Private The Long Night [Caedyn]

[Eldin Daine]

Kaal

A well organised gang of smugglers had entered OPA space from unknown regions. The authorities of Isis had contacted the Judges on Bespin to report an attack on the mines, killing miners and the theft of crystals. What the smugglers wanted with the crystals was anyone’s guess, but murder was murder and that was something Eldin could not let go. He had formed a friendship with the Gutretee when OPA first made contacted with them to form a trade partnership for the ore that was abundant on the planet.

Eldin had been tracking the smugglers for weeks, keeping low and out of sight. He had tracked them to Kaal, a tropical planet run by criminals just outside OPA space. It wasn’t the first-time gangs hailing from this place had caused problems for the authorities of the Alliance. It was time to put a stop to it if he could.

Azulalon, the major city of Kaal was a strange place by comparison to the rest of the planet that Eldin had visited. From the outside it looked like any other city with a heavy focus on tourism with all it’s plush resorts. Industry was king here, shipwrights and manufacturing held the economy in good stead and on the surface of it, people were thriving. But like any place with large population, there was an underbelly.

And this was Eldin’s destination.

He left the Rusty Bucket at the starport, check into a middling hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day. Flicked through some brochures on the points of interest, even booked a tour to one of the local attractions. Like, just another tourist. Sometimes this can be mighty handy to find information, the information desk eager to inform him of where to go, where not to go.

The ‘where not to go’ was precisely his port of call.

Evening was approaching, people on the streets heading to dinner or entertainment, all dressed up in finery and happy hearts. Eldin followed the crowd for a while until he turned down a street that would lead him to the seedier side of the tracks on the outskirts of the industrial quarter. The last intel he had received was that the gang of smugglers had a hide out in these parts. But he didn’t have an address.

There were plenty of drinking holes in the quarter, men and women wasting their hard earned over the bar or a gambling table. But this particular establishment held a different attraction. The Emperor’s Palace, ‘entertainment’ of a different kind. Whatever light that was left of the day vanished as he entered the place. The smell of sweat and booze, and through the force, the sensation of forgotten dreams replaced by other more immediate desires. At the end of the Palace tables of people surrounded the dance platform on which scantly clad girls and boys danced for the delight of the patrons. There was something for everyone.

Eldin found a place at the bar, an order of whiskey placed. It was going to be a long night.


Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Azulalon, Capital of Kaal.

Caedyn Arenais had been on the tail of a gang that had been allegedly providing kyber crystals to a rogue group of cultists making trouble for the Silver Jedi across the northern border of their territories. The Concord had seen fit to assemble a strike team to hit the combatants, yet interested in severing the supply at the source, Caedyn had followed up on the leads provided by the lead Shadow that had been tracking them, leading him back to the Planet Kaal upon a rumor that a certain Gang was responsible for their acquisition.

The Emperor’s Palace was a borderline criminal establishment that served all kinds of goods (not just drinks) to it's patrons. For this particular venture, Caedyn had decided that his Spacer Attire would be better fit for this sort of environment least he wish to scare away the suspicious occupants, which admittedly in a place like this, was everyone.

To the Jedi and most other Force Users alike, Kyber crystals were used to power the blades of their Lightsabers; However the crystals had also been utilized by greater weapons of destruction such as the legendary Deathstar of the ancient Galactic Empire, as well as the turbolasers aboard some capital war vessels. The Misuse of such things was what threatened the Galaxy should these valuable artifacts be delivered the less responsible of types, and so it was a Jedi's duty to put a halt to their blackmarket dealings. Known as the heart of the blade, Caedyn personally believed they ought to be respected and treated just as so.

However, as he made his way with a purposefully calm and casual demeanor, whilst scanning the room for any sign of the man in question, the Jedi Knight instead found himself staring upon that of Eldin Daine most unsurprisingly. "Why am I not surprised..." Caedyn muttered under his breath with a wary smile, having met the man in some unusual circumstance previously as well, he should have known that someone the rogue would find his way into Caedyn's path during such an important task.

"Eldin...-Seems nothing is beneath you" Caedyn greeted him with a sarcastic jest.

 

[Eldin Daine]

Eldin nearly choked on his drink as a familiar voice greeted him. He had been sent on a lone mission to track the smugglers, so he was not expecting 'company'. "Ya right nothin's beneath me", he smirked with his play on words. Jedi probably wouldn't get it, they don't know how to have fun. "Plenty of time for that later", his eyes shot toward one of the dancers that had caught his eye, watching her over the top of the rim of his glass.

"What's got ya all the way out here?", he looked Caedyn up and down. "I can't imagine ya here for this", glass gestured toward the 'entertainment', "Or have I got ya pegged all wrong". Yeah what was he doing out here, Silvers were a long way from here, and this Jedi had not been around much of late. Not around his parts.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eldin caught sight of a man entering the place from the back rooms. Could have been anyone of course, but by the looks of him and the weapons he was packing, he was here for business. He slide into a booth with a couple of likely lads, and a table by the wall with two girls distracting some 'fine' gentlemen, suddenly moved to action and stood point around the bar. Something was up. Maybe a deal had gone wrong and it was time for 'payment'. The vibe in the room had shifted alright, thick with tension and now he and his company were in the thick of it, along with the rest of the patrons and staff.

The Jedi was probably feeling it too.

Eldin eyed the bar, made of sturdy stuff and would provide good cover if it came to shots. Mirrors on the ceiling, probably there for further entertainment, but a good way to see what was happening without getting your head blow off. He was scouting the area just a the first shot rang out, and screams began. The smoking gun came from the pretty dancer he had been eyeing. A fire cracker it turns out.

He down the remains of the his glass, no use in wasting good booze, and drew his pistols. "Why can't I just enjoy a good drink and kill some smugglers without all the drama?". A force fueled leap over the bar to cover.


Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Please, I've got a woman waiting on me back home for that sort of thing..." Caedyn shook his head with a half-smirk. Contrary to what Eldin Daine clearly made of Jedi types, Caedyn wasn't the emotionless droid that the Galaxy seemed to believe all Jedi to be. However, the man was certainly correct in believing the establishment to be outside of Cae's comfort zone as the share potential for illegal dealings was higher than the usual company the man would keep.

"I'm here on assignment.." Caedyn said as he took a seat opposite Eldin, keeping his voice quiet so to avoid raising too much attention to their table; "Black market kyber. Leads have brought me here, small time gang making bigger problems back home" the Jedi Knight elaborated whilst looking to the rest of the room. Criminals and low-life's, those down on their luck and forced to lower their values in order to compensate a poor lifestyle, not necessarily by choice but by poverty or provocation from said criminals.

Caedyn however stopped talking, his attention being called away to pick up on a sudden sense of hostility through the echoes within the Force. Someone was about to be hurt, and the fear was palpable. Before the Jedi Knight could say anything, he caught movement in front of him, Eldin reaching for his blaster and rising to his feet.

"Chit, what're you doing?!" Caedyn snapped in alarm before the whole bar went belly up and he was forced to draw his own CS.38 from within his jacket, throwing the table between them onto it's side and falling in behind it for cover. Avoiding the use of his lightsaber, Caedyn had no wish to alert his targets to the fact that the Silver Jedi had become aware of their operation, so instead he was forced to refer to much more simple means.

 

[Eldin Daine]

“Findin’ cover, guest ya do the same”, expecting the Jedi to follow him behind the bar, but he didn’t. Eldin looked up to the mirrors on the ceiling, he could see the pretty dancer waving the gun around in the general direction of the target. Seems he had pissed her off too and whatever she was angry about was disrupting the mission. And it seemed that Jedi lover boy was here for the same reason, theft of crystals.

Damn, his pistols did not have a stun setting, but he had an idea. Looking for the Jedi in the mirrors, he spotted Caedyn behind an upturned table. Now if he could just get his attention …

Laying on his back, Eldin started to wave like a madman at the ceiling mirror, hoping no one else would clock him. But hoped the Jedi would. If Caedyn could stun the women, it would look good in the eyes of the target and they might just get a leg in to speak with the man. Eldin kept waving his arms and pointing the pretty dancer, with little hope the Jedi would understand let alone see him.

Another shot fizzed through the air, this time someone got hit but lucky for the target, but not for his thug. The dead body hit the floor hard and people ran in all directions. Shit.

Eldin stood up, hands in the air and “Hey lady”, he called out to the woman in a calming voice. “Just wanted ta chat”, he opened his palms toward her in submission. The dancer was confused and scared, realising what she had done and what that most probably would mean for her. This was a dangerous situation, especially for Eldin. “Get back, don’t come any closer!”, she screams waving the gun from the target to him and back again, not sure where to look.

“I don’t know why ya shootin’ at the guy but why don’t ya put the gun down. There’s a lota scared folks here, I don’t think ya wanna hurt ‘em”. He edged a few more inches closer to the girl. But she started to unravel, he could sense it through the force and if he had to kill her, he would.


Caedyn Arenais