Life through blood-red eyes

[Kaiden Rohn]

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Coruscant.​

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He raised some eyebrows when his ship landed here. He hadn't been back to Coruscant in years- but out of habit, he used his Republic clearance. They let him in, and he was referred to a therapist when he walked through the spaceport. He made his way deep into Coruscant, going down to where he was raised as a boy...and he made his way there.​

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Where it ended. Where it began. Where it lived. Where he lived, where in essence, he died. Kaiden Rohn stood outside The Trooper, or what, was The Trooper. Where The Trooper had been, the bar that Havoc Squad and many other Republic soldiers, commandos, pilots called a second home away from the barracks. It was also special to Kaiden Rohn, who, became Commander Rohn in the backroom of the bar. The One Sith had quickly shut down the bar, and killed the staff when they resisted them in the invasion. It pained Kaiden to see it in decay- not that it was really ever in such a great condition to mark it as beautiful or even well-put together, it had it's charm, usually found within the rodents that played a territorial war over the scraps left on the floor.

But he wasn't here to crack open a beer among the ghosts.

He wasn't here to share a memory or start a revolution.

He came here to pay his respects, and maybe one other thing. Maybe it was time. He'd find out when he finished the bottle of Coreillian whiskey. He sat down, thinking about all the people in his life that eventually found their way to a grave, or lost to the galaxy.

Steph Zenima- the only girl that he could've loved.

Kitt Solo. The only girl who knew his Sithese secret. Met his parents too. And his sister.

Willa Isard. Scared him.

Dish. Boom-boom expert.

Atticus. Pilot. Havoc's pilot.

The twins. Quirky Jedi.

Miles Varden. A tolerable man.

J. Reaper. Great soldier.

Azrael. A wayward pupil.

Too many to count. He stopped thinking about names and the numbers of people he lost after a while. He popped the cap off the bottle and laid the gun next to it. He looked at the gun through the liquid at the bottom of the glass as he took a long swig. Maybe he put it there so anyone who might've followed him here. Maybe the round in the chamber would end up being for himself. He hadn't reached out for anyone. Didn't know anyone. Everyone he ever loved was gone.

He didn't have a Republic anymore. Protectorate was a joke nowadays. Right now, all he had was the whiskey and the gun. And he had been seeing things sober for far too long. Maybe all it was going to take to finally go through with it was enough whiskey to shut down his kidneys. All it was gonna take was a bit more courage to finally doing it. It had crossed his mind a lot. Why bother living when there wasn't a point? Day in, day out he had to find a purpose. Some days he didn't even get out of bed. Middle-age was coming close, and all he had to show for the halfway point in his life was pain, loss, and failure. No memorials for his dead squad. No memorials for the dead soldiers that once frequented the bar. And if he went through it, there was damn sure not going to be a memorial for him.

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

Halfway gone.


Him and the bottle.

And Kaiden had plenty to think about already. How much had he failed in his life? By measure, a lot. How much had other people failed him? About as much. He had about as much control at the beginning of his life as a out-of-control car on an icy road. Sure, he could steer it now and again- but really, he was a product of an environment. He could start at the beginning, a runaway from two Archaeologists who's main MO was ancient Sith crap. Explained why he could speak Sithese as well as basic- and why he hated the Sith so damn much. That, and they happened to want to kill him now and again. But Kaiden ran away from his well-to-do parents, sick of their teachings and their constant worries and attempts to quote "reign in the boy's nonsense", unquote. As if throwing a three pound rock through your neighbors window after their kid made a face at him was 'nonsense'. He ran away from all that, and wound up far away from Dantooine, all the way right to where most ne'er-do-wells like him ended up-


Coruscant.

And he joined a gang, naturally. Hard to be 14 and alone in a literal giant city. Everything was fine, until he took a stab wound to the arm and he decided that maybe the gangster lifestyle wasn't for him. Boohoo. Sad story. What sympathy was there to be found at the beginning of his life? He was a product of mostly his own machinations for the first 18, but after that- after his enlistment, his life more or less went down the drain, then briefly circled back up and went to overflow, then went right down. Havoc Squad was his 'out'. His way of finally putting his admittedly bad attitude to good use. And it was a good use. Found a girl that he could proudly claim was the one that he wanted more than life itself. Steph Zenima was his yin to his yang, unfortunately, her drug habit and habit of dying made it hard to tell her how he felt about her.

The Republic more or less disavowed him and his team, thanks a slimey Hutt who wanted nothing to do with a reformed Havoc Squad. Had to fight to even exist at one point. The team went their seperate ways after that, some went six feet under, some joined this and that but ultimately disappeared- Kaiden's best guess is that they eventually kicked the bucket at one of the many conflicts the galaxy saw since the fall of the Republic, and the flailing death throes of the same.

The Republic- what a whole other mess.

And he wasn't even done with the bottle yet.

 

[Zesiro]

The young dark side initiate was on Coruscant to see the once great capitol of the Republic and Empire from almost a millennia ago. To see the sites and the people, hopefully more people than sites and more men than women.

Her journey lead her down below to the city under the city. These were the types of people that fell easily prey to her stalking.

She walked up to what once was The Trooper having heard it had been a hot spot for Republic soldiers back in the day. It was now run down and abandoned. However it held an interest to her and she walked in.

Expecting it to be empty, she was shocked the she saw another person inside. [member="Kaiden Rohn"] sat there with his gun next to his drink and he was so lost in thought he had not noticed her walk in.

Debating on a course of action, Zesiro wondered if she should just turn around and leave. Too late for that, when she opened the door, it had knocked again a piece of rubble. The noise was almost deafening in the silent, ancient cantina.

Caught in a moment of ackwardness, the young sith just looked at the older man wondering what he was going to do now that his reverie had been disturbed.

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

She was a Sith, that much he could tell. He had dropped enough of them to know what she was. [member="Zesiro"] got a mean stare, but she didn't get shot. She had interrupted him, but not stopped him on his personal journey to damnation. He leaned back in his stool, seeming to ignore the woman and continue down his journey of self-deprivation, and eventually, brain surgery with the handgun near the bottle. It was on the menu for tonight, but so was passing out and puking all over himself- as it was most nights, to be honest. Kaiden looked over at her the same way he looked at himself.

Pity and regret. Not a lot of anger left in him anymore.

His tired eyes fell upon the girl with enough pain to fill up a lifetime's worth of bad memories. Going back to his original train of thought- the Republic. It was all he had. It had stood for an untold number of years, a generation of democracy and stability, of cooperation and an idea of a united galaxy. And for more or less, it worked. And he fought for it. He fought for the little girls on Coruscant. He fought for himself. He fought for his squad. But he had nothing now.

Nothing but memories and a gun. He could take away one by adding another. Kaiden's eyes wandered back to the Sith at the door. He would eventually have to acknowledge her presence.


"You should know that I'm more than capable of dropping you like all the other Sith I've dropped, sweetheart. So don't play dumb. Sit down or leave, but don't think you're going to do anything other than that."

 

[Zesiro]

The echoes of the rubble falling faded away before the man broke the silence. He knew what she was and said he could drop her easily. Of that Zesiro had no doubt. However, the fact he had not just killed her on the spot gave her some hope she would live to see tomorrow. She was not a trained fighter, but instead a seducer.

His words invited her to sit or leave and she decided since she was already here to take a seat. Any pretense of flirting or seducing him was gone as she walked through the empty cantina to join him at the table. Her old master had made her what she was and while Zesiro did not try to walk seductively, it happened anyway.

Her intuition told her, this man was alone, not just sitting here drinking alone, but a lonely soul. He cried out for something to live for. His purpose and reason for living had abandoned him and he was but an empty husk of what he once was. He appeared to look at her with pity. Why? Maybe he would answer tonight, maybe not. Without direct hostility to her, she hoped to at least have a civil conversation with him.

She made no move to take a drink from his bottle and for the moment just looked at him considering her words.

"I am far from playing dumb."

Her blond hair and blue eyes made people assume she was and she could play the part well enough. Not being a ruthless sith though, lead her to have more intelligence than the more chaotic types out there.

"You know what I am. Why not just kill another Sith? One more notch you barrel."

Zesiro herself had actually only ever killed one person...the master that had made her what she was. Through myriad twists and turns of her short life, even she was alone. At least she felt she was. Perhaps that is what drew her to this place.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

He could've shot her. Dead in an empty bar. He'd guess the only thing that would alert anyone that she was here would be the stink after a few days. But she played it smart. She was a cloak and dagger type- he was a sword and gun type. Wouldn't be much of a fight, even if there was a fight to begin with.

"One more notch, sure. But you would just be another dead Sith on a Repub-"He stopped to correct himself."Alliance world. And then what? They'd have another reason to shoot at me. Besides, I tend to go for fair fights, or at least, on the same ground. You and I aren't even in the same ballpark, kid."He sighed, and pushed the bottle towards her. He leaned forward, running a hand through his hair. The flash tattoos on his hands were fading, from the years bygone. Some were cut and scraped where he had cut flesh with his knuckles.

"You though. I feel like you got a choice to be like you are. So why is that- why are you, who you are?"

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

The man had honor and Zesiro could understand that. She gracefully leaned forward to take the offered bottle when he nudged it in her direction. Taking a drink from the bottle, she set it down again between them and leaned back to look at him.

"At least you and I both agree on that."

Her eyes showed no fear of him, they did question him slightly. Was he trying to redeem her, to change who she was?

"I was not given a choice as to what I am. My master made me. He made me to be a seductive weapon he would use to destroy his enemies."

Her attitude showed she was open to conversation that had nothing to with anything that might occur behind closed doors. For once, she had met a man that would see beyond her appearance.

"Who am I? Zesiro."

She tilted her head down in a slight nod as she said her name and brought it up when she finished.

"Who made you who you are and who are you?"

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

He was less weary of her now. It was hard to irrationally hate someone, even if you perceived them as the ultimate evil and the sole reason your entire life fell apart.

He wasn't wrong on all accounts, speaking honestly. The Sith had screwed him over- hard. But then again, so had the republic in some cases.

"Kaiden. Kaiden Rohn."

He said, answering her question about who he was. But as to what he was and why he was, that required a swig from their shared bottle.

"Hell of a name, kid."

He spoke after a while, and another swig. "Rich parents, rebellious childhood- ultimately ended up holding a gun for a swoop gang in Coruscant. But after a while, ended up with Havoc Squad as the team medic. Ended up being the commander after awhile." He took another hard swig.

"And then they all died. Disappeared. Left to do their own thing. Only know two of them that are confirmed alive. The rest are just rumors. That, and the only two women I've been romantically attached to are K-I-A due to vices or violence. Or force knows what else." Kaiden looked solemnly at the woman before him.

"I get the feeling you only do what you do because it's the only thing you know how to do."


[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro watched his body language and while he was still tense, he appeared less wary of her. Not that she would use it to her advantage. Any relationship should be built on a form of trust, even if they should be enemies, they weren't right now. She trusted him enough not to shoot her and he about as far as he could throw her.

When he wasn't taking drinks out of the bottle, she did. They seemed to be swapping it back and forth regularly. He made a short story of his life and that of his friends. Even his love life had been dismal. Not that hers was much better when it came to actual relationships.

His last comment was pretty accurate and she took a drink from the bottle, lifting an eyebrow at his observation and a nod of acknowledgement.

"Nobody ever taught me differently so yeah, this is all I know."

Leaning forward again to set the bottle back on the table, her blue eyes met him and she looked at him with an intense gaze. It was an honest and open one.

"Is that a problem, Kaiden Rohn?"

Leaning back, she​ continued to look at him that intense gaze.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Izza Ye]

The Bombad Bounty Hunter was on his way to his favorite cantina down the dark Coruscant alleys, when suddenly he heard a commontion coming out of an old abandoned bar, The Trooper.

"What is goin on in der?" The Gungan muttered to himself.

He looked through a broken window into the bar, he noticed a girl, but could not see who he was talking to, Though typically this would not peak his interest, it was a shady place to meet. So Izza snuck into the old bar and listened into the conversation.

[member="Zesiro"] [member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

"I was taught to shoot Sith on site, miss."A long awaited swig marked a pause between his words."Doesn't mean I always do what I'm told."He met her gaze with the same honesty and openness. He frowned. He was here not as a broken man anymore- he was here as an example."The funny thing about life is that no matter where you are, you can always go somewhere else- or do something else."He picked up the gun.

"This right here? This gun? This is freedom- my freedom. I bought my ticket to my happy place with this."He set it back down between them. Equals arm distance away from the pair. If she made a move, it'd be a dumb one. He was old, he was drunk- but he was still fast. He was deadly, like a coiled viper. Or more presently, a wounded animal.

Eyes trained to look for the whites of eyes in bushes saw the movement in the window first. Long face. Flappy appendages behind them. A gungan. On Coruscant. He watched the Gungan lazily sneak into the bar, but paid him no mind, for now. Any sudden movement by [member="Izza Ye"] and he'd have an entire magazine of slugthrower rounds dumped at him. Which, at this range, meant that he'd be royally screwed. He turned back to @Zesiro.

"So don't be telling me that it's the only thing you know how to do. I bet you know lots of things to do. You just ain't gonna do em, or won't, for whatever reason."

 

[Zesiro]

Her being open and honest with anybody was a change. Zesiro was more cloak and daggers type, obfuscating lies with a touch of truth and the other way around.

"Yes, life is full of choices, but one can only make that choice based off what knowledge they have. So if a person knows only a little, it doesn't leave them much to chose from. That being said, this IS what I am and what I know."

She made no move for the gun between them, that would be pointless barely knowing the butt from the business end. Instead, her hands motioned from her head to her hips. Her eyes were on Kaiden as she spoke, her motion was not meant to tempt him, but make a point. A point as much as his gun was meant to be. Both weapons to be used to accomplish goals.

His eyes glanced away from her as he noticed the gungan sneak in. At the moment, the alien wasn't threatening either of them, just listening in. Until his purpose was made known, she would also leave him alone.

"I know to seduce or run. Very few people have seen beyond the physical."

Grabbing the bottle from the table, steering clear from the gun, Zesiro took another drink.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Izza Ye"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

"Probably because you don't branch out being running or screwing around, sweetheart." He looked lazily at the Gungan. He could've killed him. But didn't. He turned his eyes back to one @Zesiro. He tapped his tattooed fingers on the bar, sighing. She had derailed his intentions tonight. But, truthfully, it was a welcome change of pace to just talk to someone. Self loathing and drinking until passing out wasn't a very healthy habit. Then again, so was getting shot and stabbed for several years.

"I would suggest doing something or making something of yourself."

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro couldn't help but chuckle a little at Kaiden's words.

"What I need is a purpose beyond running like the girl I am or using what I possess as the other option."

The gungan listening in still had yet to make a move nor did it probably think he had been noticed by the other two. This suited her fine and the conversation between the two continued.

"Have any ideas of something to motivate me?"

Her voice held only true curiosity and he would tell she meant the question honestly.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Izza Ye"]

 

[Izza Ye]

​The gungan had noticed he had been spotted by both of the intruders. Time for plan b.

The gungan raised his hands and slowly walked towards the two.

"ya-hoo der! Missa mean yousas no harm." The gungan said walking towards them slowly.

Let the two in the bar think he's an idiot. That's how he catches most of his victims. Off-guard by his clumsy and friendly demeanor.

"whya isa sith anda bombad soldier talk inda abandon bar?" The Gungan asked quizzically.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]
[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

Kaiden stopped. Froze. And for a moment, he had the razor-like focus he was known for. And it was focused on one particular alien. The man who pummeled Sith, and survived more firefights and battles than anyone else in the Republic- now he had his eyes on a Gungan. And there was a gun on the table, less than a foot from him.

"Because we're talking. You were leaving."

Tattooed hands flexed. A habit. He could reach for the gun now. He had sobered up- and slowed down enough, to at least put a few rounds at the Gungan accuratley. Then again, at this range, it didn't really matter all that much. He turned his attention back to @Zesiro.

"As stuck up as the Jedi are, they're good people. They could probably set you to rights. The Alliance also needs helping hands. You could put away the force crap and go be a spy for us. Or work for a cartel. Become a mercenary. Open up a shop on Dantooine. Somewhere quiet. Get married. Have kids. Escape all of..."He waved only his left hand around. The right was near the gun.

"This. Besides. You seem smart. Maybe you could learn a thing or two as well- screwing and sneaking around are well and good, but I think you're smart enough to figure out a few other things as well. Shooting, for starters. Maybe learn computers or something. Casual starpiloting."

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro turned her head and would try to place a Force Hold on Izza to stop him from getting any closer to them. It wasn't a choke hold or even anything hostile and it certainly wouldn't hurt him. While he had hands out and in the open, he couldn't reach for a weapon.

"I think that's far enough."

She could have done much worse than the hold, but Zesiro did not have a violent nature normally. As the conversation with Kaiden had proved this. Having almost perfected this ability, she could maintain that hold and continue the previous conversation.

"I have no knowledge of these other areas. I highly doubt the Jedi would take kindly to a Sith just walking up and say, hey take me in. As for non Force expertise? I have nothing there. Do I really appear to be the kind to marry?"

The look Zesiro gave him was more flat than her voice which actually was expressed with emotion.

"As for that," she motioned to the blaster. "I don't the business end from the trigger. What do you want done with him?" With the hand used to point out the blaster, she stuck her thumb over her shoulder at the gungan.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Izza Ye"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

He stared passively at the Gungan. He waved his hands, dismissing his presence altogether."If he's smart, he'll run." His hand moved away from the gun. He wasn't exactly not on guard anymore, but he was a tad bit more relaxed."You'd be surprised at what the Jedi, among other people, are willing to overlook." He met plenty of turncoats and people who'd crossed over. Decent enough, and not at all bad Jedi or soldiers when he came across them."Experience outside the force and all things Sith and Jedi related come with being a person."


He sternly looked at the woman, for a long while.

"You really think the Sith are gonna give you what you want in life?"

[member="Zesiro"]

[back from korea.]

 

[Zesiro]

Letting go of her hold on the gungan, he would be able to move. Zesiro would pay attention to anything he did though and that hold would go right back up. The hand of Kaiden moved away from the gun and she almost let out a sigh of relief. Though at the moment it was just laying on the table, he could have moved and shot her maybe faster than she could have done anything to prevent it.

She sensed he was still on guard, but had relaxed some. The fact she hadn't attacked him right away and now sat quietly conversing with him instead, probably had something to do with that.

"If my path takes me that directon, then perhaps I'll go there."

In an emphasis on her next words, the sith pointed a finger at herself slighly.

"Look at something this way, I lead a sheltered life and know almost nothing about anything. Yeah, I know how to use my personal assets, but that's it. That's not something that can be used in all fields. As for the sith giving me what I want? It is all I've known. I was raised sith."

Lowering her hand to rest on her lap, she looked at Kaiden and wondered what would happen after tonight.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

"Just because it's what you know doesn't make it right."

He leaned forward and rubbed his face, trying to sober up, or at least, gain a foothold of himself.

"If you know you don't know nothin', I'd say go out and learn something before settling."

He paused.

"Otherwise you'll be like me."

[member="Zesiro"]