit before he focused on her again. "I take it you're not from around here?" he guessed as he holstered his gun and rested a hand on his side. Coincidentally the hand with the handbag, merely adding to his ridiculous look. "I won't shoot you 'cause it's a waste of ammo. Though I can promise you the guys outside don't actually care about that at the moment, we got a bit of a job going on with the local big boss. This area's been giving him a lot of trouble." he casually explained to her with another shrug.

He smirked behind his helmet and gave her a light tap against the shoulder. "Tell you what, babe. I need money. You look a little stuck in this warzone. You give me an offer that justifies me not going out there again and I'll get you to a safe zone outside of the fighting. How about that." he offered her. It was such a great plan. He could make money on the side while still getting the paycheck from the mob boss. It was flawless.

He looked back to the other man and simply took back the bottle of whiskey. He slid his helmet back up and took a sip before offering it to her, sliding his helmet back down. "I'll be honest, this might still go on for a while. These rebels know how to fight actually, so the shooting's gonna be going on for quite a bit." he quipped, hoping it would work as an incentive for her to accept his offer.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

She was in the middle of her pleas when the Mandalorian suddenly interrupted her. He seemed to be joking about and taking things casually - of course it was easier for him to do, seeing as he was not the one being held at gunpoint. Still, she did as he instructed and piped down with her eyes once again seeking out the floor "I'm sorry" she whispered. When he revealed that his jetpack was fine, a slight sense of hope crossed her mind and allowed her to produce a few semi-eager nods.

"Thank you" she said as he said that he wouldn't shoot her. A waste of ammo was the cause he used - but they both knew that ammo wasn't that hard to come by for a blaster, especially not on Nar Shaddaa. But she was thankful regardless and made a mental note to ensure that she continued being a waste of ammo. Someone harmless who simply wasn't worth shooting. That would have to be her goal. Once more, she tried to make herself small so that he would ignore her and move on with her gaze falling down to the ground along with a heavy tilt of the head.

A sharp breath could be heard as he tapped her shoulder. Her eyes shot over to him fast as she heard his voice. A wave of fear and regret washed over her as he once more seemed to focus on her. The immediate reaction she had was to decline. She was slippery and was pretty confident that she could get out if she wasn't being held at gunpoint and what money she had managed to scrape together, she didn't want to part with.

Just as she was about to decline his offer, another explosion went off and she could hear daft sounds from down below. Millicent knew what was happening. With a nod, she took a small sip from the bottle he handed her before giving it back along with an apologetic shrug to the original owner of the bottle. Then, she turned to Kaz "The sound right there was the doors to this building being broken down. Your guys would've blown it open, and that means that the ones who just got in here are whoever it is that you're fighting. And they're probably way more than you." She looked up at him seriously, studying his features before taking a step closer and lowering her voice "I know my way around - so if you keep me safe, I'll get you out of here before they catch up"

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

As he waited for her answer, his head glanced in the direction of the ruckus below. The door was knocked down. He looked back to her as she explained what was happening. He smirked at her comment on them likely being more than him but he didn't comment on it just yet. She then stepped closer and proposed a different offer.

Kaz stared at her for a few seconds before finally giving a shrug. "Sure, what the hell. Though I don't think we need to worry about them being more than us. I'll keep ya safe, babe, no worries." he quipped, giving her a light punch on the shoulder. He drew both pistols and turned to leave. "What's your name, by the way? I'm Kaz." he introduced himself as he looked around them. Each hallway they passed, he scanned before continuing. However they weren't exactly out of danger just yet. Turning a corner, Kaz bumped right into one of the thugs. The man jumped back and raised his gun but was dropped before he could get a shot off. The sounds of Kaz's pistols lingered in the hallways as he glanced to her and then back to the dead man. The silence was quickly filled with shouting from other areas of the building as Kaz glanced at her, the guilty smile evident on his T-visor. "Didn't think that one through." he admitted with a shrug.

The hallway filled with a few other rebels who quickly started to open fire. Kaz wrapped his arms around the girl to shelter her and ran past the hallway as several bolts either zipped past or bounced off his armour. He dropped a flashbang by the dead body and covered the girl's ears as the blast went off. "Alright babe, lead the way!" he shouted over the screaming and groaning as he kept moving.

Once they were away from the group, he stopped and looked himself over. "Oh for kark's sake! You kidding me?" he groaned, lifting the expensive handbag. The bag was torn apart with several smoldering holes through it. "You know how much this bag would have gone for?" he complained as he looked at her with annoyance. "Ima go kick their asses, I swear." he grumbled as he glanced back down the hallway they moved through. Thankfully he stuck by her. "You okay at least?" he asked with a calmer tone. The last thing he wanted was to botch the new job he got.

Millicent Tharoul

 

[Millicent Tharoul]

The Nar Shaddaa Rythm

Looking up at him, Millicent waited for a reply with her eyes curiously wandering down to his lips as he flashed a smirk. Her eyes ventured back up in time to meet his as he accepted, causing a happy smile to appear on her lips. Protection for free was not something she'd say no to without good cause. "Good!" she chirped, not seeming to mind the nickname he had for her in the slightest. They were on friendly terms now. Still, they had only known each other for a little bit, so instead of trying to get back at him for hitting her shoulder, she simply rubbed it in an effort to disperse the pain. It was nothing significant but he was a big guy and she was not.

"Mira" the answer came without any hesitation - she was used to giving out false names, just to make it harder for law enforcement or cartel members to identify her or connect her to numerous different locations. Looking to the two exits, she pointed to the less common one where it was less likely that someone hostile to them would be "Alright, Kaz - this way" she said before starting to move at a rapid pace.

It was only when she got close to the door that she slowed down to check if the coast was clear. But her travelling companion lacked the same carefulness and before she even got inside the door, she heard a blaster go off, causing her to press herself tight against the wall until hearing his voice again. She let out a careful whimper before whispering "Kaz?". Soon she rejoined him again but couldn't help but to let an audible gasp slip out as she saw the body before looking at him as if he had just murdered someone.

There would be no time for discussions, however, for before she knew it, more people hostile to the Mandalorian started making their presence known. Millicent was new to being fired upon and was strongly considering trying to slip away when she felt his arms wrap around her and then they were off. What followed was more scary than anything she could remember as she brought her past the passage, drowning them in a wave if incoming bolts. In an odd way, he produced a sense of safety with how confident he was and it proved to be true: For the bolts which they didn't dodge, his armour tanked.

Once it was all over and they were in relative safety, he'd soon find that letting go wouldn't be quite enough. For she still held on to him, hugging him tight and burying her face by his shoulder as if they were still being fired upon. Her breath was heavy and she was shivering a little. It was only after a while until she let go - but she didn't move away from him. Instead, she stayed close and looked up at him while trying to recover and regain her senses. For someone who was fired upon for the first time, "Mira" seemed to be recovering rather well as it only took a few more moments before she nodded "Okay, I've got this." she said, almost as if trying to comfort herself.

The two then went on a venture, sneaking through corridors, stairwells, small balconies between buildings until she eventually stopped in a dark alleyway a couple corners away from where it connected to a larger market area, seemingly untouched by the same violence as the previous area. She looked up at him - concern and worry visible in her eyes as he let out his frustration with a look of annoyance. Almost as if ashamed, she nodded. Her worries seemed to fade a bit as he revealed that it was not her that he was annoyed with but some of it still remained - he wanted to go back.

Millicent let out a small "no" - with great speed, she slipped over to his front as he glanced back in the direction they came from. Putting both hands on his chest plate, she shook her head, "Don't go, they're out for blood" she said. Thankfully, he seemed to calm down a little to ask if she was okay. "Yeah" she answered honestly.

If the Mandalorian then kept pushing, there would be little Millicent could do to stop him physically, causing her to slip back behind him - trying to sneakily snatch his blasters in the process. If successful, she would wait until he reached the door back into the building before she called out to him with a cheeky but strained voice "How do you carry these things around all day?" she asked, clearly hinting at how heavy they were as she had already put one down whilst carrying the other with both arms.

Kaz Vizsla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

Mira seemed quite shaken up after that whole ordeal. It might have been understandable to a normal person but the rather slower Mandalorian didn't seem to realize it as quickly. "Was that a bit scary for you?" he asked with a hint of confusion. Luckily she seemed to recover quickly and even tried to stop him as he tried to go back in. His gaze drifted down to her own as she halted him by his chest. "Hey don't worry babe, they ain't so tough." he quipped with a shrug and continued to move past her. But as he reached for his pistols, he seemed to find them missing from where they were supposed to be.

His attention was drawn back to Mira as she held his pistols, commenting on them being heavy. "Hey come on, that's just rude." he quipped with some annoyance as he walked back to her. "Okay fine, you win. What's the deal now? Do we just push on? I don't work for free, you know." he commented as he walked back and picked up one of the pistols, holstering it. He held his hand out to her to get his pistol back as his glowing T-visor stared down at her. "Since we're pretty much out of the fighting zone, what now? I know a place not too far from here that's pretty decent if you wanna get a drink." he offered, shifting to rest his arm against the alley wall as he leaned a little closer. "I'll stick ya for a round or two if you want." he continued with a flirtier tone.

He pushed off the wall and turned to leave. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Millicent Tharoul