Knights of the Old Republic: Rise of the Reavers

[Hotfoot]

Having just relieved Marcus of a few credits, Zyke listened in on the conversation Trys had with her uncle. He smiled at the closing comment. "A good thing I get by with by raw charisma and rugged good looks. Otherwise you might have to disregard your uncle's advice," He slid in close and whispered in her ear. "Of course if I was such a pretty boy, I'd have all sorts of compelling arguments to make, especially with a ship about to empty of its crew..." A devilish grin grew on his horned face as he slipped into the second seat of the cockpit.

[frigidmagi]

Dewaddki was prone to greed as only a sapient raised in the tail end of a poor family can be. He was also however, smart and basically good hearted like most Wookies. His first stop was a certain interplanetary bank where he dropped off a part of his earnings in a saving account, sent another part home to Mom and took a good chunk of his pay off to party.

As he wondered about he picked at bar pretty much at random, after all if it wasn't any good, there were others...

[LadyTevar]

"You forgot a damned good pilot and very skilled at handling balky machinery," Trys teased back, trying not to show the thrill the idea of an empty ship gave her as she turned to look at him.

No, he wasn't a pretty boy to most humans, with his coloring, horns, and facial tattoos, but he had a great sense of humor, talented hands, and vast imagination. "However, you'll have to feed me first. Can't hit hyperspace without proper fueling, after all," Trys said, leaning forward to run fingers over his horns. "I know a great little bar & grill not far from here..."

[Hotfoot]

Zyke gave a low chuckle and glanced at Trys as she ran her fingers over his horns. "Well, I see your powers of negotiation are just as honed as ever. Okay, Marcus is paying." He smiled and patted a pocket that he usually reserved for winnings. "So, what are you craving today?"

[LadyTevar]

"What bet did he lose this time?" Trys asked with a laugh, getting to her feet and teasing tugging one of Zeke's horns to get him to follow. "And if it's enough, you might be able to get me happily drunk and willing to try new things."

[Hotfoot]

"Oh, just a few hands of Pazaak, don't worry, I left him enough to go shopping for whatever Mandalorians shop for. You know, guns, armor, giant death machines. Leave us to nice meals and drinks at a nice little place in the center of the galaxy," He smiled as he got up and followed Trys out of the ship. "As for new things, well, I guess we'll have to see what we see, hm?"

[LadyTevar]

Coruscant was not the traditional 'city for lovers' in the galaxy, but for a young Corellian and Zabrak walking the elevated streets around this minor spaceport, it worked. They finally found the place Trys was looking for, a small bar/grill serving Corellian food.

The smell coming out of the door was enough to convince Trys of the authenticity. "Here, this is the one I heard about," she said, pulling Zeke inside. Like many small cantinas, they had to take a moment once inside to let their eyes adjust to a dimmer light, before looking around for an empty table.

[Agent Fisher]

Kel's food had just arrived, along with his ale. Using his utensils, he took a bite out of the smoked nerf. He smiled softly, just like home.

A shadow moved out of the corner of his eye and he glanced towards the door. A Zabrak, and a human. Once the door behind them had closed, Kel was able to see them more clearly. His eyes went wide. "No way." He said, then lifted his head.

"Trys?!" He called out, standing from the bar.

[LadyTevar]

People calling her by name was unusual, so Trys automatically looked over in that direction, trusting Zyke to be armed with something small and discrete just in case.

A grey-haired man with a youngish face... waitasecond... I know that ... "Kelran? Kelran Braka?" she said, surprised, before grinning widely. "Now what would a CorSec officer be doing here on Coruscant? I paid those parking fines, you know."

[Agent Fisher]

He laughed softly, walking towards her.

"Good to see you to, Trys." He said. "And I don't know what a CorSec officer would be doing here, I'm not one anymore." He said, his smile faltering at that before returning to his face. "And I figured it'd be speeding and reckless flying fines, not parking." He teased back.

[LadyTevar]

"Not in CorSec? What, they found out about the trick you pulled for Graduation?" she teased, reaching out and hugging Kelran.., and he knew the moment she felt the metal under his jacket. She stiffened, pulling back from the hug to look up at his face.

"What the Frell did you do to yourself, Cousin?!"

[Agent Fisher]

He frowned. "We haven't talked in a couple years, Trys, things happen." He said. "How about we get a table and I'll tell you." He said, returning to the bar, grabbing his plate and drink before grabbing an empty table, waiting for Trys and the Zabrak to sit.

He held up his left arm, showing the metal hand sticking out of the sleeve. "Lost my arm serving a warrant." He said before taking a sip of his ale. "CorSec gave me a replacement, but I took a severance deal, used what money I had saved up and what I got from the deal, purchased a ship and just bummed around. Neilus sends me a few jobs every now and then, probably cause he feels sorry for me." He said.

[LadyTevar]

Trys followed Kel, belatedly making introductions. "Zyke, this is Kelran, who did his best to keep his 'baby cousin' out of trouble while in school. Kel, this is Zyke Sana, my co-pilot and a third of my crew." She didn't add that Zyke was also her lover. Some Corellians had problems with cross-species pairings, and though she thought Kel wasn't one of them, she was going to be a bit discrete.

The way they'd been holding hands when they entered the cantina would be a huge clue though. Even now, there was a give-away closeness to how Trys and Zyke stood together. "Uncle Neilus sends me a few jobs now and then as well," Trys added casually, referring to the mutual family friend as she'd done since she was barely able to talk.

[Agent Fisher]

He nodded. "Nice to meet you, Zyke." He said, keeping a smile on his face. He had noticed the hand holding and how they were standing together. The Corellian decided he'd ask her about it later.

"So, it's been, what, two years since I last saw you? How's the Sunrise? I remember helping you get it fixed up when you bought it. Do anything interesting lately?"

[LadyTevar]

The 'do anything interesting' comment had Trys slipping Zyke a look before answering. "Just passenger and cargo trips, mostly," Trys lied.

[Agent Fisher]

Kel grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Trys, I know you. And I know 'uncle' Neilus. And I'm not CorSec anymore, haven't been for getting close to two years now." He chuckled, taking a bit of his nerf. "I'm sure the 'just passenger and cargo trips' were interesting.

[Hotfoot]

Zyke smiled, playing the part of the happy crewman who was on very good terms with his captain. "Good to meet you, Kelran, and yes, we always find something interesting to do. Plenty of planets still turned upside down from the last several conflicts. So, you two went to school together? You'll have to tell me all about that." Information was always a good thing, and the more information he had about a former police officer who seemed to know Trys very well would only be helpful in this situation, especially if drinks came into the picture.

[LadyTevar]

"Drop the act, Zyke... Kel knows when I'm lying," Trys sighed, sitting down next to the Zabrak familiarly. "Just don't ask any further, Kel, ok? Lets just say I owe Uncle a few more trips before the Sunrise is paid off."

But, it was time to deflect the tales away from her misadventures in school. "So what ship are you flying?" That was a good, safe question that should have Zyke talking shop for a while. Trys really didnt' want Kela nd Zyke talking about her. Too much Blackmail, from both sides.

[Agent Fisher]

He nodded. "I know what sort of things Uncle has one do." Kel said.

Kel noticed the deflection, but kept quiet for now. He laughed at her question. "I don't think you can call it a ship. An old G-Type Shuttle. Bought it used for fifteen thousand. Gets me from one port to another."

[Cynical Cat]

Brianna frowned. "They will come soon enough. Too soon. The Republic has been battered by war after war. Systems have been severed from its body, worlds have suffered severe economic and environmental damage, and the treasury is drained. Remnants of the Sith have scattered across the galaxy and joined with pirate bands and criminal syndicates. Would be tyrants and opportunists work to further degrade the Republic so they can step into the power vacuum. There are a hundred would be Xims out there and so few Jedi."

[Charon]

Riv nodded slowly, solemnly, before he glanced up and saw the waiting Hortek. He looked to Brianna and then nudged his head towards Asarak.

"I believe that another student is looking for a lesson, master."

[Cynical Cat]

"When he wishes to speak, I will answer," replied Brianna.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Taking that as his cue, Asarak approached.

"As the Master said, we are not in a position of sufficient strength to combat the threats the Republic faces. Neither is the Republic. I would propose that it will be easier for us to recover from the last two wars than the Republic's military and industrial base, given sufficient recruits. The best way to realize this, is through Study and Practice. Unless there is an error in my assessment."

[LadyTevar]

"You're right, that's not a ship, it's a glorified escapepod," Trys replied, rolling her eyes.

[Cynical Cat]

"Training Jedi can take decades and their are so few left," said Brianna. "The Order will take generations to recover, longer than the Republic if it is left in peace, but neither of us will be. Jedi must help the recovery, but every Jedi who dies or is absent from training and recruitment is setting back the Order's recovery. So we walk a very narrow path."