One Flameout, Two Flameout, Three Flameout, Floor

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex Skyreaper stepped into the Cantina with a big smile and a bigger thirst. The five foot ten man wore a crimson red t-shirt with black utility pants and boots with a standard issue blaster in a holster on his hip. Drex never knew when he got time to kick back so he tried to take advantage of it every time he could.

Stepping up to the bar Drex winked at the Twilek bartender running a hand over his hair.


"How about a Flameout beautiful?"

 

[Tel Rhan]

The merc walked into the bar, visibly drunk and depressed. Immediatly setting himself down he demanded a full bottle of ale. Minutes later a young woman came out with his ale and a shot glass. The dismal look in his eyes told the waitress the shot glass wouldn't be necessary. No sooner did he uncork the bottle was a full quarter of the bottle gone. The merc took it in stride, feeling invincible to the effects of the alcohol. He had trained his body to take such abuse by now.

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex watched the man already tripping over himself drunk demand a bottle of ale and try to down the whole bottle in a single swig getting only about a quarter of it drunk. Drex chuckled to himself winking to the Twilek as he downed the Flameout she set down in front of him.

"Well somebody has been burning it at both ends." "Reminds me of this time on the Smuggler's moon."

Drex swallowed hard as the Flameout took effect before ordering another turning to look at [member="Tel Rhan"] to see what the man did next.

 

[Tel Rhan]

The merc took another swill, reducing the bottle down around half. Deciding this was drunk enough for now, he got up and began looking for something to do. Not a moment after he got up did a poor patron attempt to sneak a sip of his own. The merc turned around instinctively and slammed a large knife next to the patron's hand, which grasped the bottle loosely. Freezing on the spot the patron retreated into a corner. Checking his datapad he mumbled something about Rhen Var to himself. Deciding that there was nothing good on the datapad to read, and no one worthwhile to talk to over it, he turned to see the young man with the Twi'Lek. Smiling he came over slowly and whispered in his ear, and though drunk his speech was clear. "You look like a guy who can get things done. Am I right?"

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex watches the man continue to drink with a smirk downing a the second Flameout himself wondering how entertaining the man was going to be. Drex actually smirked when a nearby patron tried to take advantage of the man's drunken state jumping at the sound of the blade slamming into the table.

When the man approached him Drex would smile with a tilt of his head as a form of greeting without speaking his hand hovering over the blaster on his hip just encase.

"What makes you say that friend?" "The fact I am not falling down drunk, the fact that I am smart enough to pay attention to the one person causing the most ruckus, or simply because you could not think of any other way to break the ice with someone you don't know."

The smile on Drex's face made it difficult to determine whether Drex was being serious or making a joke but his hand would stay close to his blaster until given a clear reason to use it or prove it was not needed.


[member="Tel Rhan"]

 

[Sero Valrel]

Sero entered the bar quietly, he had dressed himself pretty plainly today, he had on his tan combat boots and a pair of black cargo pants with a long sleeve white tee-shirt and a light black jacket over the top. It had been a long last few weeks and he was in need of some refreshment, he crossed the room careful to not draw to much attention to him. He was tired and not in the mood for confrontation, he sat at the bar near two gentleman who were in the midst of hushed conversation and silently looked over his credits while he waited for the bartender to notice him.

When the Twi’lek finally made her way over to him Sero ordered the cheapest beer available, saying the last few weeks had been rough was an understatement. He had made a killing on the pod races but had managed to lose it all and more and hadn’t been able to find a job either, if he didn’t earn some credits and pay back the people he owed soon he would the one with the price on his head if he didn’t have one already.

The bartender came back with Sero’s beer and visibly winced as she for the first time noticed the gruesome scar on Sero’s face. He took it in stride, she was more polite than many beings were when they first took notice of his face. He took a sip of his beer and made and grimaced. By the force was that a piss-poor beer, but he could afford it so on he drank.

[member="Drex Skyreaper"]
[member="Tel Rhan"]

 

[Tel Rhan]

"There's no need for that." Tel said darting his eyes to Drex's blaster. "I just need a man who might know a little more about things.... I mean.... I must not be coming off right. The name is Tel Rhan. I'm a small time merc working with The Black Sun. But lately I haven't been making much in the way of credits, and after I lost my ship to raiders and several botched jobs, I'm looking for a big break. Now from the looks of you, your not a force sensitive sith right? Well even so you must hear some things from your force sensitive superiors. Well I just came back from Rhen Var after a fruitless search for some kind of Jedi crystal thing or whatever and I heard the sith are looking for something like that to. Now I know you sith are hard to bribe, but think of it this way.... #1; I'm no friend of the republic either. #2; I'm open to splitting the hefty profit. Besides, the Sith will pay big money for that kind of stuff if we still it from the Jedi.

His eyes darted back near his table where he saw [member="Sero Valrel"]. "How about you big guy? You open to a heavy job?"

[member="Drex Skyreaper"]

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Dex's blaster hand slides slightly away from his blaster resting on his hip still not ready to let his guard down.

Drex smirked. [member="Tel Rhan"]

"I am a soldier nothing more and nothing less." "Allow me to give you two pieces of advice that I know you didn't ask for but I am feeling generous." "First learn to spot a Sith it will save you some time and save your life." "They are an emotional bunch and easy to anger."

"Second and most importantly meddling in force artifacts is a dangerous game." "If the artifacts themselves don't twist you all kinds of ways you run the risk of crossing a bunch of Force user." "Best case the Jedi catch yo0u and only toss you in jail until your grandchildren are dead." "Worse case the Sith catch you." "Have you ever been electrocuted, been choked unconscious?" "Trust it is not a fun sight and even worse if you are on the receiving end." "Not to mention the torture, experiments, and other pleasantries Sith like to do." "Piss one of especially and they send Reapers to wipe out your entire family." "Not just the men but the women and children too."

Drex turns and orders another Flameout before continuing.

"Do yourself and your fellow mercs a favor and leave the Sith alone." "You seem like a nice enough guy and I would really hate to have to meet you outside of a friendly setting." "Sit down have a drink." "I only work with my Legion mates and never has a merc."

Drex turned looking at the big guy [member="Sero Valrel"] that came in with a small smile motioning the Twilek bartender over.

"Hey beautiful get him something better than the standard swill." "Send him a Flameout it should give a good kick."

 

[Sero Valrel]

Sero took another swig from his beer as the two men near him continued their conversation almost oblivious to his presence, the one man who seemed from Sero’s point of view to be the more inebriated of the two seemed to be telling the other his whole life story, His affiliation with the black sun, his falling on hard times, but the part that peaked Sero’s interest was when he mentioned a job. Well more a suicide mission than a job, he wanted help scouring that frozen hell-hole Rhen Var for a force artifact, an apparently hotly contested artifact. So if the search didn’t kill you, the Sith or the JedI would.

The other man seemed to have the same idea and shot him down. Sero on the other hand was interested but he never heard what kind of credits he would pull for a job like that, he didn’t know if he could even trust this stranger who was now offering the job to Sero. He went to answer just as the bartender set a drink down next to him, he tried to explain to her that he didn’t order the drink when she pointed at Drex and said it came from him. Sero had no idea what to make of that, why would he be sent a drink from a stranger, what did the man want? He may as well go and find out, It would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?

Sero grabbed the flameout, got out of seat standing his full height and showing off his rather impressive size and walked to go stand near the two gentlemen.

“depends on how much that ‘heavy job’ pays me, friend.” he said addressing [member="Tel Rhan"]

“Thanks for the drink, mate, can I ask what I did to deserve it?” he questioned [member="Drex Skyreaper"] still not sure of the man’s intentions and not at all trustful and that distrust clearly seeped into the question.

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex smiled and simply traced a line on his own face that would match the location of the scar on Sero's face.

"You looked like the type of man who deserved something better than the standard swill they serve in places like this." "Easy with Flameouts though they tend to kick twice."

"I am Drex and I would be very interested in hearing about how you got that trophy." "I always like a good story."

It was clear Drex was asking about the scar in a manner that showed a hint of respect at how one would have gotten such a mark.

[member="Sero Valrel"]

 

[Sero Valrel]

Ah. There it was. The scar, it drew an ire of disgust from most but also a modicum of respect from others it seemed he had the latter from this man, Drex as it turned out. He wanted to hear the tale of how Sero became the handsome devil that he is, he could oblige it was the least he could do after the free drink. Sero took a swig from the flameout and held back a cough.

“trophies are earned friend. This…” he traced his finger across the scar “…This was a gift.” Sero had gotten his scar in a training incident with another young man when he was a gladiator, he was 15 years old and had almost died. The scar was a terrible sight to behold but it did wonders for him in the arena as a tool of intimidation and a reason for his popularity.

“I got this in the fighting pits of Geonosis. The tale is not so impressive, like most scars it came bout by being on the wrong end of a blade, I was a young man and was coming off of my third kill in the arena, high on my own supply, if you will I got a bit cocky and challenged another at my ludus, some Zabraki boy, to a fight with real blades. He was better than I was it turns out and he made sure I’d never forget it.”

Sero finished his drink and held down yet another cough.

[member="Drex Skyreaper"]

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex nodded with a smile listening to the story.

"Ah yes that is usually how those stories go." "A mix of daring with some hubris as well." "So an arena gladiator?" "I once knew a man who charged fearlessly towards a Jedi Knight wielding twin sabers." "It ended very much like your story accept with a fairly large X permanently carved into his chest."

Drex chuckled.

"Would you like to know who that man was?"

[member="Sero Valrel"]

 

[Sero Valrel]

“Aye, I was a gladiator. ‘Titus‘ is what they called me, I was damn good to, as you can tell by my standing here. I can’t say that I care very much, friend. Some fool most like.”

there he went again saying the first thing that came to his mind, Sero should have been more polite to the man.

[member="Drex Skyreaper"]

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex laughed.

"Yes some would call it foolish and others would call it duty." "It all depends on your outlook." "That and what it is you live for." "That man was my father." "While it was not what most would willingly do he was a man of principle." "A man not afraid to do what it took for his men in the name of duty and in the name of his brothers."

"A Soldier is not just a singular individual." "He is part of a family, part of a code." "He puts his life on the line not for pride, not for glory, and not for profit." "He does so for the man beside him and that man does the same for him."

Drex smiles.

"Did you have a friend, a brother in the arena like that?"

[member="Sero Valrel"]

 

[Sero Valrel]

“No, I had friends sure, but I mean we all pretty much had a death sentence it was hard to get to close to anyone.” Sero had been fairly close to another gladiator and Twi’lek named Vurs but like most gladiators the man met his fate after that Sero sort of kept the other warriors at a distance. Sero did how ever understand what the man meant about duty and loyalty.

“I, take it you’re a soldier? My parents were soldiers.” Sero's parents had in the short time they were together instilled in him a sense of duty and order and that may have been what led him to be so skilled in the arena that ability to listen to his instructors and to trust them. his dedication to improve he could also credit that to his mother and father, before he had been taken as a slave Sero had always thought he would become a soldier for the republic like his mother and father.

 

[Tel Rhan]

Rhan, who had been silent for a long time listening in; began a story of his own.

"I was born on Nar Shadda 37 years ago. When I was 9 my parents abandoned me to the streets, they were running from Cartel. I had to grow up on the streets. It hardened me, made me who I am today. When I was 15, I killed a small-time bounty hunter in a skirmish over a bet. When I was 23 I joined The Black Sun and started mercenary work. I've got plenty of trophies of my own." Reaching into his bag he pulled out a blaster pistol. "This is a Zabrak model pistol. My first bounty, nothing spectacular. Just a merchant with too many debts."

Then he pulled out a blaster of much better design. "This is a design I'd think you'd recognize [member="Drex Skyreaper"]. Sith Assassin Pistol; carried by assassins and officers. The Sith put out a bounty against a couple traitors within the elite rank. They were selling sensitive info for easy credits." Pulling off an arm guard from his armor he showed a nasty scar running down his elbow. He gave me this in return for the pistol. It was well worth it though, cause his vibroblade works like a charm.

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex nods to [member="Sero Valrel"].

"I followed in my father's foot steps." "I was instantly hooked from an early age as he first taught me to shoot and then when I got to meet his squadmates." "Let's just say I instantly and more than my fair share of Uncles." "We all became like one big family." "It helped shape the person I am today."

Drex smiled to the man.

"Every day we wake up in this life is a death sentence." "Where simply the colors you wear or the emblem on your shoulder marks you as a wanted enemy." "My problem is my mark covers my whole chest." "It is the emblem of the 214th Legion, the Crimson Reapers." "Every member of my squad is my brother, my uncle, my son." "The training is harsh but fair." "For a man with your background I am sure you would manage without much trouble if it is something that interests you." "While Sith have been known to enslave people and even sentence people to death one thing respected above all is strength."


Drex turns to [member="Tel Rhan"].

"A common story outside of the Core worlds." "I am not one for taking trinkets but I guess you have to get your kit where ever you can get it." "Personally everything I have is issued by the Army except for my Sniper Rifle." "That was acquired at great expense."

Drex laughs.

"I am still trying to pay that bad boy off but it is my baby." "I take it you enjoy the life of a hunter?"

 

[Sero Valrel]

Become a soldier? A Sith soldier at that. Was that really the life Sero wanted? Could it be an worse than the life he had? It would give him a steady stream of credits, a home, a family but it would to give him a death mark, joining one side automatically put you at odds with the others but Sero had to admit this opportunity to go straight seemed right. He didn’t know what the Sith stood for or what he would then stand for but in the end what did that matter? It was a job, obey your masters and love your brothers. Sero already knew he could obey, the more he thought about it the more his mind was made up.

“When do we start?”

[member="Drex Skyreaper"]

 

[Drex Skyreaper]

Drex smiled.

"Report to HQ on Coruscant and I will handle the paperwork." "Let's say what a week to get your affairs in order."


Drex pulls out a sheet flimsy with the necessary information on it.

"Until then how about we get another drink and not worry about the prospects of being dead tomorrow."

Drex orders two more Flameouts.

[member="Sero Valrel"]