May The Rains Wash Over Our Sins

[Cassius Droma]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWoqKUsz8F4​

As the Stardust Melody pulled out of hyperspace and began to get into orbit around Nar Shaddaa, Cassius pensively tapped the console next to him. He’d been to the Smuggler’s Moon once before. Ironically, it was with the very man they had been sent to track down – Ar’ekk. The two had come in order to find a piece of an artifact that Cassius was seeking out. Things had gotten heated in a bar – lightsabers were ignited, limbs were severed. By the end of it, a Devaronian was lying dead in the streets.

That was the first time Cassius had seen the darkness inside of the tortured warrior, and he had done nothing. It was one of the reasons why he hadn’t even hesitated when Romi had suggested they go find him. Not only was Ar’ekk a fellow Jedi that had fought beside him, but if the man had indeed fallen to the dark side… Cassius felt partially responsible. He could have said something, to either Veiere or Romi, but instead, he had stayed quiet.

“Master,” Cassius looked to Romi, who was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat next to him. “If we find Ar’ekk… and he has indeed fallen to the dark side…”

“What do we do?”

It was something the young man had thought about on the way over. Ar’ekk was a warrior, so there was a chance that a physical altercation could occur. By this point, Cassius was no novice with the lightsaber, or his Force abilities – Eadu had seen to that. However, while he was now competent, that didn’t mean he was ready to take on an entire criminal organization.

Their request for landing was granted, and Cassius eased the Stardust into the atmosphere of the decaying planet. They were entering on the side of the planet enshrouded in night, and rain pattered the cockpit as they broke the cloud layer above. The city sprawled out before them, neon lights dancing across billboards, and steam poured out of smoke stacks.

Cassius found their landing pad and touched down, turning their engines off and preemptively preparing security measures for when the left the ship.

“The Hawk’s Circle,” Cassius muttered, flicking switches overhead. “That’s where we need to go.” It was in the Red Light Sector, which was one of the scummiest places on Nar Shaddaa – and that was certainly saying something.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Scourge"]

 

[Arekk]

There was a disturbance in the Force that wouldn't let Ar'ekk sleep besides a bunch of other things. Although he had not fallen to the dark side, a few of his acts were determined by himself as necessary to carry out some tasks that required some level of "violence" but most of them were handled by his second-in-command and personal bodyguard Scourge. Nothing shy of two meters high, this Mandalorian mercenary seemed to have come from the darkest of places to unleash his wrath upon the weak and innocents which made him a perfect fit for The Hawk's Circle.

The two of them were discussing details regarding an upcoming smuggling operation that was about to be carried out in Landing Bay 92, a shipment of spice and weapons from Trandosha were to arrive soon and Ar'ekk wanted the Mandalorian himself to oversee the whole ordeal.

Flashing neon lights, obnoxious advertisement and skimpy dressed Twi'leks covered the Red Light Sector. They were contracted by The Hawk's Circle and were heavily guarded by armed thugs ranging from Niktos to Duros that had nothing to lose. The organization's headquarters were located in the most central part of Nar Shaddaa's Red Light Sector, next to a stripclub and a nightclub owned by the very same criminals the young Jedi warrior led personally.

"Make sure everything's going according as planned. I don't want any delays, you hear me? If that happens, I'm going to personally kill anyone who gets in the way." He said to his personal bodyguard and killing machine to make sure the operation went smoothly.

Something in the air was rotten and he could feel it, one way or the other.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Scourge"]

 

[Scourge]

Scourge was clad in his gold beskar’gam. The wind rolled listlessly through the hangar as a ship began docking procedures. Glutton, a vong biot sword, wrapped itself tightly around his exposed forearm. The serrated teeth of the sword digging into his fleshy skin painfully so. Scourge relished it. Lived for the pain. Lived to make others feel pain. It was simply the Yu’zhan Vong way. Something Scourge had trouble forgetting, even once he was adopted into the Mandalorian culture. Scourge was a hitman, bodyguard, killing machine all rolled into one package. He enjoyed making others suffer, something that his time in Belsavis maximum security prison only heightened.

He had escaped that hell by the skin of his boots and was damn sure not going back. Ar’ekk spoke to the Vong and he merely nodded. His hand moving from the scattergun at his hip and towards his helmet. He removed the Besk’ad and tucked it onto his belt. His black eyes searched the hangar for any discrepancy that might cause the fledgling crimelord any trouble. Everything was running smoothly. Scourge ran a tight shift. Normally people would skim a little off the top and that would be okay. But, Scourge knew that Ar’ekk’s criminal empire was still growing. The man could not afford to lose even a credit, or so Scourge’s reasoning went. He made sure everyone understood this by making an example of the last smuggler who tried to steal from Ar’ekk.

The man had found himself strapped to the front of a Cruiser. He was given a flight suit with the comms linked throughout the hawk’s circle. They say no one can hear you scream in space, but Scourge made sure everybody heard that man's screams. At least until he was atomised by the jump to lightspeed. Scourge still wondered if it was painful, being stretched several meters long as your body tears itself apart… He shook his head and continued overseeing the exchange. A lovely twi’lek wrapped herself around his arm, providing a small distraction from the work. One of Ar’ekk’s girls probably.

“You coming over tonight babe?” She asked seductively.

Scourge merely grunted. She laughed and rubbed his chin as his focus remained on the task at hand. He scowled slightly and this brought about only more giggles. Scourge might have been sadistic, but he still enjoyed fine company, nice things, and the usual excess. Needless to say he took a moment to give the girl a wink and a slight pat on the rump, his gaze softening only for a moment before the scowl returned and he once more regarded the workers in front of him. Who says crime doesn't pay?

@Ar'ekk / [member="Cassius Droma"] / [member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

A beat.

Her gaze didn't falter; she could see her Apprentice looking at her through her peripherals, just as much as she could feel him. She refused to make eye contact initially, but as the moment soon passed "We look for the light in him..." she said in short. @Ar'ekk was a special case in that she was temporarily serving as his Master; his training was near completion and it was possible that he would have been Knighted before any of this occurred.

Just then, as her words sizzled out she looked over and made eye contact with [member="Cassius Droma"] . And she could tell that he often sought to blame himself, "It's not your fault..." she reached over and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

The rain reminded her of Eadu, and she was sensing something way beyond her at the moment; she knew better than to overlook the pit in her stomach. The sound of the engines shutting off was her cue to pounce out of her seat. She flicked a few switches to her right as she stood up.

"Alright...lets head out." She sighed through the comment, only before she turned and made her exit.

--------------------

"You said The Hawk's Circle huh?" Squinting she looked over to Cassius, her voice cutting through the constant patter of rain she rose her voice.

Neon lights kissed and highlighted her skin perfectly; just as she whipped her head around to witness the signs in Aurebesh.

"Lets not waste time..." She took a deep breath, her arms folded across her chest as she stood shielded from the rain above. Before long she found herself walking through the entrance.

[member="Scourge"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius looked down as his master gave him a reassuring touch. “I know,” he muttered, giving a small nod. The Bendu had told him that if he kept looking back, he wouldn’t be able to move forward. This wasn’t something he could just let go of, though. The man’s soul was on the line. Romi and Cassius had to at least try.

Getting back to the task at hand, Cassius made sure the ship would be secure during their little expedition and got up from his seat. He grabbed his rain slick - an item of clothing he’d worn very often on Eadu, and slid it over his shoulders. His lightsaber was out of sight, under the slick. He wasn’t expecting to have too much opposition, but he knew that if they did, he’d be ready.

They got underway soon enough, and before long, they were standing outside of the entrance to the Hawk’s Circle. It was hard to believe that some time ago, he was here on this very planet with the owner of this establishment, fighting for their lives in a bar very much like this.

Following his master’s lead, Cassius stepped inside what looked to be a small diner. This was where the Hawk’s Circle headquarters was supposed to be, however. At least, that’s what he’d been able to shake out of the Rodian bounty hunter they’d encountered on Ord Mantell.

His eyes scanned the room, and he tried to reach out with the Force. Men who seemed to be minding their business were concealing blasters and dark intentions. A droid waitress rolled about the room, asking people for their orders with a slightly broken vocabulator.

“You guys need somethin’?” the droid asked, rolling up to them. “Go ahead and take a seat and I’ll be right wit ya.”

“We’re looking for Ar’ekk,” Cassius said, trying to catch the droid before she rolled off again.

The droid stopped for a moment, blanking out. Then, without another word, it rolled away. The air in the diner became notably tense. Cassius looked over to his master. Maybe they should have tried a less direct approach.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Scourge"]

 

[Scourge]

Scourge was busy with his duties when a Rodian approached him. The alien was heaving from running and had to take a moment to catch his breath.

“Boss…” He grunted as his breathing became easier “Someone is asking for Ar’ekk. Something is fishy about them,” Scourge listened as the Rodian rambled on, nodding every now and then.

“Watch the ship for me, i’ll go check ‘em out myself…” Scourge growled and began to make his way towards the dinner.

Scourge walked with purpose as he shoved his way through the Hawks circle. He wondered who could be asking for Ar’ekk. Probably just another dead beat looking for an extension on his loan. Scourge loved it when those types came to the Hawks circle. Saved him the trouble of finding them. He imagined how many fingers he’d break, this time. It was simply what happened when you couldn't make your payments. Simply how things were done on Nar’shadaa. Scourge felt no remorse about it. It was just a job to him and in truth he had done much worse. He reached the bar and spotted the duo, they weren't hard to miss.

Probably the only two unaugmented humans in the bar. Most of the patrons being alien or cyborgs ‘n all. Scourge leaned on the bar for a moment before approaching the pair. He didn't recall them making any loans and they didn't look wealthy enough to make an investment. Scourge shrugged. He supposed the woman was pretty enough, the boy looked like a total welp though… Scourge approached their table and cast his ever present scowl at the pair. “What do you want?” He growled, making it obvious his hand was drifting around his scattergun. He had no time for games, if these newcomers answered honestly and directly they’d find themselves with a few less holes in ‘em. Scourge did not play games, he did not beat around the bush, and he hated waiting.


[member="Cassius Droma"] / [member="Romi Jade"] / [member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ar'ekk had gone to the stripclub he owned called "The Black Diamond" a few minutes after speaking with Scourge by going through a backdoor and was having a few drinks while two beautiful Twi'leks sat on his lap. They dressed provocatively and you could also say they were almost naked, considering the nature of the establishment he owned as well that was disguised as a nightclub to avoid being detected by the local authorities.

To be honest, the territory's security and local law enforcement were bribed a high amount of credits that they wouldn't even snoop around to make any assumptions or regulate the licenses to operate these type of businesses so his preoccupation was minimal. Just a block down was Talath's Diner where Romi, Cassius and Scourge were about to meet each other.

He was sitting on the darkest side of the club with a drink on his hand, trying to stay away from the public spotlight. Dancers and patrons filled the interior in its entirety, thick clouds of smoke and loud music invading your senses straight away once you went inside. He could feel something in the Force, a familiar sensation that he hadn't come around his mind for a while now. Could this be the moment that he had been anticipating? Perhaps, maybe not.

"Put two armed guards by the door and one more outside as well." He said to one of the security staff members inside The Black Diamond in a hushed tone, governing their ear.

Ar'ekk knew something was up and was preparing for the worse.

[member="Scourge"] | [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Her eyebrow rose; curiosity. She looked to her Apprentice and shrugged, "I would've asked the same thing..." she responded, noting the sudden pause and lack of attention the droid gave. Soon her head whipped around the room, she noted the demographics present and had already known them to stand out amongst them.

"However, judging from that reaction...seems like we've struck a nerve. Be cautious..."

She was known to analyze situations quickly, and two and two together; the reaction of the droid did not go unnoticed...

-------------------

At their table, she clung to the edge of her seat. With her legs crossed, she continuously swung her leg back and forth. Her arms were crossed, and her head hung low. Of course given by the initial reaction, she thought it would benefit them to stick around a bit longer before they really started investigating. Someone knew something...and it was likely they would be the ones approached first.

She'd be right when they were approached by...she wasn't sure.

"Ou-" she made note of the fact that she failed to sense him. Her eyes twitched, "Our business is our own..." Her eyes drifted, as she noticed his subtle aggressiveness; his fingers hovered just over his weapon. "I'm sorry but...is there some sort of problem?"

[member="Scourge"] | [member="Cassius Droma"] | @Ar'ekk

 

[Cassius Droma]

They’d taken a seat since the bar had gotten so quiet. Nearly all eyes were on them, and Cassius couldn’t help but feel like something was coming. At least they’d come to the right place, it seemed. Speaking that name anywhere else would have gotten them strange looks, as people wouldn’t have known who it was. He’d made sure to have his back against the wall, so that he could keep a close eye on the rest of the room. No one would be able to make a move without him seeing it.

A rather unusual-looking man approached them, and Cassius squinted slightly as he noticed something was off about him. Everyone else in here he could feel. The Rodian at the bar, the Devaronian in the opposite corner, all of them had some sort of small presence in the Force. This man, though… there was nothing. As if he didn’t exist at all – as if he were some sort of illusion. It wouldn’t be the first time Cassius had encountered such trickery.

Assuming for the time being that the man was real, however, Cassius raised an eyebrow at the man’s threatening posture. Should he have expected anything different? They were on Nar Shaddaa, after all. Cassius put a telekinetic lock on his lightsaber, ready to pull it to himself if need be. The man must not have known that he was speaking to the current Grandmaster of the Jedi Order.

Romi tried to answer vaguely, but Cassius instead spoke up, hoping that his master would not mind him getting to the point. “We’re here to see Ar’ekk,” he said quickly. “We’re friends of his – Romi Jade and Cassius Droma. He’d want to see us.”

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Scourge"] | [member="Ar'ekk"]

 

[Scourge]

Scourge listened to the pair talk. The woman was snide and crass. Scourge would have liked to knock her down a peg, but instead of slapping her like he wanted too he held his hand. The boy spoke and he did so directly. Scourge found this respectable, Cassius’s words seemed Genuine and so Scourge was inclined to listen more. Scourge nodded to the pair.

“Alright, follow me,” He growled and turned to lead the way.

They exited the dinner and walked a block down to the strip club. Scourge spotted Ar’ekk accompanied by a pair of dancers and nodded in his general direction.

“Boss. You got visitors,” The vong said nonchalantly as he approached Ar’ekk’s table.

Scourge motioned for the duo to sit across from the cyborg crime lord. Scourge would remain standing. In the event a fight broke out he’d like to remain mobile...

[member="Cassius Droma"] / [member="Romi Jade"] / @Ar'ekk

 

[Arekk]

The evening was interrupted by the visit of old familiar faces, ones that the young warrior expected to come around the Smuggler's Moon anytime soon. But... how soon? Perhaps a month or even years after they broke contact but certainly he knew they were coming for him at any given moment.

With a whisper on their ears, Ar'ekk told the skimpy Twi'leks to go away so they'd have a more private setting to this meeting. They were in the most quiet and reserved area of the stripclub, with the dancefloor and the bar just a few steps away. Loud obnoxious music continued to ramble throughout the establishment's interior as expected in scummy places like these.

"Predictable."

His defying tone echoed in the room they found themselves into, his arrogance and lust for power had changed the good man they once met entirely. This is what credits and high ambitions did to people who did good. But still... someone kept him from taking the darkest path of the Force.

"I knew you were coming."

[member="Scourge"] | [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

She'd made eye contact with @Ar'ekk when they were guided into the private section of the strip club, just then he'd sent away his companions. She was disappointed, and it showed on her face. She still maintained that skepticism on what would be considered his bodyguard. She preferred the straightforward approach and had nurtured that in her own Padawan, but they were lucky enough to have gotten this far as such dealings on Nar Shaddaa could always take a turn for the worst.

However, she respected the stance [member="Cassius Droma"] took, as this was personal for him if anything.

She took her seat.

A beat.

"Ar'ekk..."

She took a breath, "What is this?" she motioned around with her hands, "What is all of this?"

[member="Scourge"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The man with a mysterious absence of presence in the Force seemed to take his to-the-point attitude to heart, as without much protest, he began to lead them out of the diner and towards another building down the street. Many men were like that - they abhorred those who couldn’t stand up for themselves, and saw them as weak. Cassius wanted to make it absolutely clear that he wasn’t afraid of the circumstances around him, and that he would defend himself if need be.

The strip club was like a lot of places Cassius despised: loud, filled with people, and incredibly annoying. He found it difficult to understand how anyone could concentrate or focus in an environment such as this, but he supposed that was the point. The patrons were supposed to watch the girls, and be relatively anonymous as they did it.

As they came to the table with Ar’ekk, Cassius couldn’t help but take note of the two girls that were flanking him before their arrival. All this opulence, galavanting with the scum of the galaxy… this was not what the Jedi did. Had they truly lost their friend to the wiles of the dark side? If not the dark side, then the cusp of it, the beginnings of temptation?

He certainly wasn’t doing a Jedi’s work, that was for sure. Taking his seat next to his master, Cassius kept his head on a swivel, trying to keep a mental eye on the men around them that possibly had weapons. He let his master do the talking, for now.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Ar'ekk"] | [member="Scourge"]

 

[Arekk]

There was a certain dark aura sorrounding Ar'ekk's persona but whoever tried to channel that would be left confused. A conflict within his heart and mind battled against this darkness, a shed of light in the middle of the abyss. Two familiar faces sat in front of him in a defiant manner through his eyes as if he was blinded by the greed and power obtained through less pragmatic means.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Romi. This is nothing."

With a swift gesture, a group of heavily armed Nikto guards ran to guard the only exit of the establishment. The obnoxious music continued to blast throughout the strip club and its night life continued like nothing happened, all of them sheltered from all that noise and annoying individuals.

"What do you want?"

His glare with bloodshot eyes could tell a thousand stories, his regulated voice sounding more defying by the minute. Ar'ekk wasn't happy with their visit and made sure that feeling was expressed in the best way possible.

[member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Scourge"]

 

[Romi Jade]

"We'd like for you to come back with us...to Deneba."

She'd catch his gaze before he could look away, and her concern would be conveyed genuinely. "The choice i-" she turned as she noticed more bodies gathering in the distance. Their stances being more stiff than any of the other patrons; he had some influence.

"The choice is yours...but you're wasting your potential here. If I have failed you in anyway then I ask for your forgiveness but we're not leaving without you."

She sat back in her seat, crossing her legs and arms. It was obvious that she was not planning on moving unless she were to be moved.

"Tell me...how'd you like to go about this..."

@Ar'ekk | [member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Arekk]

"Go back to Deneba? There's nothing there for me to go back to."

His heart ached when those words were spewed out of his mouth, knowing how wrong he was yet couldn't supress that feeling. Ar'ekk knew that the path he had taken was the wrong one and everything done so far would be lost, including defrauding his family that passed away long ago. Was this what they really wanted to see from him? It was so difficult, so hard to get out of power's grasp...

"I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it."

The man that Cassius and Romi once knew remained inside his body and mind, shreds of who he was showing through the darkness that clouded his vision. Both could see him struggling between both sides, the dark and the light. It was there, clear as ever.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

It was difficult, to see the man he had fought and bled beside to be within the midst of such inner conflict. Cassius was no healer, but if he was, he’d want to reach out with a glowing hand and hopefully fill him with light. All he had were his words, however, and he wasn’t even sure if that would work.

Romi seemed content with staying put until they man came with them – as was Cassius, but unlike his master, he kept a more open stance. Not only did it make him seem more welcoming, but it would also allow him to move at a moment’s notice if need be. The air within the club was starting to become more and more tense. A couple of the patrons were slowly getting up leave, knowing that the increasing amount of firearms on the floor was never a good thing.

“Come back with us, Ar’ekk,” Cassius said, as calmly as he could. “It’s not too late – it’s never too late. There’s still time.” Discreetly, he put a telekinetic lock on his lightsaber at his belt. If all went well, he wouldn’t need it, but he could feel the darkness swirling inside of the masked warrior.

[member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Ar'ekk"]