Not Gone, Merely Marching Far Away

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"] [member="Anija Betna"]

To say that Atiniir Starrider was in a good mood right now was like saying Gamorreans didn't have anger issues. The young mercenary was sitting in a dingy cantina on Nar Shaddaa, drinking a glass of the strong tihaar ale he had heard of was a signature Mandalorian drink. Atiniir had drank before, being on a pirate crew assured that, but this tihaar was something else. Not that it was bad it was just...strong.

Atiniir was about as down in the dumps as you could get. He had expected to come into the Mandalorians and get great training, some cool armor, and really a place where he belonged, but so far he had only completed a single bounty hunting job that only paid a few thousand credits, barely enough to get him more ammo and a ride to Nar Shaddaa. He still had a wampa pelt that he could sell if need be, but he didn't really want to. He had no armor, no training, no clan, and no luck.

So now he was here, trying to drown out his sorrows like a Mandalorian would have. He sat at the bar, guzzling his drink, trying not to fall over with every sip. Man, some Mandalorian he was. He wished for the thousandth time his father was here to teach him. Or even to just tell him what to do. Unfortunately, Atiniir had never known his father. For Pete's sake he didn't even know where his father had died! If he did, he could go there, finally see his father, however dead and gone he may be, and maybe even get the armor that he was sure his father would have left to him.

But, he needed information for that, and right now, he had neither the credits nor conviction to go looking for it.

 

[Brent Warnel]

Nar Shaddaa, as always, was a junkyard. Brent slipped off his helmet and walked into the broken down bar that housed some of the galaxy's worst, including himself. He came to this place only for one reason, it was where he had finally learned some valuable information on the Sith that he had been hunting for most of his adult life, and he kept coming back thinking the same thing would happen again. This place, years ago, had coughed up some old Mandalorian man who helped Brent go after the one man he still hadn't yet caught.

He sat down at the bar and ordered anything Corellian. Not sure why but he loved the taste of the alcohol that came from that planet. He glanced around the establishment that he had come back to time and time again and noticed a newer face at the bar, a young man, not more than a teen, with his head down in his drink looking lost.

Whatever would make someone come this far down into Nar Shaddaa had to have been bad, and for such a young man, that didn't bode well, but it wasn't Brent's place to do anything about it, except maybe buy the man another drink. He looked again at the man, and saw something, he looked...familiar. Brent had never seen him before in his life he was sure of that, but maybe someone he knew?

The old Mando he was just thinking of, this kid looked of his bloodline. He laughed at the odds of running into someone he, in a roundabout way, could say he knew, until he remembered what had happened with that other Mando.

No point on dwelling on it, so he had seen something of a familiar face big deal, he worried about his own drink and pushed the younger man out of his thoughts.


[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]
When the bartender came around to fill up his drink, Atiniir paid the last of his credits for one more round. After all, what else would he use it for? He didn't have any other reason for the money. Once he was done here, he would go out and look at the bounty postings. Maybe he'd find something simple to get him back in the swing. The bartender came back around, checking on everything, and on impulse Atiniir decided there was no harm in trying to get some info for free.

"You ever heard of a man named Kal Starrider?" Atiniir asked the bartender. He saw the man's eyes visibly widen.

"Who wants to know?" the man said, wiping a glass clean with a towel.

"His son you di'kut," Atiniir said using one of the only Mando'a words he knew.

"Yeah, right," the man said, "He used to be a regular here. Can't say what happened, but he don't come around no more."

"Do you know where he went on his last job?" Atiniir asked.

"Nope," the bartender said, walking away. Atiniir stared daggers but kept quiet, returning to his drink. He wondered if anyone else had heard his exchange with the bartender. The last thing he needed was some anti-Mandalorian deciding to take a potshot at him.

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

Brent saw the kid down his drink and fish around in his pockets for what was probably his last credits and order another drink. Once the bartender had poured it, the youth asked about Kal. Whatever else the kid said Brent didn't hear as he squeezed his eyes shut as the images of what had happened on that far away day came hammering to the front of his mind. The screams and death that had happened so long ago never went away, no matter what had transpired since then.

He saw the Sith in his mind over and over again, killing his brother, killing his friends, killing everyone that had went with Brent to find him. That purple jeweled lightsaber hilt flashed over in his mind and he saw the crimson blade as it slashed and danced across his minds eye. Brent shook hs head and finished his drink and got up and slid his helmet on and waited for the audible hiss of it sealing over his armor. He walked over to the kid and set down a few credits in front of him only half in his right mind.

"Don't ask about Starrider in here son, it's bound to draw unwanted attention and nothing good will come from it," Brent told the youth, "Plus Kal isn't around anymore, just leave it at that."

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]
The credits hit the bar in front of Atiniir and he stared at them with slightly bleary eyes. Atiniir had a decent tolerance, but that tihaar was wicked stuff. He looked up and saw a man wearing a helmet and armor. He blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his vision, then scowled.

"You think I don't know that?" he said, "Like I just said, Kal was my father." Atiniir looked down at the freshly poured drink, sipped a bit, then looked up at the man again.

"Did you know him?" he asked.

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

The kid wasn't taking to his alcohol too well, he was drinking some rather strong stuff, and Brent could tell he wasn't himself entirely by the bleary look in his eyes. The kid scowled at him and his tone wasn't friendly, but it wasn't hostile either, it was somewhere in between anger and discouragement.

"I knew Kal yes," Brent told him, "But..."

Brent sighed deeply and sat down next to the youth, taking off his helmet and setting it on the counter in front of him. The bartender noticed and brought another drink over to him. He ran his hand through his hair and starred off as he grabbed the beer that was in front of him and held it with one hand in a firm grip.

"Your father was a good man," Brent said, "He travelled with...well, I guess I should say I travelled with him for quite some time. He helped me with an old issue, but it didn't end how either of us thought it would and neither of us got closure."

Brent took another drink and thought back again on all those old travels with Kal. The man had been an important part of his life for a long time, and it left a void he couldn't fill no matter what he tried. This kid wanted to find his father, and he understood that, but it was going to lead him down a path he probably wouldn't return from. Brent lost his gaze in the bubbles floating up from his glass and wondered what the kid was going to do, what he wanted to know, and Brent wondered how much he had the courage to tell him.

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]
Atiniir was in awe of this man now. He had served with his father? He must know where he died, and that meant he could take Atiniir there! Atiniir pushed his drink aside and swiveled his chair to face the man.

"Look, here's the deal," Atiniir said, "My father's last wish, according to man named Hunter who was with him when he died, was to have me trained as a Mandalorian. My mother didn't take that too well, so she fled the culture. Now, I'm trying to get back to it." Atiniir looked down at his hands. He knew what this man was feeling. Having been a pirate, he knew what it was like to see a friend die.

"I need to find where he died, so I can see him, just once, and maybe get his armor, so I can start walking the road to being what he wanted me to be and not just some common mercenary," he said, looking back up, "Can you help me?"

 

[Brent Warnel]

Brent's hand gripped his glass so hard the thick mug shattered into pieces on the bar. He looked down at the pieces of glass that represented what had happened between him and Kal so many years ago.

"Hunter wasn't with him when he died. Kal had sent him home to get you and your mother, he wanted him to help you grow within the culture and become something. I think, deep down, your father knew that he wasn't going to return when we left. I think he thought we both were going to die, and because of that he must have thought it pointless to tell me where you and your mother were located. He talked about her a lot, and you were still young, but he loved you so much. I looked for Hunter after, I really did, but I never found a trace of him, or you," Brent told the kid as he looked at him, "After a while I gave up, and...I never thought I would see Starrider again. If I would have known anything about you or your mother, I would have come, truly.

"You won't find what you're looking for out there," Brent said pointing in a vague direction away from himself, "If you go after your father's remains, chances are you too might not come back. I can teach some of the ways of Mando'a and how to become one of us. I can take you back to the clans, you can train and fight and belong with us there, isn't that enough?" Brent asked.

But he already knew that answer, the kid was like him when he was that age. When his brother died, he wouldn't let anyone stand in his way, and that had led him here. That had led him to Kal, and to Kal's death, and Brent wasn't ready to sacrifice Kal's son just for some vain glory and a chance to get some Beskar.

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]
The man was correct in assuming that Atiniir would not be swayed. He was cocky and reckless by nature, and the booze didn't help.

"I appreciate the offer," Atiniir said, "And I promise to take you up on it. But I need my father's armor, and I need to see him, even if he's dead and gone. I have nothing of his, you understand? Nothing. Not even a memory. I've lost whatever I did have long ago. My father was a taboo subject when I grew up, and **** it all if anyone is going to keep me from him now. Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." Atiniir stood, put a hand reassuringly on the hilt of his blaster, and stared the man right in the eye. Behind those eyes was more than a thousand years of heritage, going back to when the Mandalorians were even more feared than the Sith. Atiniir had the blood, and all he needed was a chance to prove himself worthy of it.

"All I need is the planet," he said, "Then I'll get a job and scrape together enough credits to rent a shuttle. If you want to come, I'd welcome a vod by my side, but I need to do this. For myself, and my father."

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

Brent saw the kid get amped up, he stood and looked at Brent right in the eyes. He was sure of himself, but he was still young and not experienced enough. Brent stood up as well, he outweighed the youth by at least 40 kilos and towered over him, if the boy thought he was going to intimidate him, he was wrong. If he thought he was going to make Brent respect him for his diligence in trying to go after his father though, he was right on that account.

Brent rememberd what had happend to Kal, and he wouldn't let the same happent to his son. He nodded his head at the youth, "Fine then, we'll do it your way," Brent said as he placed his helmet on his head, "My name is Brent, and yes, I already know yours Atiniir. Don't worry about scraping together enough credits, or a ship, I can get us where we need to go," Brent said as he motioned for the boy to follow him, "But wait till we get to the ship, there's always unfriendly eyes and ears here."

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]h
Atiniir let loose a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He'd been worried that the guy was going to do something drastic, but he was willing to help. That meant that he could get going now, not after a few months. Plus, he'd have a real Mandalorian by his side. Things were looking up.

Atiniir nodded, and followed the man out of the bar.

OOC: You have control of Atiniir until we reach your ship

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

OOC: Ok quick trip to the docks.

The two of them walked out of the dive they had been in and started towards the city proper walking side by side. Brent looked down at the youth beside him, studying him as they moved towards the docks. He moved like his father, so sure of himself, acting like nothing in the world mattered, but vigorously aware of his surroundings. Kal had been with Brent for only a few years, tracking the same Sith that had killed Brent's brother. What Kal had wanted from the Sith, Brent would probably never know, but it had brought them together and they had become close friends until his demise. Brent had been waiting for years trying to find a lead on the Sith again, but nothing had shown. Then one day Kal's son shows up out of nowhere, some would say it was the force, Brent would say it was just dumb luck.

"What did you mean when you said there were eyes and ears back there?" Atiniir asked him.

"I first met your father in that bar, and it was from that bar that we left on our last trip together, I guess we thought where it started it should end, but that turned out to be our downfall. Someone there had tipped off the man that killed Kal that we were on his trail, and he was ready when we found him," Brent told him, "I don't know if it was just dumb luck that someone there knew who we were trying to find, or if they had been following us for a while. Regardless, we have to be careful, I haven't seen hide nor hair of the man since that day, but it never hurts to be cautious."

The boy, (he's a young man now, Brent reminded himself) looked thoughtful before he replied, "I never knew any of the details of what happened, my mother never told me, and Hunter dissapeared soon after my mom took me away."

"Your mother was just trying to protect you, my guess is Hunter told her something that your father told him too, and that's why she fled the clans. We can talk more on the trip there, this is our stop," Brent said as they walked up to the Docks.

The duo made their way into the small rundown facility to docking bay 12 and to Brent's ship, "Get on board and get yourself situated, the crew quarters are aft and there is a refresher back there as well. When you're ready I'll be in the cockpit and we can talk about our next step, there is a thing or two we should talk about first."

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]
Atiniir boarded the ship and made his way to the refresher. He splashed some water onto his face and looked at himself in the mirror. Dang, he would have one heck of a hangover tomorrow. He wiped his face off and made his way to the cockpit.

"So," he said, sliding into the copilot's chair, "Where we headed?"

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

Brent was in the cockpit and had just started prepping the ship for takeoff when Atiniir walked in and sat down, looking almost cheerful. He asked where the were heading, and Brent paused before answering.

"Onderon," he said finally, "Me and your father went to Onderon. We touched down in Iziz and then made our way into the jungles outside of the city, which are full of beasts and other less savory things. We were outside the city when were ambushed, the man we were following was a Sith Lord and he knew we were coming, hence the whole keep it quiet at the bar thing. He caught us unaware in this forest and we fought, but...we weren't ready for him. I...wasn't ready for him, and your father sacrificed himself so I could escape."

Brent looked at Atiniir as he continued, "The Sith we were tracking, he was following in the footsteps of another ancient Sith Lord, a man they called Darth Bane, we found this out and that's how we tracked him there. That Sith killed your father, and he killed my brother when I was younger, and he is still out there. Odds are we won't see him, its been years, but there's always a chance, so be ready."

He pushed a couple buttons on his controls and the ship shuddered as it began its take-off sequence, "I'm sure you're ready to go though, so let's get to it."

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]

"Oya," Atiniir said, remembering the phrase from the little book of Mando'a Hunter had given him. He sat back and waited for the ship to arrive.

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

Onderon. Iziz.

They had arrived, and more importantly, they had landed and in one piece. Onderon hadn't changed much, Brent was sure of that, and that was a good thing. The less change there was, the less likely people were to notice him or his ship.

"Alright, we'll need to rent a speeder and head out of the city. Here's some credits Atiniir, I need you to go and get the speeder and meet me back here in an hour. I'm going to go get some supplies so we don't die out there, because this is going to take some time."

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]
"Roger that," Atiniir said, taking the money. He left the spaceport, and luckily found a speeder rental place right outside. Intended to cater to tourists, no doubt. He jingled the credits in his pocket and began moving amongst the speeders. A fast-talking Rodian came up and started babbling about which one he should rent, but Atiniir paid him no mind. He knew what he wanted, and like any pirate, or Mandalorian, worth his salt, he knew how to get it. He examined each one delicately, shaking his head at ones with missing parts, busted components, or that were just too flashy for going out into the forest. Finally he settled on one.

"This one," he said to the still-babbling Rodian, who was trying to push him towards some sport speeders that looked as if they would fall over as soon as you put your foot on them. The selected speeder was a Gian, of Naboo make, sleek with well-protected engines. It was not armed, but looked tough enough to not need it.

"Are you sure sir?" the Rodian said, "This Czerka here is quite nice..." Atiniir dropped the credits into the salesman's still-waving hand, out of which they were quickly dropped, and jumped into the speeder. The stuttering Rodian gathered up the fallen credits and shouted a few rude comments as Atiniir moved the speeder back to the ship. He sat back to wait for Brent.

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

He let Atiniir get the speeder as he went to get some easy survival supplies, ration and hydration packs and some tools. When he was done buying he had two full duffels that he carried back to the docking bay where Atiniir was already waiting with a good looking speeder.

"Good choice, looks like it'll hold up pretty well," Brent said as a way of greeting as he threw the two duffels into the rear compartment of the speeder, "Here, this is for you."

Brent grabbed a wrapped object and took the cloth off of it and handed it to Atiniir. It was an SAR-20 Compact Blaster Rifle, good for close combat and extremely reliable.

"This guy is as good as it gets in close combat, can punch through just about anything, but don't think about using it for anything other than close quarters," Brent told Atiniir as he handed him the rifle, "Your father's armor was pretty advanced, and that rifle will work pretty darn well with it. Now, grab co-pilot cause I'm driving," Brent said with a smile as he hopped in and waited for Atiniir to get situated.

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Brent Warnel"]

Atiniir smiled as he exited the speeder and took the rifle. It was a beautiful weapon, and Atiniir would carry it well. He jumped obligingly into the co-pilot's seat, the rifle still in his hands, and eagerly got comfortable.

"All right," he said, "Lets do this thing."

 

[Brent Warnel]

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

"The drive will probably take us the better part of the day and night, that's why i grabbed the supplies. The location will be pretty easy to pickup though, there's a small temple like structure in the deep jungle and that's where we will find your father," Brent told Atiniir as he punched the acceleration on the speeder and took off.

He sped through the city and out into the jungle of Onderon, a fresh and exciting feeling coming over him as he experienced nostalgia at the deja vu of this moment that had happened so long ago.