Wanted: A Few Good Men (Part One)

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"]

Ryloth. One of the best places to search for ex-soldiers, mercs, smugglers, pilots and adventurers outside of Tatooine. Usually there was at least one person out there wanting to make a name for themselves. Some did it just for the glory while others did it for the credits. Either way was fine with her. And what better place to look for them than at a bar?

Kay was there for a mission. It was partly personal and partly....well, let's just say that it's for the good of the Galaxy. At least that's the way that she saw it.

She sat at a booth near the back. But rather than sticking to the shadows, she preferred the light. It was safer and she could study others better. She sipped her Sapir tea while most others drank various ales. But unlike them, she needed her wits about her as there had been other Force users popping up and she didn't quite want to have her abilities known just yet. At least she wasn't super strong in them, except for her influence, which was working just as strong as ever. Kay wasn't aware of it however, yet in less than a year of showing herself in public again, she has held a position as COO of a major weapons company, to becoming a Senator. In between all of that she's made many powerful allies as well as some equally powerful enemies. She brought all types of people to her like light to a black hole. But unlike a black hole, she didn't destroy them. On the contrary, Kay preferred life rather than death.

After another sip of her tea she surveyed the small crowd. The right people will come. She just had to be patient. And if they all don't arrive here, then there was other places that she could look.

 

[Cen Tessek]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Condor"]

There was little left to do but wander. It had been done, his lead had been found, his demons put to rest, and now all he could do was wander, to let the Force guide him to unity, to completion. Cen had come to Corellia in hopes of finding his friend, the estranged pilot Usa'ar Obath. Yet, things rarely worked with such simplicity and now here he was, stranded in what he felt, with an odd twinge of distaste, was enemy territory. His black cloak fluttered defiantly in the wind, baring only the slightest visage of his lightsabre haft as he entered the rather domesticated cantina. His azure face, shadowed deeply by the heavy brim of his hood, glared out beneath the crimson visage of his single, seeing eye which shone with an odd, malicious light.

Oh yes, how he had counted on the Force to lead them together again, and how the Force loved to work in mysterious ways. He had parted into shadow and now, led by the ever-rolling, ever-haunting trail of thread that stretched before him, from now and into infinity, it seemingly had led him directly into the light. He had killed several at this point, months had passed since his initial descent into the dark side; now he was desensitized to the pain and served only as a wistful spirit charmed by the dark that drifted lazily from planet to planet, searching for something that he would seemingly never find. His lightsabre rattled like the chimes of death with every heavy footfall he took as he entered the bar and weaved through the crowd.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"]

The black cloak and blue hued skin, not to mention the way that he carried himself brought Cen to Kay's attention. And of course she stared, but in a polite way. She was studying him after all. He looked like a Darksider, which wasn't entirely a bad thing. Being Dark didn't always mean being evil. She thought that she caught the sight of his lightsaber as he walked, but she might have been mistaken. He might not even be a Darksider at all, but instead just dress like one.

For tonight, instead of dressing in her usual and comfortable merchant style clothing, she instead dressed elegantly like a lady. Kay was after all a Senator and how better to look for the right people than to not blend in?

She sipped her tea and continued to watch and wait, not yet ready to make the first move as she wanted to be vigilant for others as well. And without her guardians here to protect her, she had to be cautious.

 

[Kalous Anson]

Walking into this cantina of sorts; Kalous had a smile plastered upon his face--hidden underneath his helmet--because of the simple fact that it was all so clean! Over the course of the last few weeks he had been flying from planet to planet--in search for a job that could pay for his expenses--and in every hole he seemed to try and find work in--they all seemed to be covered in dirt and grime. It wasn't as if Kalous needed everything around him to be compulsively clean--he wasn't one for cleaning his room--but there was just something about the lack of grime and bacteria that spoke volumes to the pleasure receptors that littered his mind and body.

As all mercenaries and bounty hunters were, Kalous had bounced around from bounty board to bounty board in search of a job that would pay for more than a few meals and bail for whatever charges that he would inevitably face during his aggressive negotiations with his bounties. It wasn't his fault that they always wanted to run--nor that he detested having to chase someone through a relatively unknown city--and when he caught them he had to instill a fear in them that they would never do such a thing again. Bones tended to be broken and in order to break those bones there had to be a small cost of property damage.

After he had walked into the bar there was an obvious stutter step that he had taken--one that would give him a fraction of a second longer to clock the room--but not one that would be so abnormal as to cause more than a few trained eye's suspicions. Kalous had learned quickly that he needed to know where everyone and everything was around him as often as he could. Surprises tended to end up with him being out of money and a lot more cardio than he wished to have on a day when the heat outside was sweltering at such a temperature to make his incessant armor usage a major factor in dehydration of this Nautolan.

The first thing--person--that caught his eye was a blue colored fellow that Kalous could simply not place. [member="Cen Tessek"] was a Chiss and Kalous had dealt with a few of his species before but his memory wasn't willing to cooperate with him. He couldn't seem to remember the name of the species of the man that he briefly glanced at--not that he would know him if he did--but that was always something of a bother. It was as if having something on the tip of your tongue but intensified by a competition within his mind to see how quickly he could remember what they were called. There were so many species in this galaxy alone that it was hard enough to remember a handful, let alone all of them.

The second thing he focused on was the bar itself. He made mental notes of who seemed a little too loose with their body language to suggest that they may end up having some unfortunate happenings that they could not control. Drunks and drug addicts were easy enough to find but far too difficult to deal with for what they were worth. Kalous didn't want to have to kill anyone that he wasn't paid to--in fact he didn't even want to talk to them--especially when it would lead to some unpleasant dealings with the local security force.

Finally, as he continued his saunter into the depths of the barroom--looking for a quiet place to sit down--he noticed a woman sitting alone near where he had wanted to sit. Not really registering anything about the woman--other than that she had now forced him to look for other seating accommodations--Kalous figured that he might as well strike up a conversation. He craved the shade and security that the back of a barroom could offer. And so, with the length--and speed--of his stride increasing, Kalous approached the woman, [member="Lady Kay"], that seemed to inhabit his desired location.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if that seat was available," he asked with his hands folded near his waist.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Cen Tessek"] [member="Kalous Anson"]

As soon as the hunter was halfway through his approach, Kay noticed him heading her way. The advantage to where she sat was that no one could walk behind her. It gave her protection as well as a great vantage point.

When he stopped at the booth and asked to sit, Kay gestured to the seat across from her. "By all means, you are more than welcome, sir." She took another sip of her tea. "Would you like a cup?" Of course she was referring to the tea. It wasn't everyone's kind of flavour, but it was her addiction, though she never minded sharing.

 

[Condor]

It had been a long time since Condor had been to Corellia, and as such he had had quite a bit of trouble finding his way around. He wasn't one for drinking, but he'd heard a former buddy of his liked to drink at one particular bar, the Mynock's Nest, and it had been a few years since the two had talked. Friends were rare in the mercenary business, and knowing the right people went a long way. The name of the bar sounded more like the name of a ratty old smuggler ship than a bar, but he wasn't one to judge. It wasn't like he could think of anything better.

He pushed his way through the crowds near the bar, slowly making his way down the street. He was several inches shorter than most of the men he had to push past, but the blasters he carried more than made up for the difference in height. As soon as he was free of the throng, he ducked inside the bar, blinking rapidly to get his eyes to adjust to the lower light levels. He scanned the bar quickly, trying to catch a glimpse of his friend. It appeared that he was gone. Damn.

Not wanting to give up so easily, Condor scanned again, this time finding a familiar face. He blinked in surprise. Of all the people he expected to find at a bar, [member="Lady Kay"] was probably his last guess. He hadn't ever met her in person, but he had enough connections in the Primeval and the Republic to know who she was. He didn't know a whole lot, but he did know enough to guess that she wouldn't be at the bar just to drink. Judging by the other patrons at the table, he gathered she was hiring for some sort of job. Something that he might be able to do. He had a new objective now: find out what job she was offering and take it. He knew she had money, and he knew that he was low on funds.

He quickly made his way over, not wasting any time. He could smell the awful stench of tea as he got closer, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He only drank three things: coffee, protein shakes, and hard liquor. Anything else was just unnecessary, and vile too. The other man at the table seemed to be much more polite than Condor could ever manage, but he was setting an example. Sort of. Condor didn't spend a whole lot of time outside of combat and combat training, so his social skills were roughly on par with a Gamorrean. He could make an effort when needed, but formality was just completely out of the question.

His approach was a little more direct than the other man's had been. He simply sat down at the booth with his gun folded across his lap. He quickly ordered a Settov Hammer from the serving droid before turning to the other two at the table.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," he joked. "You looked like you were hiring for something, and I aim to find out what it is." He nodded towards Lady Kay, getting straight to the point. Beating around the bushes was not his specialty. Blasting the bush into ash and walking past it was more along his lines.

Spoiler

[member="Kalous Anson"]|[member="Cen Tessek"]

 

[Cen Tessek]

Small strands of thread weave into cloth, interconnecting the form and building up the attire. That is a saying of common sense that compels one to consider the smallest of details, and to one such as Cen, the smallest of opportunities. His hands remained folded beneath the breadth of his midnight robes, but they clenched and unclenched with haughty thought as Cen's mind raced over the possibilities. To find Usa'ar Obath alone, with no trail, would be no better than kicking up dust and curse the air for being so difficult to breath in the midst of coughs and sprayed spittle.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if that seat was available?" asked first the nautolan. Soon thereafter a small man approached. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," the human had joked. Cen noted the familiarity. "You looked like you were hiring for something and I aim to find out what it is." He nodded towards the woman, who dressed with an air of class that struck the chiss as oddly unsuitable for such a cantina. There was an air, a sensation or importance to this meeting, and Cen felt the cords of curiosity strung by the fingers of fate. He must know more. Perhaps subterfuge would work against him in this manner however and if open hire was on the table then it would likely be best to abuse the tools more readily available with certainly less scrutiny.

As he swung away from his stoop, much to the ire of the patient bartender, who waited uncomplainingly for Tessek's order, his cloak thrashed about in a cloud of shadow. He understood the suspicious darkness of his attire and accepted it as a poor choice of disguise, but he wore it more as a challenge. It was a sick, violent form of exhibitionism where he derived enjoyment from the brief flashes of blade beneath the swathing layers of cloth as he strode about, earning naught but nervous glances from his fellow patrons. He was a padawan, indeed, but now one with capability and a unwieldy cruelty streak fueled by a by his vicious passion for revenge. The time for naivety had long since passed and now, as he approached the congregation about the strange woman, he would take upon the reigns of the hunt.

He would accept no more of himself than a shadow, a spirit, a malevolent silhouette that haunted the scenery. There was a pause as he reached the destination, standing about the crowd that surrounded the booth, but through the air of curiosity his voice stabbed with tender hostility. "Hiring? You're hiring?" His eye beneath the shawl glittered with inquisitiveness like wet blood, and his hand, hidden beneath the blanket of his robes, slipped around his sabre. He had disclosed a preference to many about his distaste for sabreplay with all but those who shared this ability in kind, but as he walked into the nest itself with nose held high, prying into places he may not belong, he would be damned if he gave any one of these mercenaries the chance to turn sour. "I want in."

[member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Condor"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kalous Anson]

"By all means, you are more than welcome, sir." She took another sip of her tea. "Would you like a cup?"

Grabbing the end of his blaster rifle, which hung snugly on his back, Kalous adjusted it so that it fell across his chest as he slid into the booth across from [member="Lady Kay"]. He wasn't as accustomed to being as polite--or receiving kindness in return--while searching for a place to relax inside of a cantina but he could also tell that she wasn't the normal customer of an establishment like this. Having no idea what she could be doing in a place like this--especially drinking tea--there was an air of curiosity that seemed to smolder within Kalous' mind as he came closer and closer to the wall on the far end of the booth; one scoot at a time.

"No, thank you for your offer," Kalous said as he noticed [member="Condor"] speeding toward them.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," he joked. "You looked like you were hiring for something, and I aim to find out what it is."

Curious indeed; Kalous thought to himself as the question of credits came to his mind. Whomever this little fellow was, he was certainly well prepared for some kind of work. Needing credits was something that always plagued Kalous since his recent turn of bad luck but there was always something more that piqued his interest: the motive. It wasn't as if he had been invited to join a meeting to discuss such dealing but it would appear he had just been at the right place at the right time--perfect. It would seem he wasn't the only person who happened to be just in the right place at this very time; for that is when [member="Cen Tessek"], whom Kalous had clocked upon entry into this establishment, came to meet the fledgling group.

"Hiring? You're hiring?" His eye beneath the shawl glittered with inquisitiveness like wet blood and his hand, hidden beneath the blanket of his robes, slipped around his sabre. He had disclosed a preference to many about his distaste for sabreplay with all but those who shared this ability in kind, but as he walked into the nest itself with nose held high, prying into places he may not belong, he would be damned if he gave anyone of these mercenaries the chance to turn sour. "I want in."

Lucky to be wearing his helmet, as to not give away his surprise at the rapid growth of this party, Kalous simply let his eyes wander between the two that had just assembled--as well as the woman who had seemingly brought them all together. Could it be just a simple misunderstanding or was there, in fact, a job that could use his expertise--if you could call them that--to complete? Regardless of his own thoughts; Kalous decided that it would be better to listen than to speak--especially when he had no idea what he had just walked into--and to think he only wanted someplace to sit down...

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"]

Oh the Force works well when she had wished it to. It was almost as though she was one of the Fates herself. But no. If it wasn't the Force that guided the trio to her, than it was clearly just that she was at the right bar. Kay watched as one by one the men joined her at the booth and surprisingly, each one was hoping for a job. It was almost too good to be true.

She sat up a little straighter as they were surely waiting for her to speak. Kay would rather speak in private, but was that really a good idea? Did she really want to be in a room alone with these strangers? Each of them seemed to have their own quality about them and she had to learn more.

"Evening, gentlemen. As you may or may not be aware, I am Lady Kay. I don't really need to go through any formalities here." She took a sip of her tea and then set her cup down between her palms as they rested on the table, interlocking her fingers as she then looked to each of them in turn while she spoke. "Yes, I am hiring for a special operation that I hope can happen soon. It will require a fair amount of different skills and will of course be very dangerous and life threatening. I'm afraid that I can't go into any specifics at this moment or in this place, bit I will go into them later. What I'd like to know, gentlemen is where do your strengths lie? What is it that you do best?"

She needed various skill sets for this mission and their survival depended on how well they could work individually as well as in a team.

 

[Cen Tessek]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Condor"]

Certain situations require a contexts of sorts. Like, when you walk into a building, then everyone proceeds to swarm you and smack the ungodly crap out of you? Yeah, context. Living creatures require context, right along with food, water, shelter, air, and sleep. Without any form of context during the most complex of situations, we sentient, intelligent ("For the most part.") creatures, in more complex situations, breed an air of ridiculous superstition. This is a dangerous habit, for we sentient creatures, tend to forget to question context further and jump ever-so-quickly into the superstition, wailing of acts of miracles and divine interventions. Unbeknownst to such individuals, from this point forwards, when they claim visions, granted by the Gods of Yore, have appeared upon their toast, they have officially become an idiot.

It would be here where Cen draws the line between superstitions and the Force. The Force neither is nor requires context, for it lays beyond us, in the realms of non-understanding, along with imagination and infinite. For the Force is a moldable subject, acting as a vast pool of living currents which can be shaped physically like clay. For the infinite scale which composes the Force allows exploration and we do not require context for experiences, simply for situations. It is only within such situations that, rather than corrupting them with superstition, we corrupt them with imperfect morals, creating the illusions of light and dark. Then, what was once a beautiful gift of creation, becomes a tool and weapon.

"Yes, I am hiring for a special operation that I hope can happen soon. It will require a fair amount of different skills and will of course be very dangerous and life threatening. I'm afraid that I can't go into any specifics at this moment or in this place, bit I will go into them later. What I'd like to know, gentlemen is where do your strengths lie? What is it that you do best?"

However, this was not a moment of magic, a stony root of childhood imagination that had lain dormant in the heart then reinvigorated with the waters of life through the physical and ethereal realm of the Force. No, this was a situation that required context like a runner needs legs. By the Force, if Cen had ever seen such a sketchy situation before, practically bleeding for additional context, he doubted he would have made it this far in life. In the absence of such overwhelming context he felt almost offended, he felt at war and needed to shoot down the opposition with his own vague absence of context, so vague in fact he doubted that it would clarify any of her curiosities in return.

Thus his subtle act of warfare began. "My skills lie in what I do best and my strengths lie in what I've expanded through vigorous capability," he commented with the tone of irrevocability nailed into his voice. "And what I do best are where my skills lie."

 

[Condor]

And now the table had four. Quite a little party they had going on at the back of the bar. He could see some of the patrons stealing glances, too scared to stare but still curious enough to look. He didn't really understand why they were afraid. They were all armed, yes, but shooting up a bar wouldn't really do any of them any good, except maybe getting drinks "on the house." He knew a couple people who would be liable to do something like that, but they were locked up. Probably for that same reason. Condor might have been a mercenary, but his goal was to stay on the good side of the law. It was a little harder to find high-paying jobs when you had the authorities on your back.

Now that the whole lot of them had found their way over, Lady Kay spoke.

"Yes, I am hiring for a special operation that I hope can happen soon. It will require a fair amount of different skills and will of course be very dangerous and life threatening. I'm afraid that I can't go into any specifics at this moment or in this place, bit I will go into them later. What I'd like to know, gentlemen is where do your strengths lie? What is it that you do best?"

Condor knew exactly what he did best, but he wanted to here what some of the others had to say for themselves. The Chiss was the first one to announce his skills.

"My skills lie in what I do best and my strengths lie in what I've expanded through vigorous capability. And what I do best is where my skills lie."

Sometimes he wondered what went through people's heads when they spoke like that. If you're on a combat mission, speaking in riddles gets you killed. Straightforward, succinct answers were what kept people alive. Of course, some people weren't very conce rned about that. The Chiss might have thought he was being mysterious, but to Condor all it sounded like was "I can't do a kriffing thing." Of course, he made no motion or expression to betray his thoughts. It was important that he was on good terms with the others. Conflicts on teams like this led to people being sent home in body bags more often than not.

"Recon, retrieval, stealth missions, mostly black ops," he said, listing his skills quickly and as straightforward as possible. Complete sentences were optional for him. His reply was much more straightforward than his blue friend's had been. He wanted to make it very clear that he knew what he was doing and that he had no time for games. He directed his attention to the other man at the table, looking at him over the brim of his glass, sipping his Settov Hammer as he waited for his input.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Kalous Anson"] @Cenn Tessek

 

[Kado Samuul]

Kado had slipped into the bar silently; each foot another silent approach towards the bartender, his face sealed by his baggy, hooded robe. He ordered an ale with a raise of gloved hand, and it slid over almost immediately. He turned then, to look over to the table where [member="Lady Kay"] sat, discussing what most likely was to be employment for a job. As he watched the meeting going on; their mouth mouthing, drowned out by the ambience of clashing glasses, laughter, and general chit-chat, he remained still, a blackness hiding his face as he looked. I probably look like a big Jawa, he thought to himself, smiling at the idea, and then he slowly approached the table as the tough-looking young one finished speaking:

"Recon, retrieval, stealth missions, mostly black ops,"

He stood, staring, upon them within seconds, silently, and looked towards them, waiting for one of them to speak. He would remain silent for now.

[member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"][member="Kalous Anson"]

 

[Kalous Anson]

Thus his subtle act of warfare began. "My skills lie in what I do best and my strengths lie in what I've expanded through vigorous capability," he commented with the tone of irrevocability nailed into his voice. "And what I do best is where my skills lie."

A cryptic play on words from [member="Cen Tessek"]is what began this interrogation--for that's what it was--by the woman that sat across from Kalous. Although this was a far less invasive method, [member="Lady Kay"] knew what she wanted in respect to this combination of rabble that had--somehow--assembled before her in all their splendor. There was definitely a ragtag element about the group that was seemingly interviewing for a job that was--more likely than not--already theirs. They had been the ones to show up, after all.

"Recon, retrieval, stealth missions, mostly black ops,"

The man who had simply slid into place in the booth, without asking, was obviously the most direct of this makeshift squad. @Condor wasn't bashful about revealing his own strengths, and Kalous believed that every single one of them would leave their weaknesses shrouded in the same mystery as all of the Chiss' skills. Neither of the two men had gotten very specific--perhaps they were attempting to generalize their skill sets--but it was specific enough for some.

Lady Kay, however, had been the most secretive of them all. She denied them the details of this job--whatever it was--and insisted that she would enlighten the trio at a later point in time. That was all well and good--if the credits were good enough--but her unease seemed to register with Kalous. She wasn't exactly uneasy about the situation itself but what it could be if the proper skillsets weren't established. What, exactly, were the necessary skill sets one needed for such a mystery operation?

That was when [member="Kado Samuul"] sauntered over to join the fledgling group. It didn't take long for Kalous to eye the man, up and down, to gauge if he was threatening or not. Kalous also wished that this new arrival would introduce himself but he hadn't--as mysterious as the Chiss--and it wasn't as if Kalous could blame him. The only name that any of them knew was that of Lady Kay--the woman sitting across from them all--as she sipped her tea. She seemed to be more interested in what they could do, and less of them, which was always a bonus when it came to mercenary work.

It was Kalous' turn to talk but he wasn't entirely sure what he would, or should, share with the four that were cloistered in the back of this bar. It wasn't as if this location was completely clear of prying eyes--nor ears on the wall--but there was something that told if that if he had nothing to share that things would not go as smoothly as he wished. He was basically trapped within the confines of the booth--a wall on one side and Condor on the other--and so his ability to escape this situation, if things got uneasy, was severely diminished.

"I'd like to be as cryptic as the Chiss over there, or perhaps a tad bit more direct like the man sitting to my right, but my skillset is as vague as any mercenary or bounty hunter," he began--shifting his back to rest against the wall so that his front was facing all those whom were in attendance of this impromptu meeting. "Rest assured that I can do anything your mystery requires. I'm certainly equipped well enough."

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"] [member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Kado Samuul"]

Hmmm. That didn't quite go well as planned. She had ask a couple of simple questions and only half of them would answer well enough. It wasn't as though she was asking about their secrets or life history. She just wanted to learn a few simple facts.

Condor was the first to be straightforward and she liked that. His skillsets seemed almost too perfect for this mission and she felt as though he would be the first to get things going for the rest of them, should they wish to take part.

Cen on the otherhand was not so straightforward, and he seemed almost disgusted by her. Yet if he was, then what was he doing here at her booth? Did he sense her Force use and not like the fact that she was an exiled Jedi? Was he looking for some kind of fight or battle of wits? It was hard to say at this point in time. But she had a mission to do and she wasn't going to allow herself to be bothered by him.

Kalous was different to be sure. Yet he already showed that he could be a team player and still hold his own. He could have a part to play in this too.

And then there was the newcomer, Kado, silent and keeping his face hidden while making his presence known to them. What could he be there for? He had missed her questions so she figured that she'd ask them again when she spoke to him.

Kay sipped her tea once again and spoke to them each in turn. To the Chiss she replied, "How very cryptic, yet not entirely useful. In order for this to work we need to have some semblance of trust with eachother."

She then looked to Condor. "Thank you for your honesty. I think that I will require your help first and foremost to get things started, the details of which we can discuss a bit later."

Skipping over the one standing beside them, she looked across the table to Kalous. "Cryptic yet informative. I guess that we can work with that, thank you."

Kay chewed the inside of her cheek a bit as she looked to the silent Kado. Something about him, perhaps it was his behaviour that she found a bit unnerving. And with a large bounty on her head if she was found in Hutt Cartel territory hanging over her, it was always better to be safe than sorry. "What about you, sir? Where do your strengths lie and what is it that you do best?"

She was going to go into a bit further detail to explain the mission a bit more, but the late arrival threw her off a bit. So instead she just asked her next question to the group, "How do you feel about Pirates?

 

[Cen Tessek]

There is no such thing as a good day or bad day, there are simply days of varying resistance. This was a day Cen would cryptically categorize as One of Those Days. There was not much need to aggressiveness in his stance towards the party; indeed, if he were to simply cave in now and express at least the smallest fraction of his skills (I'm a Damn Jedi!) then all would go smoothly. But he would not take the easy route, no, this little masochist had been irked by scorn and now with hair bristled, now going into a mental Pouncing Tiger Stance, and would be damned if he did not drag this congregation screaming into the Seventh Circle of Hell, lapped up in flames and cursing their intentions, their incredible lack of context, to the day he died.

Kay sipped her tea once again and spoke to them each in turn. To the Chiss she replied, "How very cryptic, yet not entirely useful. In order for this to work we need to have some semblance of trust with eachother."

It was followed Cen's whistling inhale through his nose, the Harbinger of Peeve. His poise was stiffened beneath the tremendous black shroud that hid him and ever so slightly did his head tilt forward, nuzzling past the friction of the shawl and pulling his one-eyed expression of annoyance into the limelight. His voice was a hiss, reinforced with the resounding vibration of self-perceived superiority, "No entirely useful? Well, miss, what's not entirely useful is the sheer unprofessional and incredibly naive basis upon which you intend to recruit me." He was intentionally attempting to aggravate her, and if there was anything Cen could do, it was incite people to fireball into frustration. Though, regardless of her calm demeanor prior to his speech, Cen became enthralled with the realization the points actually hit home with his frustration. He was engulfed in annoyance, disregarding further inquiries and snowballing into frustration, and had imbibed on the necessary justification for his anger.. Regardless of correct communication of his frustrations, he pressed forward, digging his hole ever deeper.

"So, gathered by your secrecy, this super-top-secret mission we're all interested in is probably going to leave someone unhappy. A natural consequence of missions, but it could be someone powerful, which could result in bounties on all of us, regardless if they're pirates or not." A pause for breath. "Then there's your track record, have you even led a successful mission like this and against these particular people? If you have fought them, judging by how you handle recruitment, I doubt it. You're trying to host a stealthy recruitment through some cantina for nobodies-" This was met with one hell of a glare from eavesdroppers. "-and that's not bad, but you don't even try to blend in with your damn tea and attire. If you're trying to woo some associates through the premise of wealth and credits, congratulations, you've obviously found some, however, this has also undoubtedly garnered attention and, if you've done this before, we're undoubtedly being watched, or worse, soon to be in someone's iron sights if we're discovered." His rant paused for another breath before he continued to slam down the climax.

"So you think you can avoid reasonable attention by saving your hide while we all explain why we should be feared in front of onlookers, who can just share the information with whoever we're tackling? We know nothing and right now we're under the expectation to expose our talents and paint targets on our little ignorant backs for not just before the mission, but during the mission they can take out obvious key elements to the group and shut down our strategy. If you want me to bare my shebs and start crapping lightning on your command, you work with me as presented, this is your team, take up the reigns, don't leave us dangling out for informants to nip at our toes. You get who you want, take us somewhere more private, tell me what I'm walking into, then I tell you what my criteria is if I want in. Afraid of betrayal? Gotta take the risks, otherwise all you get are just expendable idiots attracted to the pretty, shiny dress you wear like moths to the flame."

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Kado Samuul"] [member="Condor"]

 

[Condor]

Well this was certainly getting interesting. A late arrival was already making things more complicated than they needed, but the blue man's outburst was just making things worse. Condor had no real problem with the way things were being carried out, although he did prefer to get the specifics in private. He wasn't as paranoid as the Chiss; the walls most certainly did not have ears in this place. It was a seedy cantina in Corellia, not some stateroom in a Hutt palace. Although in all honesty, those two might as well have been the same places, except for the fact that the Hutt palace served better drinks. He loved Settov Hammers, but this tasted more like watered down whiskey than anything.

Condor couldn't help but snort derisively when the Chiss was finished speaking. Expendable idiot? He'd probably killed more people in one mission than the Chiss had in his whole life. Then again, the lack of experience was probably what lead the Chiss to believe that he was expendable. Condor wasn't some simple-minded soldier with a head like a cinderblock and the body of a wampa on steroids. His skillset was unique, and that made him a very valuable man indeed. What worried him most about the situation was not the Chiss' anger, but rather how much he disagreed with him. He couldn't be butting heads with anyone right now, least of all in the middle of a firefight. Units had to work like a well-oiled machine, and this was certainly not a good start. He had to diffuse the situation, and fast.

Leaning forward, keeping his voice as even and calm as possible, he spoke. "While not exactly phrasing it in the most persuasive way, our blue friend here brings up some good points. Taking this conversation somewhere a little less open would probably make all of us a lot more comfortable, as would telling us what the mission is. Now, I've had enough jobs to be on just about everybody's bad side, so who we're targeting doesn't matter a whole lot to me. Hell, even the why doesn't bother me. What we need to know is the what and the when of the operation, and then we can figure out the how." He paused briefly, taking a sip from his drink. "However, not all of this is on her. The onus is on all of us to make this work, and cryptic answers will get us nowhere. I'm a straight-forward man, always have been and always will be. And if I know one thing about this business, its that being mysterious, cryptic, unrevealing, all of that will only get you shot and dumped in a ditch."

He looked around at the other men, making sure they understood the message. He was no longer in the mood for games, and he had made it very clear. Now he just had to see how the others reacted. It was a test, seeing how they reacted, and if nobody passed, he would walk right on out. After all, he still hadn't located the friend he came here to find.

Spoiler

[member="Cen Tessek"]|[member="Lady Kay"]|[member="Kalous Anson"]|[member="Kado Samuul"]

 

[Kado Samuul]

"However, not all of this is on her. The onus is on all of us to make this work, and cryptic answers will get us nowhere. I'm a straight-forward man, always have been and always will be. And if I know one thing about this business, its that being mysterious, cryptic, unrevealing, all of that will only get you shot and dumped in a ditch."

Kado looked towards [member="Cen Tessek"] and kept his gaze upon him as he stared towards [member="Lady Kay"] who seemed frozen for the moment. "Maybe it isn't wise to be so aggravated, and to question and push is not the kind of man that is required for such tasks. To look at this small crew, and even in its genesis, you all bicker and seem to question; nobody is holding you hostage, and if you aren't comfortable with the setup, or the leadership of Lady Kay, then," he gestured his arm towards the exit, "then there is the door."

He looked towards Lady Kay then, and nodded to her. "I apologize for the sudden approach. It seems as though you were looking for assistance, and so you have found it."

He sat down at the table and looked to [member="Condor"] remembering his words that hung in the air like a bod odor. "How about we all start over? And let's not worry about advertising our plot to these drunk inhabitants, we're here to discuss pirates. How about we all simply just see what she has to say first."

He looked to her then, waiting for her reply.

[member="Kalous Anson"]

 

[Kalous Anson]

Sitting in the corner, against the wall, of this booth where all of these people had gathered was something uneasy for Kalous to handle. Confined spaces reminded him too much of the time that he had spent in prison, and those days weren't the best of his life, however he could see a piece of himself inside of each person that congregated in this place. His own paranoia, skepticism, and cynicism was rampant throughout the animated retort that spat out of [member="Cen Tessek"]. A large part of him wished that Cen could see his face under this helmet that he hid his face behind--for if he could there would be a good amount of agreement in what the man was saying. This agreement, however, was something that he couldn't show anyone--he never showed his cards before he had to--but Kalous knew that he would have to tie everything together and make peace with all of these varying personalities. He saw himself as a leader, first and foremost, and so to lead was to unite under a common goal.

Kalous wished to insert himself into each conversation as they sped by before him--words flying like a ships at a spaceport--but he had to sit and wait. His own self embodiment became that of the corner--dark and observant--and he would continue to wait until he could be heard by everyone. The words that he had to say were those that he hoped could soothe tempers and muster confidence. The only problem would be the conscious involvement of the hoard at this table--that would be the key to getting paid.

Sports had been Kalous' life--Grav-ball to be exact--since he was of an age to appreciate hard work. The dedication that he had placed into the sport had seen him lavish with riches and leading a team to accomplish the highest achievements in the sport at his relatively young age. It would turn out that nostalgia wasn't only for the old and decrepit but for those who had their chances, and successes, taken from them when they were at their highpoint. It was something that helped him mature as a person--as a leader--and helped him turn a few rabble rousing words into a speech that could enhance even the most focused warriors to fight harder for a cause that they held dear.

With these mercenaries, or whatever they were, he wouldn't have to try as hard to convince them that there was money on the table. Why he even wanted to help [member="Lady Kay"] --without so much as an idea as to what this job was--was something beyond his own comprehension but he couldn't refuse the chance to work with this crew, any crew, to get a good amount of credits. There was no guarantee that he would get paid at all--let alone what he expected--but he knew that establishing relationships with as many people of this trade as possible could only help his chances in a circumstance where he was in a time of need for allies.

"Now, I've sat in my corner. I've listened to everyone and I can see logic and nonsense is just about everyone's purview," Kalous began as his eyes were blanketing each and every one of them--it wasn't like they could tell under his helmet anyway.

"There are a lot of assumptions going around, mainly because there aren't a whole lot of facts to think on. The first among these is the lack of knowledge of this job which will be explained briefly before we decide to take this job and in more detail after such accords are stuck," he remarked as more of an order than anything else. "And then there is the issue of leadership. To that I say that whomever is responsible for paying our dues will not have to lead anyone to do anything."

Gauging reactions was hard to do as Kalous wouldn't know what anyone was doing or thinking until after he had finished his attempt at a speech. A speech was not something that had a question and answer during the middle of it, nor was it something that was expected to be taken at face value. It was something that had to be heard, understood, and thought about before a response was given. Kalous hoped that this period of thought would enlighten everyone but the odds were ever stacked against things working out the way he wanted them to.

"However, there is a reason we were all drawn here at this point in time. You can blame the Force if you believe in that stuff, the will of the universe, or just dumb luck if you want to. The main point here is that each and every one of us is expendable, whether we want to admit it or not. We have no ties, no affiliations, probably no families either," Kalous lectured as he stroked the chin of his helmet with his left hand--a musing motion. "At this point we don't need to know who or why. Really, we don't. All we need to know is where, when, and how much."

"That being said, however," he continued while turning toward Lady Kay to address her. "These are the people that have shown to your satisfaction, and this isn't when you interview us, this is when we interview you. You have no choice but to accept who shows up for your credits. We have the choice to take your offer or turn you down."

"As for pirates," Kalous began yet again, this time after taking a brief pause for everyone to absorb what he had said. "I'm not a fan. I know a few and they're not too bad as people, but I don't respect their profession all too well."

[member="Kado Samuul"] [member="Condor"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"] [member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Kado Samuul"]

Well that certainly was a lot of speeches. As each one of them spoke Kay just merely listened. She didn't even sip at her tea. Instead she just looked to each of them in turn as they spoke and at times when she felt her emotions start to take over, she just stared at her hands. Each one of them was attempting to put her in her place, to offer suggestions and give her advice and each one of them had good points.

And now it was her turn to speak. If she was the one being interviewed, then so be it. "You're right. I am new to this. It was more my late husband's department to gather up small forces and go on missions while I would hear the stories about it later. I don't have the luxury of his help, so I am going about this the way that I think he did."

Kay traced her thumb along her cup, a small sign of her fidgeting. "Granted he didn't dress like this, but if I were to show up dressed as a merchant, none of you would have believed that I would have the financial backing for this mission, and none of you would of joined me here."

She sighed a little. "And you're right, we should go somewhere more private. But with all due respect, there is just one of me and four of you. I think that you can understand me being a bit cautious in such a circumstance."

And now for the part that will tell her who is on board and who will walk away. "I am working on my own on this, with no support from any government as I don't want any of them to get involved. But what I would like to do is stop the pirates from raiding villages and capturing all of them to be sold into slavery. And in order to do that, we need to show them that they will face strong resistance wherever they go. It might not stop them, but it'll at least cause them to think twice about it and it will save innocent lives."

 

[Kenrath]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Condor"] [member="Cen Tessek"] [member="Kalous Anson"] [member="Kado Samuul"]

Spoiler: Please read before reacting to Shamus

Ok guys he is not inside the building so no way any one can react to him until everyone steps outside. Enjoy the nice little plot twist.

Wes despite being a good and proper soldier know still occasionally to contracts. It was a way to supplement the paltry pay the Republic military paid him. Especially when it was a six figure contract. It was something Wes could not turn down and he was expecting opposition. It didn't help the target was untouchable unless in Hutt space. There was always a hang up.

He had been tracking her for weeks following her every move. When he couldn't do it himself he had an old friend track her from afar and give him updates. Now he found himself in a room a few blocks from the Cantina she was in sitting back just inside the window looking down the sight of a laser sniper rifle. He was waiting quietly and with the patience of a Saint for her to finish whatever it was she was doing and step outside. He needed her alive but he also need to get her alone which she never seemed to be.

He had a plan though. That plan was to take out her protection with a well placed shot and force her into a panic. In that panic she would run. Then when she was all alone his associate would snatch her. It was a solid plan as far as he could tell.