Bored. Just plain bored with my life.

[Ali Hadrix]

"How do I look, mother?" Ali asked, smoothing the fabric of her top before brushing her hair over her shoulders so that it hung in long, dark locks over her chest. Her mother, Myra, ran her fingers through Ali's hair, smiling as she did so. The laugh lines around her mouth deepened somewhat, though she was still beautiful.
"Brilliant, as always." Her mother said. Ali smiled, the sleeveless forest green top was low cut between her breasts, the hem ending a few inches above her navel. With it she wore black slacks that boasted her figure nicely. "Perfect for negotiating in." Ali muttered, checking her hair once more before wiping away a smudge of lipstick from her mouth.
"Ready?" Her mother asked. Ali nodded. "Let's go sell a space cruiser." Myra smiled and escorted Ali from the 'fresher and into the living room. Ali's father, Jack, was at university, where he taught economics and conducted research. Thus, there was no one to see them off as they left their home in the outskirts of Munto, not far from Kliffen. Beside the quaint two story house was Myra's shop, which was essentially a space port in and of itself. Myra's repair facility was expansive, with a multi-crane system for conducting top-down repairs and moving parts, equipment, and even ships themselves. The lot itself could house a ship up to 400 meters in length, if need be, though there wouldn't be room for much else. Parked on the tarmac was an old Guardian-class light cruiser Myra and Ali were repairing for a local logistics firm.
The vessel Ali was leaving to sell had already been transported to Munto's local spaceport, and she was due to meet her buyer in half an hour. She checked her chrono, pleased to know she'd be right on time. Ali opened the side door to the speeder and sat down in the driver's seat and queued the repulsors before starting the vehicle. Ali could feel the speeder dip to the left as her mother approached and leaned over the edge of the door.
"Be careful, right? If you need me, queue your comm and I'll be there in a jiffy." Ali looked up at her mother and smiled, "I'll be fine, buir, no worries. But I'm glad to know you'll be tailing me there." Ali's mother smiled and tapped the side panel of the speeder. Ali waved absentmindedly as she pulled the vessel away from the homestead, turned sharply around and sped off across the plains.


As Ali approached Munto's spaceport, the sun was just reaching its peak of noon. The weather was warm with a pleasant breeze in the air that kept her skin cool. She brought the speeder down the South end of the valley and approached the spaceport from that side. A short halt at the main gate to flash her keycard bought her entry, and Ali skimmed the speeder across the dirt ground toward her platform, 8-A. Her buyer seemed to be waiting for her. He was a tall Aqualish, with light green skin and black bulbous eyes. He wore a tailored suit, and the hair ringing the back of his head was greying. And here I thought all Aqualish died young. Ali smirked to herself, bringing the speeder to a halt by the platform's large steel doors.
"Greetings, you must be Anwar Tuhlu." Ali said as she stepped out of the speeder and offered her hand. The older man took it, shaking it lightly. The vocoder he wore translated his words for her. "I am indeed, miss, and excited to do business." Ali nodded politely and stepped toward the platform entrance. She swiped her keycard and the doors creaked open slowly.
"As you know, the Crix-class DC-4a was designed for use by the Galactic Alliance to transport government personnel on diplomatic missions. It's balance of defensive paneling and speed made it ideal for these such mission types, and saw quite a lot of use." Ali began as the doors continued to open, slowly revealing the vessel hidden within.
"The Crix-class assault shuttle, however...was always my favorite." Ali smiled as the doors completed their retraction. "Armed with twin laser cannons and a pair of blaster cannon batteries, the A-2s is ideal for quick hitting assault teams." Ali stepped toward the bow of the ship, patting its underbelly with one hand. "And this one I've equipped with a special extra, that you get to enjoy for only sixty-thousand cred--."
The Aqualish snorted, "I said as is. No more, no less. Our agreed upon price was two-hundred and thirty." Ali smiled politely. "Mister Tuhlu, let me assure you that the extra sixty is well worth it. I've modified the underbelly with a retractable concussion missile launcher. Your enemies won't even see it coming, and the special hull plating shields it from most sensors, making any trip through customs an easy one."
Mister Tuhlu rose his hand to object but hesitated after a moment. He stroked one of the ivory tusks covering his mouth and thought to himself shortly. "Twenty extra, is all I'm willing to pay." Ali lifted an eyebrow and laced her fingers together. She approached the Aqualish shaking her head, her long locks bouncing lightly. "I'm afraid that won't do, it already cost thirty to buy the launcher and equip it. Fifty-five is the lowest I can afford."
The Aqualish stared back at Ali for several long, silent moments, before barking, "Forty-five." Ali shook her head, "Fifty." Mister Tuhlu nodded, prompting a smile out of Ali. "Good," she pulled a datatablet from her handbag and passed it to the man, "You can initiate the funds transfer here and then she's all yours. Though you'll have to handle any registration fees and procedures on your own."
Mister Tuhlu nodded as he took the device and began typing away at it. "Of course, of course. And thank you, it has been a pleasure." Ali smiled and bowed. "No, thank you, sir." She took the datatablet back from the man and verified her payment, then handed him the key card to the platform.
Two-hundred and eighty thousand credits, a veritable windfall. Ali saw the man and his bodyguards to the vessel's main hatch and bowed her goodbyes, then returned to the speeder waiting outside. She lifted her comm to her mouth as she started the speeder up.
"Buir, it's me, I'm on my way back, just wrapped up business. Sale went down smoothly, though I got talked down ten grand on the launcher." She keyed off the commlink and angled her speeder for the spaceport exit.

 

[Aithne Charr]

Solan stood nearby as he had heard of a mercenary that had retired from the life of fighting to sell ships. He was here for two reasons though, one was for the whispers and the other was for the for pleasant chance of as a representative of the Rebel alliance to try and recruit the later. The true rebels though, not that shady "Underground." operation that he heard about a few weeks back. None the less his hands came to hold the shaft of his scythe tight.

To anyone that looked at him he would look like the grim reaper through and through, his cloak was pitch blank and obscured his Viola Coat and Fiber armor. His body was lanky and thin, making him look almost skeletal under the cloak. His hands were gloved to show no skin and lastly the mask he wore was one that looked more like a skull than anything else. He figured he looked much more terrifying to those he had to fight when all they saw was a figure who had already killed more than his share of people.

Either way for now he started up the speeder he stood nearby and followed the woman from a safe distance, making sure to never get too close and make his following her noticeable.

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

Hope you don't mind me trying to recruit you ))

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali made quick work of the trip back to the homestead, all the while considering what else she could or should be doing with herself. Repair and sales was a lucrative profession, and she enjoyed working with her mother, but it lacked the bigger picture sort of feeling that Ali had gotten out of her work as a soldier. Myra's own tales of the previous wars had left her daughter with a yearning to experience the same; a desire that was foolish, her mother was always quick to remind her. Ali considered herself lucky to still have a relationship with her parents, many of her Mando'ade comrades had lost buire in conflicts and operations throughout the Galaxy.
Still, she was over 30 and still didn't feel...satisfied, with what she had accomplished. Her logistics company had been run out of business, her mercenary outfit disbanded, and the only work she could find was back at home with her mother. Economics was too boring, though tenure was apparently quite lucrative for her father.

Ali pulled up to the homestead and slowed the speeder to a halt. Her mother was waiting in the stoop, a curios expression on her face. She waved her daughter forward hurriedly, and quickly Ali locked the speeder and trotted over to the front door. "What is it?" She asked. Myra Hadrix nodded back out to the plains. "You were followed; I saw their speeder bike pulling away as you approached the property." Her mother's face was thoughtful; Ali frowned. "It could be anyone coming to ask about services." She replied dismissively. Myra shook her head, "Not dressed the way this one was. I pegged them with macrobinoculars almost ten klicks out." Ali was worried her mother was paranoid, though Myra Hadrix had never been one to bring the war back with her.
"Why do you think then?" Ali asked, turning to look out across the plains. She saw nothing but sweeping reeds and grasses, shifting and swaying in the wind. Gold turned to brown and back again, a never-ending dance of nature and air. When she looked back to her mother, the woman shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest. But I've got a rifle ready just in case they're not here for business." Ali frowned, "If only we were that lucky." She muttered. Myra took her by the shoulder and ushered her inside, "Come on, we'll wait inside. If they want to talk, they'll knock." Ali nodded, then hesitantly turned and stepped into the house.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

Solan yawned behind the mask as he flew in slowly behind the other speeder, its engine silent as he looked at the side of the road with a bored expression. Not because of the flight but this place reminded him so much of his own home out in the middle of no where... what was he doing again, oh right. Looking for the woman he had saw to recruit her for the Rebel alliance, problem was he had to stop and look out over the plains with micro binoculars to see if he could pick up the speed again and that he did just as they were walking inside. "Phew, that would have been a bit harder if i forgotten where she went."

He moved back into the speed and leaned back in the seat as he started over the plains once more and removed the mask he wore, leaving on the armor and the cloak as he took a bit longer than she had to get to the house. Once there though his body moved from the speeder and he stretched out his arms from within the cloak. It was a small walk to the door and the scythe remained on his back now as he did, it didn't help his frame that looked like death itself but he was sure he could explain the reason he looks that way... or not. Time would tell as his hand tapped upon the door.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali opened the door with a smile on her face and a blaster in her hand. The smile faded quickly however, as the horror of a man stood before her. The look on her face was replaced with a slight sense of revulsion. The blaster in her hand remained steady. "Can I help you?" She asked, as sweetly as she could muster.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

He blinked as he sense her disgust through his empathy and then he realized he should probably drop the illusion too, forgetting that there were people who didn't take the visage as kindly as those he fought. With a breath in his features cleared till he looked normal again and he pulled down the hood as he bowed to her. "My name is Solan Charr and i have a offer for you if you would be so kind as to not aim the blaster pistol at my face. And excuse the illusion, i have a few people that might want me dead so its the easiest way to get people off your track, and it tends to frighten them when they see a man that looks dead carrying a scythe and going to bisect them." He looked up and his blue eyes focused n her as he spoke. "So might i have a minute of your time to offer you something to do."

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali furrowed her brow as the man's visage seemed to shimmer and change, though she could hardly remember it being any different a moment ago. Jetti...She thought to herself, the Mando'a insult coming unbidden to her mind. "It's aimed at your crotch, not your face." Ali corrected the visitor, who'd identified himself as Solan Charr. She peeked passed his shoulder at the weapon he carried on his back. "A black cloak and a creepy staff...there are easier ways to go about unseen you know." Ali narrowed her eyes at the man, still highly suspicious. He may not be trouble himself, but he certainly looked like the type to bring trouble. "I have plenty to do," she told him, jerking her head sideward at the personal spaceport attached to the homestead. "I've got a ship to repair and sell." Ali bit out sardonically.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

He looked at the blaster again and then at the woman's face before speaking, his voice kept careful as he stared at her hand again. "As much as i would like to leave and keep you from... removing something that i need, i would ask that you hear out my offer. I am a member of the Rebel Alliance and you are an old mercenary that appeared on my radar, what i have to ask you though is the fact of your joining us and its possibilities of happening. We are not ones that work for money and rather something that work helping those against people like the Sith Lord Vornskr who commit acts of Genocide... will you hear me out now." HE sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Sure if she shot the other hand would pull the saber in his sleeve to his hand and activate the blade, but he would rather not have a fight in the middle of a home.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali chewed on her lip for a moment as the man spoke. She cringed at the mention of her former line of work, and the Rebel Alliance, both things she'd like to see buried permanently. It wasn't as if she had ideological issues with the Rebellion, she just didn't see them as much more than another fighting force in a Galaxy that had already seen too much fighting. As Solan attempted to tug on her heartstrings with tales of genocide, Ali rolled her eyes. She stepped back and opened the door, waving the man inside with her blaster. She holstered it and shut the door behind him, then crossed her arms and stepped to her mother's side. Ali brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and arched an eyebrow. "Get on with it, tell me about this Alliance of yours."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

He brushed himself off and moved through the door to look at the two as he bowed again to both of them before speaking again. "I already told my name. But either way as i said i am Solan Charr. I have been looking for people to aid the Rebel alliance fight against those that would cause unneeded harm to civilian and innocents. Idealistic i know, but it is something that our people believe in being able to help achieve." He leaned back and smiled as well.

"And if it is money that you need i can pay for your services as well from my position in a group called the shadow dynasty if money is your worry. As long as you are worth the money that you require that is." He looked to his side and rolled his neck back as he looked up at the ceiling. "Any specific questions?"

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali was unconvinced. She kept up with the news, conflicts between the Rebel Alliance and their enemies rarely ended without a freighter full of dead civilians. And these bizarre disappearances weren't making things any less stressful for a Galaxy already on the edge. She frowned at the man upon the mention of money. "I charge for my work, but I only ask a fair wage...when I do." One of her faults was she could be a sucker for sob stories, doing the right thing seemed to be ingrained in her genes. Even so, she was smart, and her mother had trained her well enough to know a losing battle when she saw one.
"Ya, I've got questions. Why did the Rebel Alliance hire a historian to lead their battle fleet?" She asked sardonically. The news that Wan Min Brightsky had been appointed Admiral of the Alliance naval force wasn't the best kept secret in the Galaxy, and Ali managed to make it to the pub often enough to have heard. "Did you folks run out of real soldiers, you had to start recruiting dolls?"

[member="Solan Charr"] [member="DasGeneral"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

"While i cannot speak for our leader i can only say one thing. The Rebel alliance is not a military force that is funded by a government. We owe allegiance to the galaxy's people as a whole and thanks to rogue elements and the governments like that of the Sith and the Ravens we are generally lost in... senseless murder like at Makeb... My point is that we are a group that accepts all who wish to fight for the protection of this galaxy and its people, and condemn those that would abuse their power."

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali didn't like how the man shrugged off her question about Brightsky. She'd have to be foolish to give her trust to an organization that couldn't even keep a proper leading at the head of their military. "You're not funded by any government, that's dandy. But how is anyone to know that private interests are any more benevolent? What if they start threatening to cut your funding if you don't do things their way?" Ali stepped forward, sticking a finger at the man's chest, though she didn't touch him. "And if you're not a government, just some renegade military force, then why, I ask again, are you putting children in charge of your armies!?" Ali was slightly red-faced and growing angrier by the moment.

"I might be asking questions that are far beyond your pay grade, but if that's the case, they picked as poor a recruiter as they did an Admiral!" Ali huffed. At best the Rebel Alliance seemed irresponsible, at worst they were cruising for a bruising from organizations like the One Sith. Ali liked fighting the good fight like anyone else, but she didn't fight stupid. If anything, the sheer mishandling of the military made Ali want to join up, just to help fix the Rebel's special brand of special.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

"My dear, i am not one to pick apart the choices of my leadership, nor did i say that it was a good idea or that it wasn't a good idea. But for every person that joins the better and stronger we become. As for anyone that would use us for their own goals, i must say simply that anyone who would dream of using the Alliance for their own goals is not one that will be welcomed by us." He sighed again as he was just talking in circles at this point, so instead he looked at his hand and thought. "Did you hear about Makeb?"

He looked up at her, interested in what could be considered the Rebel Alliance's greatest mistake thanks to the actions of the vong named Dredge. "We work to help the people as i said, but there are times when we are granted nothing but sorrow for what we do. But if we were to surrender and give up, to let one man stop us from opposing them by sacrifice its own people... then i need to make one thing very clear. Joining does mean that you will see things that will make you sick and question if what we do is right... but if we do nothing then this galaxy will remain to be ruled over, i do apologize for wasting your time." He started to stand up with his hands behind him.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali narrowed her eyes, but listened to the man talk. He didn't have much of anything to add, though he kept on saying things. He was a footsoldier, that much was clear. If the Rebel Alliance ever became as diligent and disciplined as the Mandalorian clans, they might one day succeed in their impractical goals. "Impractical doesn't mean unattainable." Her mother said suddenly, as if she'd been reading Ali's thoughts. She looked at her mother in slight alarm; the woman laughed away her concern and brushed Ali's cheek with one hand. "I know your thoughts better than you think." Myra Hadrix smiled warmly, "It's a motherly thing, you'll understand eventually." Ali frowned, she didn't have children planned anywhere in her future. Then again, she hardly planned anything, she just...did stuff.
"Always question your leaders," Ali replied finally, ignoring the question about Makeb. She didn't live under a rock, after all. Ali flashed a smile of mock sweetness at Solan's apparent concern for her mental health over the sights of war. "Former mercenary, remember? That nonsense doesn't bug me." Ali took a deep breath and sighed. "Give me a day or two to think about it. Go enjoy the sights or whatever it is people like you do in your free time." Ali wasn't opposed to changing things up in her life, it'd been too long since she'd been off-planet anyways. However, she wanted to avoid making such a drastic change without assurance that she wouldn't be wasting her time, so she wanted to talk things over with her parents.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

He smiled and gave her a bow as his eyes fell on her face. "Take your time with your thought, would you prefer i stay on planet for your response? If so i promise you it wont be sight seeing that i will be doing. After all, i don't dress like this for fun and in my freetime like to scare off those who would cause the pain and death of others and get them back on a path or otherwise remove them from teh situation by non-lethal means... much better way to spend my time." He said it almost like he was joking though it was clear this was what he did when he was out recruiting, it was an effective way to kill two birds with one stone.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali frowned, Solan was going into far too much detail about his extracurricular activities for her tastes. "Transmit me contact information on this, I want to know where to go when I make my decision. I've got my own vessel, I won't be needing transport." Ali handed Solan a portable contact device, a sort of disposable commlink. She walked to the door to show the man out. "Oh," she said, lifting a finger, "And I want to meet this Admiral of yours." With that, Myra ushered the man out of the house and Ali closed the door behind him, making sure to seal it.

She then turned to her mother, "What do you think?" Myra Hadrix cocked an eyebrow. "Do you even need convincing? These guys sound like amateurs compared to the Clans." Ali considered that, but had her own thoughts, "It's not fair to compare everyone to the Mando'ade, our people are made for war, it's our culture. These other civilizations just...play at it." Myra crossed her arms, "That's nearly as arrogant of you." Ali rolled her eyes, "Let up, will you? If I'm going to do anything more with my life I don't want to run the risk of wasting it on an Alliance that's always ready to come apart at the seams."
Myra walked into the kitchen and poured them both glasses of wine. She handed one to her daughter and sipped out of the other. "You're lucky to have been raised amongst Mando'ade, but that's a favor the rest of the Galaxy has not had. Most civilizations are woefully unprepared at survival, and so when people like the Sith show up that are born of destruction, little stands in their way. You can't fault these people for their seeming ineptitudes." Ali sipped at her wine and considered her mother's words. Mandalorians were typically humble, preferring deeds to words, but in the context of war, no one was more arrogant than a Mando'ad. History had shown there was a good reason for that. Maybe the Alliance did need help, a Mando'ad's help. Ali sighed and set down her glass, quickly returning to the door hoping to catch Solan before he left on his speeder bike.
"Oi, you, recruiter man." Ali called from the stoop. "Meet me here in the morning, I'll be ready to leave." Ali waited just long enough to ensure the man had heard her, then stepped back again through the door and shut it behind her. From the kitchen Myra was finishing her Ali's glass of wine. "Buir?" Ali said, incredulous. Her mother shrugged, "Relax, I'll pour you another."

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

He looked up from where he was sitting on the speeder, his eyes focusing on the face fo the girl that told him she would leave tomorrow. With that he gave her a simple two fingered salute as his features resumed their illusion and decayed, his face thinning and his skin paling before he put on a mask as he smiled behind it. The mask no less skeletal than the illusion itself, but he smiled none the less behind it and bowed his head as he shot off to the nearest town as he needed something to do until tomorrow morning.

 

[Ali Hadrix]

Ali spent the night packing gear and clothes. She would bring a few trinkets with her, handy pieces of tech for the most part, but would otherwise pack light. If she decided to jump ship on the Alliance she didn't want to be forced to abandon a bunch of good kit in the process. "Well, that's about it," Ali muttered as she slung her last bag over her shoulder and turned to face her father. Jack Hadrix had been standing against the doorjamb for a good ten minutes, just watching his daughter pack. "You know, when you first ran off to Mandalore I half-expected to never see you again." Her father dipped his chin, "Same when you made off on that logistics endeavor." He smiled, "I'm glad I was wrong." Ali smiled and embraced her father, "And I hope you're wrong this time," she whispered to him before they broke away. "You leave in the morning then?" Ali nodded. Jack reached forward and took his daughter's free hand in both of his own.
"I'm not Mando'ad, like your mother, and as such I could never understand the warrior's mentality. I'm a pacifist, my strengths are in the reading of people, and money, and the things that affect them both. But I know a warrior's strength. I saw your mother return from two wars, myriad battles, scarred but always stronger for it." Ali looked up at her father, "I could be back any day, you know that right?" She asked him, gently lifting a brow. Jack Hadrix smiled, his lightly wrinkled face joyful and sad and proud and afraid all at once. "You won't though, you know that right?" He retorted kindly. Ali frowned, wondering how right her father might be. Even if this Alliance thing didn't work out, Ali couldn't just come back to Commenor and keep repairing ships. That was great for her mother, a veteran and retiree, but it didn't suit a Mando'ad woman in her thirties who'd only had a taste of war.
"Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar, buir." Ali told her father. Jack Hadrix repeated the words to her. The man had made it a point to learn Mando'a when he married Ali's mother, so many years ago. He spoke fluently, and the words always sounded more beautiful when he said them.
It was then they parted ways; Ali's parents spent the rest of the evening alone, giving Ali the space she would need in preparation for her leaving. Twice had her mother ridden to war, to the known and the unknown. In a Galaxy where chaos raged like an eternal storm, Ali knew that only the unknown was left to explore.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Ali Hadrix"]

Solan in the meantime had contrary to what he said been spending the night out in the middle of no where with his eyes staring up at the sky and watching the stars above him as he breathed in and let go the breath he had taken. The Stars were a beautiful thing, distant and close for those of the galaxy. But what he saw was more than that, what he saw was a painting that lacked music. Art without a reason and he loved to watch the skies as a spark entered his hand infront of him, twisting into a small flame as he waited for morning and continued to lay there.