All is Well When Drinks are Involved

[Lord Nexus]

Twin moons hung high in the sky when the drifter stepped through the threshold of the cantina "The Devil you Know". The smell of spilled booze and vomit clung to the air like a desperate lover; it was an ironically welcomed scent. Even in the dim lighting of the dank cantina, Nexus could feel the presence of the one who followed. A smirk curled over his lips.

Walking towards the bar, the only beacon of light in the establishment, Nexus took a seat. The cantina was mostly empty and the few patrons that were present were scattered into shady alcoves, making it easy to get his first drink.

Nexus didn't say anything, but tapped the counter firmly. The bar tender, an older toydarian, glided over. Nexus looked up at the bar tender, who gave him a nod. Reaching up, a bottle of Kashyyk fire whiskey lifted itself from the shelf, gliding in front of the dark lord. At the same time, the toydarian slid a freshly cleaned glass. He poured the tabooed drink into the glass, notably without ice, then pulled it to his lips. With one flare of his nostrils, he tilted the contents of the glass into his mouth, before promptly filling another.

Now he waited for the inevitable.

 

[An Tiarna Dubh]

As As if an apparition a figure appears in a flash& stands looking rather confused in front of the pub. Like lightening he appears before the thunder rings out a warning. His hair cropped low save four thin braids falling down behind an ear. Seemingly as broad across the shoulders as he is tall, the man canvasses the area with a brutal glare stopping at the man sitting down before him then strolls confidently forward. His mighty frame is covered in an archaic three piece suit. The observant eye will easily notice subtle bulges under the arm & hip – this man is a walking armory. Humanoids – even droids – quickly distance themselves from the beast. Coming to a halt before the object of his attentions table his A thunderous voice rises up and is hurled from his lips

“Nexus! So here here you are – I brought something for you! A considerable distance at that!”

He hurls a long bag onto the table of the man in front of him.

“Your weapon a buachaill!”

With that he sits across from from the man setting another bag at his side. Waving off a waiter pulls a bottle from his jacket taking a swig then lights a cigarette.

“Well what are you waiting for! You look a bit stunned. We have business elsewhere, so get on with the pleasantries over, shall we?”

Sitting back tends to his drink & smoke.

 

[Lord Nexus]

The arrival of the Ard Ri clearly startled the institution. This bar was not accustomed to the presence of a king- Nexus wondered how the galaxy felt to have the titan amongst them. With that being said, Nexus did not see the High King enter the bar, but rather, his judge and jailor. His glass rattled mildly as for a brief second his emotions reverberated through the force. But it was for no more than a second.

His rage was quelled almost instantly upon sensing something else. Reaver. One of the most precious items he had lost in his incarceration. The titan king through it with ease, and it's owner caught it with that exact ease. The bag slid off, revealing the behemoth blade. Standing at near 6 feet long from tip to pommel and just shy over a hand's with in bredth, the sith sword was a daunting sight to any and all- even those who did not know the blade's bloody history.

Nexus shut his eyes for a moment, allowing his aura to resonate within the blade. All in the room could feel the blade permiate with its master's malicious, chaotic aura. All of this happened in a matter of seconds, and after his short reunion, he stabbed the sword into the ground next to him, cleaving through the sandstone like butter.

Once the sword was planted, he slowly turned his gaze to An Tiarna. His ice blue eyes were indicative of his calm.

"Ard Ri."

His heavy voice cut through the air, akin to how Reaver cut through his enemies. Nexus paused, locking eyes with An Tiarna, before refilling his cup, this time with a double, and hammering it back. To the unaware, Nexus stood mere feet away from the man who snuffed out his flame. He was an enemy. But also a great friend. And he brought a peace offering- that was enough to be a parlay in the eyes of the Dark Lord.

"To what do I owe this gift? Worried I was going to come looking for you?"
The entire cantina was utterly still. Even the most hardened of scum here knew that there was some very bad blood in the air.

 

[An Tiarna Dubh]

The Old man face listened intently to Nexus. At the last words he barked out a loud bellow. Face flat and voice distinct yet low the words fell effortlessly from his mouth

"If I had any worry about what you'd do with that grotesquely oversized butter knife do believe it would have been handing over as if a long lost letter from your mother?" Would have been the last thing on my mind."

Brows creasing in thought went on caasually

"buried it in your head maybe. Past the symbolic but none the same heartfelt return of the cutlery a chara."

Massive right hand waving across chest as if tossing the words aside he went on

" What I am saying is this: high time to get off this rock. I'm going with the feet where the spirit takes me."

With an upward nod hands spread out,

"Now do you have a vehicle or must we boost one?"

Eyes widen accenting the question then relaxing he took a strong pull from the bottle, lit yet another cigarette & waited

 

[Lord Nexus]

A silence filled the air after the Ard Ri's words left his lips. Even the bar tender seemed to focus on the kegs in the back a little too hard. An Tiarna would feel the repercussions of his words- everyone in the cantina did, as well as all in the immediate proximity outside. He poked the drexyl. It was as though the maelstrom of Nexus' aura turned into a planet eating storm. Their respective glasses shattered into dust, as well as most of the bottles behind the bar.

One second passed, then two, then three. Then he took a breath.

Suddenly the cascading sounds of wet thuds, followed by prompt cracks echoed through out the cantina. And An Tiarna would notice an instant lack of life in the room that had several people in it. Nexus snuffed them all, with the twitch of a finger.

His eyes, that were ice blue moments ago suddenly were gold and red. He looked straight on, unflinching. A multitude of thoughts flew through his mind. Mostly angry ones. After a seeming eternity, which actually ended up lasting no more than five seconds, he turned those golden eyes upon the Ard Ri, then rose from his seat.

"Seems that we have to get a ride off of this rock."

And with that, he reached for his 'glorified butter knife', ripping it from the ground, and made his way to the door. At the thresh hold he stopped, looking at the High King with an unflinching stare.

"And An Tiarna, perhaps time has dulled your memory. But don't forget what I am, and what I can do."

He held the gaze for a few seconds, letting his words sink in. Time had passed since they shared cups, which was why his sudden betrayal seemed so unexpected by the clan.

 

[An Tiarna Dubh]

Responding quickly the ancient warrior spoke slow & deliberately rising up to his feet & turning to Nexus

"Right, & by what method will we be securing a ride may I ask?"

Eyes squinting & looking down a moment

"& I know that you have heart & at the moment that's all that matters a buachaill...."

Brows lifting he looking up at Nexus

 

[Lord Nexus]

"We simply have to ask."

Nexus stood, slow and steady- the fire in his eyes had not gone away. Looking at the carnage of his outburst a wicked grin spread from ear to ear.

"But we are going to ask in the old fashioned way."

With that he pulled the sword from the floor, returning it to its bag, then-without waiting- walked through the door and onto the streets.

A few minutes later

The duo had arrived at the nearest space port. A modest establishment in size -able to only hold about twenty ships at a time- this was where the Lord of Chaos chose to find their transportation. Being unable to view this ships from afar, they had one option- to hack into the terminals and see the manifests.

While the port was small, it was one of the less seedy sorts. This was where the VIPs of scum and villainy would entrust their transportation be stowed safely. Sand stone walls that reached three stories tall, pristine and graffiti free, and accented by the occasional viewport, the port had a domineering presence. It spoke in it's pristine nature, given its surroundings, saying: "Those who do not wish to meet an unpleasant end, turn around now.".

As the duo emerged from the mouth of an alleyway, they were promptly noticed by security. Both being humanoid's of large stature, appearing suspiciously malevolent (Nexus with his heavy black cloak and bag, An Tiarna for his blatant warrior appearance), two guards made their way to them. As they approached, Nexus looked at the Ard Ri.

"Do you want them, or shall I?"

 

[An Tiarna Dubh]

The old man smiled replying with an off the cuff wave of a giant hand

"Move as you wish just get us off this cursed sand dune of a planet."

 

[Lord Nexus]

A devilish grin spread across Nexus' lips. Being one with his blade gave him a literally boost of power, due to the crystal in it's pommel. As such, Nexus wanted to test his newly rekindled strength. The duo closed the gap between themselves and Nexus and An Tiarna. The dark lord made no threatening move, yet his smile never left his lips- and his slightly sharpened canines gave him an unsettling bestial look. These fools had come to the slaughter house, and they were the butchers.

=Guard 1=
"What brings you fellas in this neck of the woods?" The guard was not courteous given the nature of most of Tattooine's denizens.

At this point, Nexus could have easily come up with a believable excuse or an alternative to his actual approach, but he was called the Lord of Chaos for a reason. Saying nothing, yet still smiling, he reached up and planted a flat palm on the man's sternum. Being a guard, the man's immediate response to assume hostility, but he never had a chance. A hum filled the air, followed by an ominous crackle. The guard convulsed once, then dropped dead at their feet. His other guard looked in horror, before promptly turning and running- he knew this fight was a futile one.

Nexus allowed him to run, as he unsheathed Reaver from the bag which concealed it. The poor man got no more than 30 feet before he felt an invisible hand grip him. Dragging the man back with the force made him go stiff for a moment. Then a soft squish followed by a thunk turned him limp. Nexus looked at Reaver, fresh with the blood of the guard who christened her return, his eyes going from blue to gold. Then he looked to An Tiarna, and said with a malevolent monotone.
"I think my girl is thirsty."

That is when the screaming began, as the crowd scattered, running for the hills. The Dark Lord loved granting the illusion of being able to flee.

A few moments later.

Nexus stood over one of the hanger bay consoles, entering a code as though it was his own, when in truth he ripped it from the mind of an unfortunate porter. Blood made the floor slick, yet Nexus and An Tiarna were not strangers to not slipping on the blood of their enemies. The door slid open, revealing a surprisingly well preserved J Nubian Star Skiff.

It's sleek silver hull seemed to be a mockery of Tattooine, as though the dust was beneath it. The ship had apparently belonged to some arms dealer who had a love for antiquities and extravagance. With that being said, he was sure that it was more than meets the eye, given the nature of the black market arms trade. He walked out into the hangar bay, reaching out with the force to detect threats.
There were several. That did not stop him however.

 

[Lord Nexus]

TLDR: Nexus boarded a ship with a droid mind (psuedo AI), hacked it, and now owns the vessel, dubbed The Morrigan

Looking at An Tiarna, Nexus gave him a wink.

"Best leave this bit to me Old Man."

Giddy with the adventure, for a moment he was not the Dark Lord of Chaos, but Malakaii Concordia, the man that An Tiarna found him as. While time changes men, there are often ways to peak at what once was. This was one of them. It almost made Nexus forget their bad blood. Almost.

Nexus took one step, then waited. Years prior to his rise to power he was both a slave and a mercenary; this past gave him a familiarity with traps (among other things)- to the point where they were almost obvious. Just as he expected, he heard a low whirling over the door behind him. All too familiar with automated turrets, without even looking, he reached back and released a broad arc of Sith lightning; this was further amplified by the despair and fear that now surrounded them.

The turrets sizzled and then exploded- not just the ones over the door but more hidden ones scattered around the bay- as they were overloaded. With that, Nexus took another step and listened. Nothing. Good. Now he had to deal with the real threat- the ship itself. The J Type Star Skiff in itself was often considered as a civilian vessel with minimal armaments, yet Nexus knew that was not the case with this one. It was eerily not dissimilar to the one he had centuries ago.

Walking up towards the vehicle's stern (rear), Nexus noticed there was no pannel for the exterior console to access the boarding ramp. He looked at it for a few moments before a low, though elegant voice emitted from an external speaker near the bay door.

::Greetings sir, may I help you today?::

Nexus had to internalize his annoyance; he knew sense no one aboard, which meant one thing. An onboard droid intelligence system. That meant that Nexus was not able to go with his usual route of kill first, then ask questions. If he attempted to destroy the ship's AI he would potentially disable the vessel. Instead he spoke back.

"Greetings. I am here for my appointment with Mr...." Nexus paused for a moment, recalling the name from the manifest as the owner of the ship. "Mr. Galbatorix. I have an appointment in regards to an arms deal."

::I am sorry sir, Mr. Galbatorix is not here, nor do I have any record of appointments today.::

"Well, there must be some sort of mistake. You see, I am meeting him in regards to a rather lucrative deal with him, and your schedule must be not be up to date.The deal is in the 10 digit range. My name is Malakaii Concordia. Also known as Lord Nexus. Could you check your records again?"

::Checking...No, sorry sir, I still have no record of your appointment. Also I am registering your name under a war criminal deemed incarcerated 400 years ago. Thus, it is highly improbable that you are in fact who you say you are. I am sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to leave.::

There was a low whining noise, when a small turret emerged from the bow (nose) of the vessel. It rotated and set its sights on Nexus. The Dark Lord couldn't help but smile. Now he had his window of opportunity.

:: You are hereby commanded to vacate the premises or suffer irreparable consequences, including potential maiming... or death.::

"I am not going anywhere..."

Nexus lifted his hand, tilting it to the right. A loud groan permeated through out the hangar, as the turret slowly turned away.

::Stop! You threaten to damage the vessel. My master will be most displeased.::

"Ship, do you know who I am? What I am?"

::According to your moniker you are Darth Nexus, Lord of the Sith. Confi...::

Nexus turned the turret further, angling it upwards- it's groaning intensified. Nexus cut the voice off.

"Do you think a Lord of the Sith will take no for an answer."

:lease stop. My master will be most displeased if you damage his vessel.::

"Yes he will, and he will probably shut you down as a result. Now let. me. in."

There were a few moments of silence. Fortunately in regards to a droid mind, most are subservient to a flaw. An egotistical arms dealer (his ego made clear by his vessel) would not want something to question him. Along with that, he probably had cowardise programmed into the subroutines.

::Very well, Lord Nexus. I will grant you entry.::

"Also disable any traps that your master may have set for intruders. I would like to live for the meeting."

There was another pause, before the droid spoke once more.

::Intruder counter measures have been disabled:: The voice was clearly begrudged. ::Will you cease your property damage now?::

"Only once I am sure. Can't trust a droid mind."

With that, a slow hiss filled the air, as hydraulics lowered the boarding ramp of the ship. Nexus smiled once more, stepping up the ramp, keeping pressure on the turret until he was safely aboard. Once he was safely in the loading bay, he let go of the turret. He reached out with the force once more, checking for threats. There were none apparent.

::Sir, if I may suggest waiting in the guest lounge. It is located in what was once the medical bay. There are cocktails at the ready.::

"Thanks, but I have a better idea..."

With that, Nexus- due to his familiarity with the star skiff's lay out- made his way to the maintenance hatch. The pannel was exposed. Clearly the original owner did not value security outside of external threats. Inside was much easier to access.
::Sir, the maintenance sector is off limits unless clearly stated otherwise by the owner.::

He reached into his cloak, gathering a splicer that was freshly pried off of a corpse (As he was aware that he was stealing a ship), he entered it into the console. After a few moments, he heard a click and the hatch opened.

Hopping down into the vessels maintenance section, he looked for what stood out- the droid's CPU. It was a large rectangle, with a sphere at its center. While he was no mechanic, having one of these ships, coupled with his mercenary experience in the realm of sabotage, granted him the confidence to handle the situation. The sphere locked it's light based eye on Nexus, who simply grinned before walking towards it.

::You should not be down here!::

"Come now, droid, don't make me threaten to rip your heart out." He closed the gap between them. "Now close your eye..."

Without waiting, Nexus shoved his splicer into a near by port, and let it do its work. A few seconds went by, before the droid mind spoke again. This time in a computer generated monotone. The hard reset disconnected the droid from the holonet, rendering it as a clean slate.

::How may this unit be of assistance.::

"Alter ship's owner registration and access privileges"

::To what extent shall I alter.::

"Delete all pre-existing administrative data."

There were a few clicks and hums, then the droid mind spoke again.

::Who shall be declared as default administrator?::

"Myself, Malakaii Concordia. Preferred moniker, Lord Nexus"

::Noted. Adjusting. Complete. How may I help you Malakaii?::

"Establish personality routine. Gender: female, Species: Human, Accent: Serennoan, Personality Disposition: Loyal - disregard any parameters that may jeopardize my immediate safety, including ship integrity. Under no circumstance may you grant outside access without expressed permission"

:rocessing...::

Then after the blink of an eye, the droid mind spoke out once more. This time it had the accented voice of a young female. Her accent was one akin to someone of class and nobility.

::How may I serve you today, Lord Nexus.::

"Reconnect to the holonet, Identify and Invite my friend aboard, upload all ship schematic data to the nearest datapad, and plot a course for Coruscant."

::Of course. May I ask what my name is?::

"Call yourself Morrigan."

With that. the ship's external speaker amplified it's volume. Then announced to the hangar bay.

::Hello Ard Ri, An Tiarna Dubh, my name is Morrigan. Lord Nexus invites you to board the vessel.::

 

[An Tiarna Dubh]

An Tiarna simply watched dispassionately, head leaning to the right slightly eyes squinted & smoking a cigarette. A thin smile rose on his lips. A thought crossed his mind watching Nexus toy with the shuttle. The start of a joke: "How many Siths does it take to hotwire a shuttle?" The old man rolled his eyes . & the agonising dialogue with the 'Shuttlie' or whatever asinine name that had been pinned on the inanimate talking calculator was painful. Couldn't one just rub their temples & seize power of the scrap of metal? Lighting another cigarette he continued watching with morbid curiosity. When Nexus called his name after commandeering the vessel the ancient warrior sighed, looking around him making sure he had everything & barked a single word

"Ceart!"

& with that he unceremoniously marched onto the ship. Quietly he pondered what exactly was the point of this entire exercise? To waltz around the universe polluting the atmospheres of any planet that he set foot on with his tobacco smoke? There must be something more to it. Taking another haul, brows dropping he realised that there wasn't anything deeper. Exhaling hard he took a strong pull from the bottle. It was a simple truth. Scratching his beard a smile grew on his face. Nodding he walked away from the ship without a look to the left or right. At last this mighty fragment of a glorious past fades away disappearing from view