Hailfire

[Subject 73 Red]

Location: Nar Shaddaa

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Red sat in a cantina on the world of Nar Shaddaa.

He looked to his left, two drunken bar patrons were in a fight.

Red looked to his right, and he saw more drunken scumbags gambling. Red scoffed. The only reason why he was here was that he was either looking for a job, or looking for people for a job, Red still hadn't decided yet.

Red looked at the drink in his hand. He had "borrowed" this table and drink from a couple of drunken patrons. They didn't want to give it up, so now they were dangling off of a bridge by their feet from only a couple pieces of rope.

His most prominent feature made him stand out from the rest of the crowd, his red hair.

It wasn't a great drink, but it was okay. Red took a sip from it, and he continued to examine the people and surroundings around him.

Red was always watching, always examining. He could tell a lot about a person by just looking at them.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Ugh. Lori wasn't particularily fond of hot planets. Yet here she was! Of course the vast coldness of space can get on one's nerves too. Why she couldn't make a pit stop on some lukewarm planet was only due to a matter of fuel. She needed more. Plus the Jaster's Sparrow had a few dings in it that needed banging out. How it managed to get those? Well that's a little secret she wouldn't tell.

She needed a break from her anxiety. The mission that Lori put herself on wasn't an easy one. There was a chance that it could be deadly too. What better way to quell those anxieties than with a drink?

Lori walked into the cantina, lowering the linen scarf that she had wrapped around her head. She stood at the doorway, allowing her eyes to adjust to the lower level of light, and for her nose to adjust to the unique smells of the area. Wonderful. There was a chance that she looked too young as she headed further inside, but a simple ID chip may put a stop to that.

Fiery red hair caught her attention. [member="Subject 73 Red"] sure stood out from the dull tones of the rest of the cantina. It seemed as though he was a visitor as well. Most especially as he was drinking alone. She gave him a little wave of her fingers before stepping over to the bar. "Whiskey, please." That was her Dad's favourite. She wondered if he was drinking any of it now.

 

[Subject 73 Red]

In fact, Red was drinking whiskey. Red could tell by the distinct taste that it had.

Red looked up, and he saw [member="Loreena Arenais"] do a small wave at him.

What the hell was that about?

Red wondered to himself. Why did she do that? Meh. She was just another bar patron. He didn't care about her.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Most people would nod to greet someone. But Lori wasn't like most people. She was downright weird. Maybe it ran in the women of her fammily? Both her twin brother and her Dad were stable people. But when it came to her Mom and herself? There was no stability there.

The puzzled look on [member="Subject 73 Red"] 's face when she waved was enough to make her snicker. Mission accomplished. If anything that put her more at ease. After paying for her drink, she sat herself down on one of the stools and took a swig of her drink, grimacing a little as it slightly burned her throat on the way down.

"Another, please." Lori halfturned on her stool so that she could view the other patrons, her eyes half squinting while she studied them. Surely there was someone that had a spare welder's torch. And perhaps some sheets of durasteel? Hmm...

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Then, suddenly, a drunken man approached Red. Apparently, he was one of the people originally at the table, and then he went to the bathroom.

"Hey, who are you? Give me back my table?" The man demande

Red sighed and rolled his eyes.

The drunken man threw a punch at him.

Red grabbed the man's arm, then he twisted it around. A loud snap could be heard as Red broke the arm. Red then swung the man by the arm, tossing him over the table. The man went flying, and slammed into the table. The man fell into unconsciousness.

Red took a sip from his liberated drink like nothing happened.

The whole fight lasted only five seconds.

Red looked around the room. Not many people seemed to have noticed the small skirmish.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Spoiler

Sorry I missed this. Site issues made it near impossible for me to access this account from my main.

Did Lori notice the little brawl between [member="Subject 73 Red"] and the drunk? Of COURSE she did! She was looking that way anyways. The snap of bone made her grimace in the way that one would while watching the injury during a sporting event. Only this was no sporting event!

But no sooner did the brawl start that it abruptly ended. Pity. She kinda liked it for it reminded her of when she was younger and fighting in Mandalorian tournaments. She broke many bones in one fight, but gained the respect of one of the greatest fighters that she had ever come across. And he taught her some lessons during it too.

She finished her first drink and picked up the secind before sliding off her chair and approaching Red. "Hey that was pretty good. Are you a soldier or a merc or something?"

 

[Subject 73 Red]

Red looked up and saw [member="Loreena Arenais"] approach him. Red thought on the question she asked him. It was a complicated question for Red, as he was all of those and more.

"Thank you. I'm a commando. Although I often consider myself as a vigilante, and a merc. And you are?" Red asked, a bit wary of her as she had asked a personal question so early into their meeting.

Red's eyes seemed to scan her, taking her mind, body, and soul apart to briefly examine them and everything about her.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori gave a nod as [member="Subject 73 Red"] answered her question. He was just what she had imagined that he was. Good! Then her people watching skills hadn't suffered.

Her eyebrows raised as he asked about her. Lori merely shrugged her shoulders a little. "I'm a Captain of my own ship and crew." Lori wasn't about to say much about herself. There were plenty of reasons not to. She sipped her drink, not quite sure if it tasted better or worse this time around.

"Who did you used to serve? As a commando, I mean."

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Red sighed. Why did everyone seem to mix this little bit of information up? He was still in the military, he had always been, he was just taking leave right now, especially since he had 290 days of vacation time available. "I serve anyone. I'm a vigilante. I like to keep the peace. I like to help people who can't help themselves. I can also do work as a bounty hunter or as a mercenary. Right now, I'm a commando for the CIS and SJO, but right now I'm on leave, for 290 days of leave time, but I can return to the military at anytime. Now, I've told you something about me, now tell me more about you, you're taking an awful interest in me." Red said, skeptically. He was armed with multiple weapons, but they were hidden from sight so no one but Red would know about them.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

[member="Subject 73 Red"] didn't mention who he served before, outside of CIS and SJO. Interesting. It made her winder if her Dad knew him at all. Sure the SJO were good, but others? Not so much. Lori figured that she'd be imbedded with SJO like her Dad and twin brother, but she wasn't fond of so many strict rules. She'd rather do her own thing. Lori was always stubborn, much to the dismay of some.

She chuckled a little as Red seemed suspicious about her or her intentions. Truth was that she had none. "I'm only curious. Just making small talk, you know? Your little brawl with the drunkard attracted some attention." Lori redirected her answers away from herself and back onto him. "Ever fight in tournaments?"

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Red looked over this strange woman. His eyes seemed to examine every single tiny detail about her. And they did. Red examined her posture, the speed of her breathing, the tiny subtle, barely imperceptible movements of muscle, and the way she looked at him. Red was able to see from her that she had no motives.

Still, his red eyes seemed to bore into her soul. His red eyes could easily be described as unnerving.

"No. I don't fight for myself, or for prizes, awards, fame, or fortune. I fight for other people, those who can't fight for themselves, and I fight for what I believe in, but the problem is I don't know what I believe in. That or I fight for my own survival. I did have to fight other beings before, in something like a tournament, back in my growth and conditioning period." Red admitted.

Gah! He had accidentally used the words "growth and conditioning period" instead of childhood! How did he let that slip? He was wondering that to himself. He had used the words the scientists used in place for his "childhood".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori shifted her weight on her feet. Boy [member="Subject 73 Red"] sure liked to stare! Yet she hid the way that it made her slightly uncomfortable by distracting herself with another sip of her drink.

"See! You do fight for yourself. When it comes to survival. I think we all do that, actually. It's instinct, you know?" Lori did catch the last remark. Her confusion was evident as she lifted a curious brow. "Growth and conditioning period? Are you a clone or something?" Not that there was anythimg wrong with that. It's just that she hadn't come across one before.

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

There it was. The one question he hated. No, he was not a clone, and he hated that people ask that question.

"No, I'm not a clone. Never ask me that again." Red growled.

He sighed.
"Sorry about that. No, I'm not a clone. I'm an experiment. I hate it when people ask if I'm a clone." He admitted

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Well I did say OR SOMETHING. That doesn't mean that it was the only option possible in my mind." Lori folded her arms across her chest, resting her glass on one of her forearms.

She lightly shrugged her shoulders to the apology that [member="Subject 73 Red"] gave her. "It's okay. I'm not bothered. And you might want to train yourself to respond with a different answer if you don't want people to make the wrong assumption about you." Her head tilted to the side a little in thought. "My mom was experimented on too, though I don't think that she was raised that way." Her mom was always in some sort of pain, whether it was physical, emotional or something else. It was strange.

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Red nodded. He knew what it was like. It wasn't the best thing. He was always, different from everyone else. They would never truly understand or feel what he has experienced.

"I was raised that way, though. My genes are all changed and messed up, and my entire childhood was training to perfect those abilities I was given. It wasn't the greatest experience. So, what are you doing on this planet?" Red asked.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori finished her drink as [member="Subject 73 Red"] explained himself a bit more. It made her wonder if he felt as though everyone else had it easy. Okay sure, she had a great childhood, that is up until her teens when her planet was taken over by the Sith and she was hunted down. Lori spent a lot of her time on the run. Even now she was. Sort of.

"We all do what we can to survive with the cards that we're dealt with. We're all messed up. As for why I'm here? It's a pit stop. Why are you here?"

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Red thought over this question carefully. "The reason why I'm here... So, you finally ask a relevant question, huh? Alright, I guess I can tell you. I'm hunting down a criminal organization. They've been terrorizing many planets and many people live in fear of them. I'm here to track them down and stop them." Red told her, very quietly, as anyone could be listening.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori gave [member="Subject 73 Red"] a look of non-amusement as he remarked on her asking a relevant question.

Yet his own response caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Who? I only know of Sith and some rogue Mandalorians terrorizing people. But that's about it. Is there some other griup rising in power? I'm a bit...out of the loop as I've been travelling. For a while." She stayed away from everyone. It was the wishes of her Dad and in some respects of her Mom too.

 

[Subject 73 Red]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]

Red frowned at her. Could she possibly be an outcast? Could she have been exiled? Could she even be a dangerous criminal? And traveling? Traveling where? That single comment raised a lot of questions in Red. Red wasn't really the trusting the type of person.

"They're a band of pirates. They've become a serious problem, now. Their numbers are rising, and they are well armed and extremely organized. If they aren't stopped, they might become more than pirates, they might become a rebel militia, or a terrorist cell that is well equipped and that has a military leader gone rouge." Red explained.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori took it upon herself to sit at his table now. She wasn't bothered as to whether or not [member="Subject 73 Red"] cared or didn't care. She just didn't feel like standing while conversing for much longer.

Her brows furrowed as he described who he was after. It was still pretty vague. "What are they calling themselves? Surely they have a name for their group? And who's their leader?" Oh she could bombard him with a million questions, but she refrained from doing so. Some people find that annoying. But she needed to know who to be on the lookout for.