Private Cantina Meetings

[Raphael Gallustrade]

How far along had he come, by this point? He wasn't sure anymore, really. There were so many places he'd flown through and around, so for the time being, he was taking a break. A fairly well deserved one. The planet was a bit backwater and outdated, but it was more than enough for him to find a good cantina on. Khusrasol had flown off to get rest elsewhere on the planet, away from the hustle and bustle of the colony cities. They were still linked, though; he could feel her wherever on the planet she was. He smiled a bit at that thought. No matter how alone he felt, he was never truly alone.

Reaching down, he lightly felt the touch of his saber and smiled. That was something he still didn't understand. Sure he'd been there for a week and had...partially meditated on it but... He could feel it, a slight pulsing, like the beat of a heart. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. That crystal was... He tried his best to avoid other Force users whenever he could, those that he did run into? He didn't want them to know what he'd done.

There were jedi, there were sith... There were so many others. He ordered a drink and relaxed back in his seat, waiting on things to pick up. The band was picking up, his nice bit of corellian whiskey was bringing a light smile to his face, he relaxed back. He'd had a LOT of flying nowadays, and so being able to sit down and rest for a few minutes? Yeah, that was a nice change of pace. Long as nothing too surprising happened, in the next little bit, he'd be quite fine with just relaxing for the evening.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The friendly and relaxing atmosphere of the cantina was the most refreshing thing about this little planet thus far. The people were, understandably so but still annoyingly, reclusive and untrusting of outsiders. Especially outsiders with dark cloaks and masked faces. After having spent a few hours asking around the local town Alisteri finally found himself stepping into the cantina and drawing a few gazes as he did so.

He didn't mind their staring, whether it be confusion or suspicion. His patience for pleasantries had almost all but worn thin from the amount of doors slammed in his face today. So he made his way forward and ignored what attention he garnered as he moved through the cantina and arrived at the bar, the band thankfully having not noticed or not cared about his presence as they kept up their music and the atmosphere as a result. The bartender noticeably took more than a few moments before finally acknowledging that he was there and coming over to speak with him.

"What can I getcha?" Alisteri reached into the pockets of his cloak and placed a credit chip onto the counter, sliding it over to the bartender before he responded. "Information. I've heard rumors of some rather nasty and disreputable pirates that frequent this planet, and yet none of the locals seem willing to speak with me about them."

The bartender sighed and turned away from the masked man, seemingly ignoring him. Alisteri was quick to slam another credit chip on top of the first, an audible clap of metal on metal which caught the attention of the bartender once more. "Ah I thought you were asking about something else!" The bartender smiled and took the credit chips before the man could change his mind. "What all would you like to know then buddy?" "Everything."

Raphael Gallustrade

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Taking a drink at the bar itself, he smiled listening to the band. He'd been just enjoying himself, after the last time that he'd gotten into a huge fight with any pirates. Raphael was tired, and he'd wanted to get information on the crazed gang that lived on this planet and was launching attacks but everyone was fairly recalcitrant to speak with him about it, much to his chagrin. How was he supposed to help people solve their problems if people didn't wanna talk to him? The innkeeper had, at the very least, told him that they terrify inhabitants on the planet and surrounding shipping lanes.

He was thinking on what to do next when he felt something that had his blood run cold for a second and then the door opened. He felt the darkness rush into the cantina, looked back and watched the man approach the bar, a credit chit suddenly slamming down onto the table. Raphael looked up at the man. A large black cloak and mask guarding his face, and the darkness in the man, made Raphael pull his coat in a bit, making sure the man couldn't see the lightsaber that he was carrying.

Raphael, however, did lean forward, shifting in his seat as the man slammed down a second credit chit. Despite the darkness that he could feel from the man, he could also feel a bit of kinship from this man. Sure, the two were probably the furthest from true allies, but Raphael could, at least, agree with the destruction of some pirates, people that broke laws and caused pain to others.

"Don't mind if I listen in, do you stranger?" Raphael asked, giving a light smile, and leaning forward on the bar. "Been trying to learn much the same with litlte to no success."
Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri's gaze shifted from the bartender to the man that had spoken, glancing the other patron of the cantina up and down for a moment. The man didn't seem to be too out of the ordinary at first glance, initially blending in with the locals and other travelers that frequented the establishment. Then something pricked his senses in the back of his mind. Something subtle but very real and present.

"That'll be extra sir-" Before the bartender could finish his remark towards the man Alisteri suddenly reached out and wrapped his hand around the bartender's arm. The bartender let out a hiss and stumbled a bit in an effort to escape the sudden forceful grip that threatened to pull his arm out of its socket. "You've gotten your credits. Now speak, and don't mind whoever may listen." Normally the Sith didn't care for meddling in his affairs but curiosity and frustration got the better of him.

Curiosity from the man that wanted to listen in being some sort of Force Sensitive, and frustration from the bartender asking for even more money as if his watered down drinks weren't overpriced already.

"Alright fine!" At that the masked man released his tight hold on the bartender, the man briefly rubbing his arm where a new bruise was forming for a moment before he spoke again. "The locals are twitchy because a lot of their brats have joined up with those pirates. Rebellious teenagers trying to find their place in the galaxy swept up by a terrorist. That's their whole deal, just raiding and being nuisances. They call themselves the Sons of Chaos and operate out of an old crashed cruiser in the flatlands. You want anymore information and you're paying double!"

Alisteri didn't really care for the little story of the pirates, all he needed to know was where they were hiding. "Thank you." With that he pushed himself off of the counter and turned to begin walking right back out of the cantina just as suddenly as he had came in.

Raphael Gallustrade

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

In some small way, Raphael was actually pretty happy for the man in the cloak and mask had shown up. Sure, the violence towards the bartender might've been a bit much, but these people were making information gathering as easy as pulling teeth out of a krayt. And so he found himself smiling a bit, as the masked man grabbed the bartender's arm by the wrist and practically forced the man to spill the beans. It as some interesting information and Raphael, true to form, soaked it all up like a sponge, memorizing key details. For a moment, he considered asking for names of children but his...informational benefactor, decided to turn and leave.

"Thanks for the drink," Raphael said, laying some credits down, obviously for the drink, but also slightly mocking the man's misfortune, just a little bit. "Also for the information", then he hopped down from the barstool and turned heading out the door, following not too closely behind the tall masked figure. Then, the moment that he was outside, he rushed over to a nearby swoop bike, tapping on his datapad and it suddenly starts up.

"Thanks for the help, man." Raphael replied with a bit of a grin. "I'd been trying to pry information outta these people for the last hour or two and nobody said a damn thing. Now that I know where they are, I can try to stop these idiot kids, maybe I can catch this bloody terrorist too. From the sound of things I'll be seein' you there, yeah?" He smiled at the man, sitting on the bike for a few seconds longer, wondering what the man was going to say.
Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The bartender simply flashed a glare and a scowl at the mocking tone, although he was quick to snatch up the credits that had been left behind. No sense in turning down good credits just because of a little hurt pride. Alisteri didn't give the cantina a second glance as he pushed back through the doors and stepped onto the empty street. The town wasn't keen on being out after it began to get dark it seemed. He idly wondered how much of that was fear of the pirates.

Before he could reach into his cloak and procure his datapad to get a look at the map of the area that he had purchased earlier, he heard the sound of a bike starting up and the voice of the other interested patron. The masked man turned his head to regard the smiling man with a seemingly blank look for a moment, allowing a small silence to set in before he responded.

"If you're intending on engaging these pirates then I'd reconsider. This whole little gang will end when their leader is dead and gone, the youth will all go running home with fear in their eyes and regret on their tongues." Pirates hardly had a concept of honor and loyalty, but gangs built upon charisma alone had even less. "But until this terrorist is dealt with, they're going to be more than willing enough to kill and be killed if it means following the orders of what they deem a great leader. They're dangerous and not to be taken lightly."

A blaster could still find its target regardless of how inexperienced the shooter was after all. "So unless you want unnecessary bloodshed then I'll be going alone. No offense but these situations are delicate and distractions aren't going to help, best to just have another drink and wait."

Raphael Gallustrade

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael nodded slowly as the man spoke. Did...did he think that this was Raphael's first rodeo into all of this? He'd gone through fire through fighting through getting shot at... No. How would this man know?

"I do appreciate your concern. Though do you think that they won't shoot at you, as well? I would only go as...what you might call potential reinforcements." He scratched his chin as he leaned back on the bike. "Besides, realistically, I would've been heading out there, if you hadn't come along. I would've found some way to deal with it."

"I do not plan on be of a distraction. At the very least, let's say that it would be a nice chance to see how you work. After all, every opportunity to see someone more experienced is an opportunity to learn something, neh? Plus, let's be honest with ourselves here, even if you tell me not to go, you can tell that I'm young, that I'm dumb and that I probably won't listen. It would be quicker on us both, if you just allowed me to come along." Raphael was making it quite clear, leaning on the bike, that he wasn't going to be dissuaded from, what was most likely, a fairly foolish decision. "On the condition, that I listen to what you're saying, during the time."
Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Of course it was not simply as easy as vague words and warnings to dissuade the other man. Clearly he was more determined than the locals were at any rate, but that wasn't saying much given the situation. Alisteri crossed his arms as he listened and thought up some other way to deter the man. Outright murder in the middle of town wasn't desirable and would be too messy to get away with if all went according to plan anyway.

The masked man clicked his tongue in response to the proposition and was tempted to just disable the bike somehow and go on his way without anyone to follow after him, but decided against it. It would be another hard thing to get away with in the town after all. "Fine. If you're so intent on coming along then I won't stop you. But you will listen to me and follow my lead if you want this to end without bloodshed on either side, if indeed that is your goal."

Alisteri reached into his cloak and pulled out his datapad, tapping on it for a moment to bring up the map of the local area. Thankfully the wrecked ship in question seemed to be fairly old, given that it was noted on said map. "Looks like the journey to their base will take an hour or so on foot. That bike will only trigger any sensors or defenses that they may have left in the ship. Better to approach without a vehicle so that we don't have an all out battle on our hands before we get anywhere near their leader."

Raphael Gallustrade

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

There were things that Raphael understood about the world: one of the most important ones was that Raphael wasn't the strongest or the strangest out there. He just had a very neat trick. Another was that there were, at least, two sides to the Force, this source of power he didn't fully comprehend. There was a lightside and a darkside. Jedi, those beings he'd met many times that did what he did, were of the light. Then there were the sith, those that were steeped and permeated in the dark. Yet, here was the very antithesis of his original thought process: Jedi helped, sith harmed. Here was the exception to this rule, a sith that was helping.

The question was, were his motives altruistic and benefactorial in nature, or was there some ulterior motive to his actions?

For the time being, Raphael had to assume the latter. The man, however, did not dismiss him, as Raphael had assumed he would. He had to wonder, though, why the man would even permit or entertain something like this.

"Of course, sir. This is your show, and any orders given I'll listen to what you say, no questions." That part was largely true. Long as the man didn't give him any orders to kill or try to do something of the darkside, then the two had an accord. He watched the man fish a daapad from his cloak and tap on it. A map, perhaps?

Upon the man explaining that it would be better to not have the bike, but to approach on foot made sense to Raphael and he got off of it without a second thought. Truthfully he hadn't considered the ship having any sensors, or perhaps them having placed them, but it made sense. "Understood. Blame it on my personal youth to want to get out there quickly and not having considered such things." While his face remained fairly upbeat, there was a bit of a remorseful tone that almost spoke his annoyance with himself. "Apologies."
Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

"For the good of everyone involved I should hope so." Of course Alisteri highly doubted that this little outing would be fatal to himself, he had survived and experienced far too much for one gang of young pirates to take him down after all, but he had intended to solve this problem without any unneeded casualties at all.

The apology drew a small chuckle from the masked man as he turned the datapad off and slid it back into his cloak. "They are pirates, they have to catch their prey somehow. I'd be surprised if they haven't managed to rig up some sort of beacon or signal just to lure more people closer to their base. You coming along with a nice bike for them to use or sell would probably make their day in all honesty, I doubt they have too much traffic on this little world of theirs."

Unless they had managed to get their wreck running somehow, which he severely doubted was even possible.

"Now let's get moving, it'll be getting dark soon and that will be time to strike." With that Alisteri resumed his long and quick stride away from the cantina, eager to put the stubborn townsfolk behind him. He could respect their hesitance to give out much information, especially when it could result in their friends and family possible coming to harm. It of course didn't make his job any easier but that resilience and sense of community was what made backwater planets like this some of his favorite to visit.

He could only hope to help cultivate similar communities within the Sith and their newly acquired worlds. But such intents and plans were for later, for now he had pirates to take care of. And a hanger-on to keep alive. "So you're obviously not a local, what brings you here after this group of pirates hm? Have they taken something from you? Or from someone dear to you?"

Raphael Gallustrade

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael simply gave a light bow of his head, he would follow the man's orders to the T. Though he could quite easily feel the darkside rolling off of the man, though there was something even crazier. He didn't know quite what it was that he was feeling from the man, but it was a worse feeling than just the darkside. He didn't recoil or pull away, however. Merely continued walking along normally. "Perhaps, but bear in mind that I hadn't thought of it and I normally pride myself on my abilities of deduction." His step is casual and jaunty, as though he had a tune stuck in his head as they walked.

"Strike at night, eh?" He studied the man from his periphary. What was it about him that sent his blood running cold and his mind yelled at him to go in the opposite direction. Raphael, thankfully, had hidden his own saber, though he knew that he couldn't hide the light side of the Force that would've been coming off of himself. The man would know quite shortly, if he hadn't already, not that Raphael was all too concerned. He was...mostly certain, that the man wasn't going to try to convince him of anything. He would be more focused on the mission.

Raphael gave a small smile. "Not in the slightest. I have nothing that they've taken nor someone dear to me that they've taken. Realistically, I'm just someone who made some bad mistakes on Nar Shaddaa and doesn't wanna see other kids making the same mistakes." He frowned. "Just a normal guy, to be honest. I don't want these kids to screw up and make the same mistakes that I did. Join a gang. Steal from people..." He paused a moment. "...kill them... I just wanna make sure they get to have normal futures."
Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

He glanced back at the other man as he spoke, offering a small shrug in response. "Then you don't think like a predator." Had it been another Sith or even some Mercenary that he was speaking to the remark would have come off as an insult, but his tone made it sound more like a simple observation than anything else. Alisteri may not have known who this man was or what he intended but he could narrow down what he wasn't from their interaction thus far. And he certainly wasn't a Sith or a killer for hire. "Night is the optimal time, they'll be relying more on sensors rather than their own vision then."

Sensors were a bit easier to fool than eyes were, at least in their current situation. If they were strategic and quick enough as well then not even the sensors would be an issue for their approach. 'If' being the key word. The masked man remained silent as he listened to his temporary partner answer his question, watching the man out of the corner of his eye to check for any noticeable signs of lying. There was always a tell, even if it was nothing that the person speaking did themselves. He knew for certain that there was more to this stranger than he was letting on already from his senses alone.

"Is that so? Attempting to steer others from your own troubled past hm?" Definitely not a Jedi either then. "My condolences for having any business at all on that accursed planet. Nar Shaddaa hardly allows anyone to walk away with their morals intact." Crime begets crime after all, and the underworld was even more cutthroat than Sith politics at times. Especially when Hutts were involved. "I doubt that you'll have much gratitude from your noble cause, people rarely change their path without great stress and strain."

Raphael Gallustrade