We Aim to Misbehave.

[Kaiden Rohn]

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Somewhere, deep in Hutt space, away from prying eyes and ears...​

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It was dark, smelled funny, and was seedier than a farm. In other words, it was Havoc Squad's new meetup.​

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He'd been away. This and that- drowning in the waters of his own self pity and hatred. He'd been a failure- failed his team. Abandoned the banner in which he bled for. He'd flown under a different banner, but faired no better- nor did his team. And they were scattered. Alone, for the most part. Aimless. And they needed their Commander back. They needed their team. So he sent out the signal. It was the oldest method- the direct communication. All he gave was the name of the bar, and the coordinates. The bar itself was dingy. He walked in, glancing this and that way. The neon sign read 'THE SHATTERED ENGINE BAR AND GRILL'. It was a haven for ne'er-do-wells, smugglers, pirates, long-lane shipping pilots- the type that Kaiden fit right in with. The swoop gangs in the corner turned their heads towards him. He was well known in that circuit for having successfully exited one of the bigger gangs on Coruscant. Now, he was a soldier of the Republic- and one of the best. But also, one of their worst. He'd been thrown out of senate meetings, pulled a gun on one senator- but also fought hard for the Republic on many of an occasion. So, he was let off. Besides, most of his command and the people he'd encountered said that he wouldn't last that long. Perhaps he did die a long time ago. But in this galaxy, a lot of people don't stay dead for very long.

He wasn't Doc anymore. He wasn't Papa Rohn. He was Commander Rohn. He had to be. He moved into the back, passing the bartender. The bartender nodded him and slid him the backroom key. Kaiden paid for a meal to be delivered into the room at a later point, and he put another 200 credits to pay for the tab that he was going to ring up- and whoever showed up. So he sat in the room, patiently waiting the arrival of his old comrades, and those who had been interested (and hand-picked by Kaiden) to receive such an invitation. He'd selected the place for it's discretion. Nobody came through here without someone knowing- and everyone knew everyone who someone was. Spies were rare- they were outed. Everyone had a piece of the pie here, criminal pie. The best tasting, but it could go bad in a second. And someone new looking at it was bad for business. Law enforcement was rare- and the crime rate here was actually quite low. Nobody liked pissing on their own house. This was a safe space for criminals and low lifes to interact safely, without prying eyes or ears. Which is how Havoc squad recruited, really.


Kaiden had ventured from the initial idea to recruit dirtbags from within the Republic, to extending a hand outward- to anywhere. And he'd found a select few individuals, ones that showed promise. They didn't need to be nice. They didn't need to be well-behaved. They just had to be able to answer to him. And he was easy enough to fly under- after all, he'd been doing it for a long time now. Kaiden walked into the back room, eyeing it after flicking on the light. He took a seat at the far end of the table, and laid his hands on it. It had been cleaned- at least, as clean as this place defined as 'clean'. But it wasn't filthy, or muddy- or bloody. It was grimy, and it had character. And that's more than Kaiden could ask for in this place. Kaiden checked his person- a jacket. And a sidearm. Not that he expected the Chancellor of the Republic to come in again- but it was always helpful to be prepared.


So Kaiden waited, and smiled as his food was brought in. Waffle fries, a cheap burger, and a beer. He rubbed his hands together, before leaning over, and began to mix the sauces together to create the blend he liked the most. Bar food was the best food- a rule that he'd found universal in all of his travels. Simple, but did it's job. And maybe it wasn't the cleanest. But it always did it's job. And maybe it always wasn't the nicest looking. But it did it's job. And maybe it punched a senator or two in the face. But it did it's job. And maybe it told off the Supreme Chancellor. But it did it's job. And maybe it was a little too into the sauce. But it did it's job. And maybe it had abandonment and grief issues. But it did it's job.


He wiped his mouth, and looked up at the door, patiently waiting to begin.

 

[Kiyron]

Kiyron hefted his bag up over his shoulder, eyeing the place. They were back again. Not that his superiors would be keen on knowing where he was or why for that matter either. But he'd been overdue leave, taken it, and hopped ship to ship in case of any tails. He wouldn't want to bring military snoops here. Not a meeting with Kaiden. That wouldn't go well for anybody, especially anyone prying into the meeting where they weren't invited. He'd had a few long layovers, gotten a massage or two. Asked a few women out on dates. Nothing special happened.

But here was outside this old cantina. He shrugged and strode in, shifting his greasy old leather jacket to hide his side-arm more effectively. No need to draw too much attention by carrying a clearly military handgun. He ignored the people in the main room and headed for the back room where he knew [member="Kaiden Rohn"] would be. And there he was, chowing on a burger. Kiyron smiled. Ah, the good old times again. Just like they were supposed to be.

"Where you been?" He said, throwing his bag in a corner, "Missed you about. Not enough troublemakers in my entire regiment to match you."

He dropped into a seat and kicked it back, throwing his legs up on the table and gestured. "You've seen better days."

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

Kaiden glanced upwards, and grinned at his old friend. He was older now- and he smiled at his comment. Compared to Kaiden, Kiyron was well rested and not dependent on some sort of substance to keep him going through the day.

He glanced up at his old friend, and reached into his jacket. He produced from one of the pockets a neatly-folded document. Documents in paper were rare- whatever Kaiden had, was important. He slid it over to Kiyron, and finished the piece of the burger which he was chewing on.

"These are your official orders for you to relinquish command of the Rogues-" He wiped his mouth and glanced at the Major."And become the second in command of Havoc squad." He spoke bluntly, and straight to the point. Kaiden was a man of business and of purpose, a sharp razor that cut straight to the point.

"I have a sneaking suspicion it won't take much to convince you to take the offer. You don't have to- and I won't hold it against you if you choose not to- but I want to give this to you. You've earned it."

[member="Kiyron"]

 

[Willa Isard]

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Kiyron"]

"Well that doesn't sound very fun." There was a look while she was walking in and the jericho armor was far superior to what she had worn before while the field pistol and smg were on her hips and her anti material on her back. The nightwish dangling from her belt while she had the compacted sonic shotgun on her belt. The Vahla remained still though deactivating the camo on her armored cloak. "Besides ain't no one going to make sure to put you in your place when you get all gung ho crazy."

 

[Kiyron]

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]

Kiyron's eyebrows shot up at the sight of the paper document. Those were old-fashioned, to say the least. Not on Kelchase, at least, but in the rest of the galaxy for sure. He hadn't seen any of those in a long time. He flicked it open, pausing to listen to the summary. He didn't respond right away. Instead, he studied the document, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Give up a high ranking command position with his own regiment, or what was left of it, in exchange for a highly stakes, rough and tumble, position as executive officer of a commando team? Kaiden was right. That was impossible to refuse.

He grinned and sat upright, setting his hands in a fist on the table.

"Well, then, Commander, where do we begin?" He tossed his head back towards the door. "How many we have coming around time?"

He pulled out his datapad and pulled up the word processor. He had to phrase this properly and give the farewell to his soldiers they deserved. They'd followed him through hell a couple times and he didn't want to give the impression of abandoning them. He considered for a moment.

"And I know some in the Rogues we can pull on if we need specific skills or local intelligence." He considered a few more things. "My XO will make a good CO for the Rogues now. They're in good hands."

He turned around [member="Willa Isard"] walked in and shook his head, laughing silently. "Well, hopefully you can keep the rest of us from going gung ho crazy then." He gave a nod of welcome. "Good to have you back."

 

[Edward Blake]

"The hell?"

Blake stopped at the doorway of the bar's backroom, chugging away at a cigar. He eyed up the three individuals in the room, a sense of mild confusion evident on his scarred face. Who were these nerf herders?

Eddie had been dropped a notice, hand delivered, very confidential. He was given the time, place, and that briefing would be on location. No big deal. He had received plenty of assignments like that before.

What he wasn't expecting was a team.

The gruff soldier chuckled, then moved to polish the smiley face button attached to the right lapel of his leather armor. The action was purposely done. Anyone who was anyone in the Galactic Republic's military, no matter what branch, knew who the Comedian was. How well they knew about him, on the other hand, was a different question...

Eddie sneered at the trio assembled before him and said in that deep, slightly mocking tone of his, "You got the wrong assignment, chuba-faces. I don't work with amateurs. Now beat it."

It was a test, of course. He knew they were his partners in whatever they were going to be doing. Concealed military blasters, armor, hell, the way they stood there screamed Republic. Plus, the trio would have never made it past the door if this area was declared a safe zone for a briefing for the karkin' Comedian. He just wanted to see how'd they respond. Blake liked making people tick for two reasons. He was good at it, and it showed what stuff they were made of.

Now lets see what these guys are made of, he thought to himself, dropping a large bag that contained most of his gear and clothes to the floor of the dirty room.
What makes these guys tick?

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Willa Isard"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Edward Blake"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Willa Isard"]

"Then perhaps you should leave, sir, for complaining about conditions is the mark of an amateur and will get you nowhere."

The Chiss walked in behind the idiotic-sounding nah swerr, moving so that she was standing near the wall, between the grumbling gentleman and the trio. Like the other woman present, Dryzl wore the armour given to all Officers of the Grey Watch, short-lived though they had been, and the standard pistol was strapped to her upper thigh -- right-side, so that she may reach it easier.

When she had first received the invitation, the woman had had reservations. Lately, she'd been reflecting on her experiences and had taken note of the fact that the longest job she'd ever held was with a crime lord, and that just lasted a little over a year. Not to mention, the closest thing to a home she had was her Clawcraft. But perhaps now would be the time to find a more permanent place in life? Bounty-hunting was not as difficult as Dryzl had expected, but it definitely didn't pay as well.

Hands clasped primly behind her back, and standing at attention like she did at the Chiss Academy, the blue woman introduced herself. "Erud'ryz'ladre, standing at attention...sir."

 

[Edward Blake]

The Comedian laughed a wheezy sort of chuckle at the Chiss now in front of him, more of an exhalation than an actual laugh.

"You don't know who I am, do you, blueskin? You'd be a lot more respectful if you did."
He was beginning to get mildly upset at the lack or respect shown to him. Had they heard about all the karkin' chit he did? Maybe his info was above their paygrade.
He blew smoke from his cigar right into the alien's face. Blake cocked an eyebrow at her introduction. She seemed too polished. Great. Brass with no experience, or at least that was the impression Eddie got. He procured a flask from his belt, taking a swig before probing.

"Sorry to seem so unprofessional, but I wasn't trained in a classroom, toots. I started killing the enemies of the Republic about the same time you stopped crapping your diapers."

Hopefully she didn't take it too personal. As snarky as it may have sounded, it was true. Blake had seen and done it all. Men, women, children, no one was safe from his blaster and his flamethrower. But, as much as a point as he had, chemistry was important to a team. He grudgingly decided to make amends. After all, he had to work with these clowns.

"Look, maybe we got off on the wrong blaster. I would introduce myself, but my name's kinda classified. Just call me The Comedian. And it looks like I'm here to help you all."


[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Willa Isard"] [member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Willa Isard]

[member="Edward Blake"] [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Kaiden Rohn"]

Her attention went from Rohn to first one only person here that she knew as she took a seat seeing another come in and talk.... Then he talked more and her amusement was there. Taking a small pack from her cloaks pouch to eat while seeing a chiss as the man kept talking going through the rhetoric of being cooler then them or better while her fingers dug in the small bag of nuts and dried berries. She looked up after making a small show of the bag crinkling for effect to show she was preoccupied. "No no please continue I am waiting to be amused or impressed." Her attention went back to the man Rohn as she spoke in a loud whisper. "So when do the flying monkey lizards show up? I could put a mini nuke on their chests and have them be far more intimidating.... Calling it first time they fight a leviathan they wet themselves. Two credits."

 

[Edward Blake]

Blake shrugged his shoulders at the joker making a show of eating.
"Don't hit your head anytime soon. You don't have the brain cells to spare."

He sighed at the atmosphere of the room. So far, he'd seen a smartass and a Chiss who had her military handbook too far up her nose. Fantastic. He could already see the wonderful times coming up already. And what was the deal with no one recognizing him? The button, the huge scar that clefted the right side of his face, he was just screaming Comedian. Were these guys stupid or uninformed of who'd theh be working with?

Blake turned to the man in the center, obviously the leader of this little group. He raised his hands in a mocking gesture of exasperation and said, "This is just nice and dandy. I'm assuming you know who I am. I'm assuming you also know that, if I were in a bad mood, this joker would look like Mustafar right now."
At this, he pointed to [member="Willa Isard"] and then looked at her directly.

"Two can play the 'I'm a badass' game. Problem is, you're gonna lose, cuz I'm kinda the real deal."

Humble as usual.

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kiyron]

Kiyron raised an eyebrow at the show that was in the room now. Oh, the Comedian. Wonderful. He knew him, all right, and had decided not to transfer him to the Rogues for this reason. He swiveled the chair around to face them and stood, arms crossed for a moment before standing to attention and returning the salute. He spoke first [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"], "Welcome to the team. Commander Rohn will start this shortly, I have no doubt, depending on the burger." He pointed a chair if she wanted one.

He turned back to [member="Edward Blake"], "The Comedian, yes? Edward Blake, isn't it? Coruscaunt street tough turned mercenary turned Republic soldier. Am I right on those accounts?" He paused, considering the man. Kiyron had spent enough time with RSFU and then GRIM to know many of the profiles of the Republic's... less savory soldiers. He'd looked for recruits and requested transfers. "If you're done cementing your machismo, anyways. We have business to get down to and not enough time for boasting. Please, take a seat." He gestured to an open chair. [member="Willa Isard"] could certainly handle her own when it came to Blake's boasting. He gave her another nod as well.

 

[Edward Blake]

Blake raised his hands up, sneering.
"Bingo. Right on the money. Look at that, a whole file on me. I feel so honored."
He took a seat, flooding the room with the smoke of his cigar.
"I wasn't boasting, just stating my credentials. It's just that you all seem a bit too civilized and proper for a team I'd be on. No hard feelings, guys." The Comedian raised his flask in a parody of a toast, then took a long swig. More of a chug actually.

Classy, as usual.
[member="Kiyron"] [member="Willa Isard"] [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] [member="Kaiden Rohn"]

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

Kaiden watched, intently. He listened as [member="Edward Blake"] spoke, before leaning back in his chair. He crossed his arms, before leaning his chin slightly upwards. It was now clear to everyone in the room that Kaiden was resuming control of the conversation. After all, it was his team."Shut the hell up, Blake before I make sure you never boast about anything again. As far as I'm concerned, you don't rate and you have nothing to boast about. You are going to earn everything on this team- nothing will be given to you. You insult any of my squad again, I'll make you disappear."Flat out told him what he felt like- Commander Rohn didn't have time to play around, nor be played with. Blake could test the waters somewhere else- everyone here was qualified. Blake just so happened to maybe fit the bill, but all in all, he was on thin ice and would have to prove his worth or face the axe.

His eyes flickered to [member="Willa Isard"]. He put the two finger point that he usually did at her, indicating that she should have known better than to have antagonized with him and fed his overrated ego. He was slightly disappointed in the way she acted, but she probably already knew that. Willa was a good soldier, and a better friend to Kaiden- but she still was imperfect, just like him. [member="Kiyron"] was business as usual- kid was more square than an Moross crusade fanatic. [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"], caught his attention. He hadn't encountered many Chiss before, and she was a special case. He wanted to know her deal.

So he asked.


"Please, tell me something about yourself, Miss."

 

[Edward Blake]

The Comedian shook his head, about to say something, but stopped himself. Oh boy. That took a lot of effort. He kept himself occupied for the moment by smoking and drinking. He appeared disgruntled, but the alcohol began to ebb his anger and shrink his ENORMOUS ego.

Well, he guessed he could observe. Believe it or not, Blake was pretty intelligent. So he sat there, awkwardly scratching the side of his head, disturbing the greying hair that was absorbing more of his head everyday.

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Kiyron"] [member="Willa Isard"] [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Kaiden Rohn"] [member="Edward Blake"] [member=Kiyron] [member="Willa Isard"]

Blueskin? Certainly not the most derogatory term she'd heard in regards to her race, but really? That was the best he could do? If she were any other individual, the Chiss would send back quite a few words in response, particularly the words "Ignorant fool", "morco vir" (though really, that was only an insult to other Chiss), and many others. But, she was Erud'ryz'ladre, the exact opposite of that buffoon. Thus, she deemed it best to not respond, only giving him a reproachful look. To be the better person, and all that.

Oh! And it appeared this buffoon had a name. A few, in fact -- "The Comedian", which then changed to "Edward Blake". A civilized name for an uncivilized nah swerr. Ah, well. It wasn't like she'd heard of either.

Her red eyes, formerly focused on the exchange going on between the majority of the humans, now went to the man in charge. "Of course, sir."

Her mind quickly gathered up her mental resume, and she gave a brief synopsis of her history. "I graduated from the Chiss Military Academy, worked as a bodyguard across the galaxy--" A heartbeat-- "including the prior Red Ravens president, Mr. [member="Cryax Bane"]. I then joined the Grey Watch for a brief stint before switching to short-term bounty hunting. And now I am here." Dryzl gave a ghostling of a wry smile, which vanished as quickly as it appeared. "But you probably knew all of that already, sir."

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

"You will find that I hold no love for the Red Ravens. And what exactly can you do for me?"He crossed his hands and leaned forward on the table, observing the Chiss woman. She gave impressive credentials, but her resume was lacking meat. Truthfully, Kaiden was aware of what this woman did, but not particularly what she could do. [member="Kiyron"] was an excellent sniper, and [member="Willa Isard"] was basically a ghost. He wanted to know the skillset of the Chiss, and how (and if) it could be applied to the squad. [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] was now in for a very serious job interview.

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Kaiden Rohn"]

"Not many people do, sir."

He was issuing a challenge to her, almost. Make yourself useful to the nth degree. It was almost like being back at the Academy-- no, it was like being back at the Academy.

Make yourself useful.

"But Mr. Bane and I parted on good terms, and that, I am certain, still holds true. Thus, in the future, it may be useful to have, ah, a criminal contact."

She paused, thinking. Was that really all she had to offer? Everyone present possibly had loads of criminal contacts, and she was just offering up the former Red Ravens leader? Even if, according to contemporary news, he was now a slicer for the Sith.

"I am proficient enough with blasters and piloting to hit what I need to hit, and avoid what I need to avoid." What now, what now? Dryzl rarely bragged about her skills; it wasn't in her nature, and she found it distasteful. And yet, it now seemed like that's exactly what she needed to do.

"As for strategy and defense, I may very well be one of the best individuals to refer to." No, no, no. This tactic wasn't working. Time to change gears.

The Chiss hardened her gaze, deciding to be blunt. "I am a rookie. Compared to everyone in this room, I am a rookie. I have never seen true combat, as I have always participated in defensive roles. The most experience I have is protecting people from harm, but that is what I come to offer. A defensive role to an offensive team."

Bluntness to executive personnel always worked in her favour before. Perhaps it would work now.

 

[Kaiden Rohn]

Kaiden didn't express any other emotion besides a furrowed brow when [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] spoke about herself. He tapped his fingers together, but gave no indication of anything one way or the other. His eyes flickered over to his trusted friends and comrades, shifting between [member="Kiyron"] and [member="Willa Isard"]. He leaned back in his chair, and folded his hands on his stomach.


"This decision is not alone in mine to make. Havoc Squad works as a team, and I'll defer your enlistment into it to my comrades. Willa, I'll respect your judgement, and Kiyron- since you're now my XO, I want you to make this call. I've made my decision already, but I want to hear what you both think."

Kaiden didn't look back at Erud, and his focus was solely on Willa and Kiyron.

 

[Willa Isard]

Willa was sitting there as she continued to listen to them, a smirk on her face hearing more while taking another bite until she got into a better seat listening the chiss talk about her skills as she flicked her eyes to the other two. her opinion was the girl seemed to green. Which meant she could be trained and moving back into a seat she sat there. "Well we could train her somewhat, never know but a pilot is always good to have."

 

[Kiyron]

Kiyron steepled his fingers together, tapping them as he considered from his seat. Havoc was not a good place for rookies. That was the nice way to say it. It was impossible to tell how one would respond in combat until tested in combat. Training could only do so much to prepare for that. But, Chiss training was excellent, from what he understood. He didn't know a lot about them, save their reputation. That one was hard to beat, as far as military proficiency was concerned. He unlaced his fingers and leaned forward, phrasing the question carefully.

"If we bring you on, will you stick with the team, even knowing we'll be throwing you into the most grueling training regimens in the Republic?" He considered for another moment, turning this conversation over in his head and looking at from various directions, "And then we'll be trusting you in some of the most intense missions anyone in the Republic has faced?"

They weren't quite a normal special operations team. More was expected from those who carried the Havoc colors. Not just in skills, but in sacrifice and responsibility. They were the ones most soldiers wished would be nearby to get them out of trouble, almost like a Jedi. "And when you referred to strategy and defense, what were you referring to? Battlefield tactics or much larger strategies?"