"Mmmm. What was that all about anyway? Just felt like harassing a few bar-goers, a couple by the looks of it, for kicks, and ended up starting a fight? Could have gotten you kicked out of the bar for good, you know. And then where would you find good drink? And where would I see a good looking gal if you weren't around the bar to look at?" He joked, acknowledging her looking him over with a smirk. His eyes diverted from hers a little to look her over, seeing as she'd plopped her legs up on the table. If it were a natural thing, or if he was just doing it as a response to her own ogling, who knows?
To her question, he considered for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"To tell you the truth, I wasn't a slaver hunter at one point. At one point, I just liberated slaves. That's it. I'd hunt down the camps, take out the slavers, free the slaves, get rid of their collars, find them a way off-planet to go back to their homes, and leave. My former military career - as I used to be the Republic's Grand Admiral, trained me, while some outside business ventures and investments allow me to live off them without needing the Republic and without needing to work all that much if I don't want to. If I wished, I could sit at home all day long, make the decisions for the business I run if need be when they're presented, and live on my share of the profits. But that's boring, you know?" He remarked, shrugging. "Gotta do something"
None of that was a lie.
He had refrained from mentioning he was a Force User, or a Jedi Master for that matter, but he truly had been the Republic Grand Admiral. It was a weird election, and he wasn't sure why he had been given the position, but he was indeed at one point a registered member of the Republic Military Corps because of it. Of course, he had given it up when he became Grandmaster in order to dedicate his time 100% to the Jedi Order. His business practices... With his help, they had become a massive success and he racked in quite a bit in terms of credits. He could have retired from Jedi-hood if he wished, lived off the money and stayed home. But like he had said... That would be boring, no? And he still had tons to do as a Jedi, even without The Republic's Jedi Order at his back any longer.
But to continue the story...
"But... The problem was, I kept leaving the slavers alive. I used to pride myself on being as pacifistic as I could in my combat style. I still do, at times. But I would try to go for a non-lethal strike, incapacitate, knock out... That sort of thing. Let them live to re-think their choices, reform and become something great. That... That was the biggest mistake of my life" He would admit, shaking his head, biting his lip. It was difficult to think about. He didn't like saying he failed, or made mistakes. Especially ones as costly as this.
"There was an incident where I left one alive, I met him again at another camp. He knew I wouldn't kill him, but when I went after him, he took a hostage. Used it against me, and then killed the slave hostage without a second thought. Then another incident, where I incapacitated another. He woke up later during the raid, and went after a large cell full of slaves that I hadn't found yet. He tossed a Thermal Detonator into the large cell and.... Well... I think you get the rest. Men, women, children... Nobody survived. And it just kept happening. If I left them alive, they were sore about it, and had no regard for the lives of their slaves. They'd take hostages, they'd go on spiteful rampages and massacre the people I'd come to save. So... My rule has always been to only kill when necessary. They gave me no choice, but to call it necessary. I had to stop sparing them because I realized that there is only evil in the hearts of people who would actually enslave another person like that, as though they were property. They care not for the lives of others. There is no redemption, no reform... I've tried" He admitted, smiling sadly. "I've tried so many times, but they forced my hand. So.. I'm still a slave liberator. But I never leave a slaver alive. And if I find slavers on a planet, hawking their trade, where it's illegal... I generally stop it, without care for if I need to kill them or not. I'm constantly hunting down the camps, hoping to end illegal slavery for good, but to do that, I'm aware that killing every slaver I find is necessary. I wish that wasn't the case, but I've learned that sometimes you have to do things that you hate doing, to save the lives of innocent people"
He smirked faintly. "I sure hope they pay well. As they all wear the same uniform in the camps, I'm sure I've probably killed my share of slave camp guards and bodyguards. To be honest, if you're willing to take a job keeping people from liberating slaves, that were probably kidnapped from their homes like I have seen many times... Well, you're probably not much better then the slavers yourself" He would add, shaking his head. He straightened the outlines on his leather jacket before taking a drink from the glass that Nyx had jacked from the other patron.
"So... Now that you've asked a few questions, why don't I ask you one or two? Why the criminal life? With your charms, and the likelihood you can handle yourself in a scrap if you're so quick to pick a fight... There's plenty more you could do, I'm sure. I've learned that all the credits in the world mean nothing if in the end, you find yourself alone and regretting the things you've done. And trust me... Eventually, everyone does. Not even a Sith is safe from regret" He spoke, with a small smile. "But who am I kidding. A beautiful flower like you will inevitably find someone to settle down with. Let's just hope your line of work doesn't land you any enemies who might cut them down" He added, and then his smile turned bittersweet. "Been there"
He was open and honest about these things. He didn't have much to hide. What was the point in lying to people anyway?
[member="Nyx"]
