What could it hurt?

Posted on Tue Oct 6th, 2020 @ 2:56pm by Lieutenant Kor' de'leia & Lieutenant Jafan

Mission: Scoundrels, Cuttthroats and Rogues
Location: Zirukk's Bar, Nar Shadaa
Timeline: Day 1 at 0000

The light filtered through the shuttered windows in long slats that gave a disturbing contrast of light and dark that bothered most sentient eyes. The atonal drones of the less than talented house band blarred keeping patrons crowded near one another to speak, let alone hear. Several Sabacc games were getting heated at tables along the inside wall. The smell was a pervasive odor of interspecies perspiration, low grade alcohol and smoke from several varieties of smoldering weeds fashioned into cigars.

Nar Shadaa was not the go to place for anyone from the new republic. Living was expensive, but life was cheap. The smuggler's moon was known as a gathering point for smugglers, and other desperate characters. To Kor'de'leia it felt like home. Not her first visit to the moon orbit Nal Hutta. She had come on the arms of high rollers and seedy criminals. This time she was leading the group. Zirukk's bar was relatively safe for off-worlders, if they knew who to bribe. Kor had old connections that for some reason were still out of prison. That was as close to reliable as Nar Shadaa got.

Wearing a dress far too tight not to be noticed, she slid into the booth along the side wall, allowing the overhead lamp to illuminate her face and cleavage that worked as a fairly straight forward beacon to anyone seeking them out. She motioned for Jafan to make himself comfortable next to her. She trusted either one of them could pull the trigger on the blasters pointed at the chair facing them. "You buying drinks, or are you looking to get into a game?" she asked Jafan.

Jafan looked around at the poor excuse for a scene. Nar Shadaa was well known for its boisterious collection of scum and villainy. In other words, his proverbial family. He took only a moment to sit next to Kor. "Drinks are for later. I smell free credits in this room." He'd been eyeing several tables where multi-handed Sabaac games were in full tilt. He was already itching.

Kor smiled. The allure of cash laying around and gullible fools tyring to hold it was very appealing. But they were here for a reason, and by the stern face on the approaching Trandoshan bouncer she paid off it was about time to go to work.

"You gotta bunch of hooligans that say they are here about a job you are offering. I just lined em up along the wall." he hissed.

Kor sat up a little taller, stretched her neck and smiled at Jafan. "I guess we ought to see what we got."

Jafan rolled his eyes. All work and no play today, it seemed. "Don't you have people for this. I'm trying to earn us some money we don't have to pay back." He was not one for recruiting. He was more of a ... retention ... kind of guy.

"Uh... I think you are my people for this." Kor responded slyly. "Although maybe we might get lucky with one of these folks and they can have your job."

Jafan looked over at Kor, deadlocking into her eyes. As if he could ever tell her no... He sighed. "Fine, let's take a look." He stretched his neck a bit and looked towards the indicated wall.

The line of applicants was what you would expect for Nar Shadaa. Very shady looking characters, few from the same species. Trying to avoid undue attention from First Order spies, Kor had just asked for pilots in the message she had circulated through the local streets. Most of these characters didn't look like they could afford a meal, let alone a ship. She set her game face and motioned for the first applicant, a Deveronian, to walk to the table.

"I hear you got a job?" the horned man said.

"I do. I need pilots." she responded.

"I gotta freighter if you need cargo hauled." he offered.

"What I have in mind is more of a lifestyle change. Do you have any experience with fighters?" She said, her expression unmoved.

"I used to fly a Z-95 at a mining installation. Had to keep the riffraff out." the Devoronian answered.

"Ever fly against things that shoot back?" Kor asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Nah, never got the chance. But I can nail a Bunlic Derboard at 300 meters. Any closer and its more fun with a blaster."

"Uh huh." Kor nodded. "What's your opinion of the Empire?"

The Deveronian looked confused, not sure how to answer the question. "No worse than the Hutts I suppose. They leave me alone, I leave them alone. They pay alright for jobs."

"Great." Kor stated. give us an encrypted address to get a hold of you and we will let you know."

"You need somebody hit. I can get a crew together for that." The Devoronian continued trying to keep his foot in the door.

"We will let you know. Next!" she called out to the next applicant. "You take this one. I want to stare him down." she said to Jafan.

Over walked a tall, Chiss male. His blue skin somewhat glowed in the dark themed setting of the room, giving a slight aura to his body. His red colored eyes looked directly at Jafan, attempting to pierce his soul.

"Payment comes first and I am not cheap," the man started coldly, still standing at the side of the table. "I play by my own rules and need no supervision."

Jafan raised an eyebrow. "I see you've thought out your terms very carefully."

The Chiss grinned powerfully, leaning in towards the table, using both hands to prop himself up and give off a sense of authority.

Jafan then said, "I reject your terms. Piss off." He indicated for the man to leave.

"Why you little..." the man lifted an arm to strike at Jafan, but Jafan was already moving. He swung his foot into the man's right knee, starting the buckle. As the man lost his balance, Jafan reached behind the man's head with his right hand and pulled his head to the corner of the booth back, smashing the man's face squarely into the metal. The Chiss cried out in agony and rolled over away from the table.

Jafan, now standing, looked at the remaining group, who now expressed mixed feelings of concern, fear, and smugness.

"Next!"

"Do you always beat the crap out of people you are looking to employ?" A voice from the nearby bar called out a few seconds later, before one of the patrons spun on his stool and looked across at his fellow human. The bearded man gently swung side to side as he nursed his beverage and glared at the brute.

Jafan, not bothering to look at where the voice came from, responded, "Keep to your drink, old man. This is none of your concern." His eyes were still firmly focused on the next of the recruits.

Rising from his seat, the patron of the bar walked across to the table where the bully and his silent Twi'lek were conducting their business and tossed his blaster on the table's surface. "Alright jackass, call me old again and we'll settle this outside, the old fashioned way. Kapiche?"

Hearing the blaster drop on the table was music to Jafan's ears. It been a while since he'd gotten into a true bar fight. "The 'old' fashioned way?" he asked, putting extra emphasis on the word old. "Now you're just making it easy."

Well, never one to back down from a challenge, especially one he had initiated, the patron began to limber up, performing a couple of shoulder rolls and creaking his neck from side to side until he felt like he could pull the ears off of a gundark. He was about to launch himself across the table and grab the younger man by the scruff of his neck when, out of nowhere, a BD Unit droid propelled itself into the air and landed on the table top, a cacophony of noises aimed in the direction of the Human, much to the patron's amusement.

"He says he is so confident that I could kick your ass that he's willing to wager our ship against yours," the older Human grinned before adding, "but he's pretty sure you wouldn't want to lose what we have on offer."

Kor shifted forward in her seat to watch the exchange. She couldn't pay for this kind of entertainment. The mockery from the droid brought a whole new dimension to the fun. However amusing it all was, she wasn't walking home because Jefan couldn't back down.

"As much as I want to watch y'all kick each other's asses, we are trying to conduct business here and this spectacle may invite an unwanted amount of attention. So knock it off!" Kor stated sliding back in her chair.

The older man didn't even wait to be offered a seat, simply slipping onto the cushioned bench and took ownership of his blaster again. A nod to his droid, and the critter pounced onto the bench beside him and watched the conversation. "So you are the one in charge," he spoke quietly, his gaze almost transfixed on the Twi'lek now, as if the other man wasn't there.

Kor stared at the human with steely violet eyes. Like a typical human he just marches up and takes what he wants. She trusted Jefan to have his blaster poised on the man when he retook his seat. "I am in charge. Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"I'd prefer to keep that to myself for now," the Human smiled as he relaxed a little in his seat. "I heard your conversation before, and I think I have exactly what you need..." he trailed off, waiting to see if she was willing to take the time to engage him in conversation.

Her eyes squinted. "Not saying I'm interested, but I respect someone with good ears. What do you think we are interested in?"

The patron looked across at the Droid beside him, a silent nod giving the mechanical companion permission to make the grand reveal. As his mechanical legs straightened, giving him enough height, the lens on his faceplate turned until he projected a hologram onto the table. There, in the stream of light, a vessel appeared. It was no doubt familiar in design to the two newcomers who sat across from them. A T-65 X-Wing starfighter, a ship that balanced speed with firepower. Armed with four laser cannons and two proton torpedo launchers, the X-wing could take on anything an enemy threw at it. Nimble engines gave the X-wing an edge during dogfights, and it could make long-range jumps with its hyperdrive and its astromech droid co-pilot. This craft in particular, however, featured a unique colour scheme. Black and purple, with star-like camouflage, it was clear the craft was built to add stealth to its capabilities.

Kor nodded at the display. "Yeah, that's the kind of thing we are after. Is this your personal property or are you offering to acquire it? I would much rather have the ship and its pilot."

"Lucky for you, the ship goes nowhere without me," the patron smirked before adding, "unlucky for you, we're not cheap," he gestured between him and his droid buddy who deactivated the holographic projection.

"Not bad. Of course pay also is dependent on results, not just the equipment you are packing. I'm guessing you are a crack shot. Best pilot on whatever world you come from.You better be, cause you wont be here to collect your pay if you aren't. I save so much money on personnel that way." she replied, her lekku curling out towards the patron. "I'm willing to give you a shot. Any experience with TIE fighters?"

A grin crept on his face, "Let's just say I probably have a rather unique perspective on TIEs compared to the rest of your gang,"he leaned closer and confessed with a whisper. Then he sat back and spoke a little louder. "I wont claim to be the best pilot in your squadron, but what I lack, my Droid here makes up for."

Kor eyed the mechanical companion carefully. She was always mistrustful of droids. "I all care for is you can keep up and stay alive. If you do that, you will be far ahead of many other pilots." She leaned in closer to the table whispering, "You realize that you are signing up to fight for the Resistance? If that's a problem you should let me know now, and we might let you get out the door safely."

"BD-7," the man spoke quietly after a few seconds of silence, turning again to look at his droid, who seemed to know exactly what was required of him. A small compartment on the top of his head popped open and a small, golden object sprung into the air. The man caught the object and held it out in the Twi'lek's direction. It was a golden ring, and he gently moved a part of it until a symbol appeared.

The symbol of Rebel Intelligence.

Kor looked at the ring the patron held. She gave him a wicked conspiratorial smile. "It seems we know some of the same people. Welcome aboard. Do you go by a name? Doesn't need to be a real one, I've gone by enough."

Kor reached out at smacked the Jafan's broad shoulder. "Hey looks like we found a friend."

Jafan, who'd been eyeing the other new potentials again since the situation had somewhat cooled down, wrinkled up his face after she slapped him. He looked back at Kor, then down at the ring. He raised an eyebrow and looked the man up and down again. Friend indeed. "Of course he is," he said sighing and looking back at the Sabaac tables. At least this man counted as a win.

The Patron wanted to ignore the question of his name so much because to reveal it would give her more information than she needed for now. He opted to give her a pseudonym for now. "They call me Narac," he lied. "So, what now?"

Kor smacked the seat next to her. "Now, Narac, we see what else the gods bring our way." she said with a smile.

The other applicants were looking more like a security line up than a squad of freedom fighters, but Kor had learned not to judge by appearances, until they drew a blaster.

"Next!" she called to a Silvanian standing at the head of the queue. As the dimminutive rodent like being moved forward, she noticed the bartender pointing her way to a robed figure that swiftly turned and rushed out the door. Kor frowned.

"Jafan, I get the feeling we will be leaving shortly. Get the drinks." she said to her associate.

"Sorry folks, looks like we are full up for the day. Thank you. Drop off your contact info." Kor called to the crowd, standing, whisking her skirt to the side and pulling out a blaster lashed to her thigh.

"Narac, I think this is where you prove your worth." she stated to the patron. "There is an exit toward the back. We should get going."

A blaster bolt flew by igniting sparks behind them in the booth. A squad of white armored troopers pushed into the front of the bar.

Removing the heavy blaster from its holster on his right thigh, 'Narac' followed suit, pushing past some of the patrons wishing to flee from the advancing Stormtroopers. He took aim and blasted one of the soldiers in the eye.

A trooper stood and pointed his blaster toward them shouting, "There they are, Blast em!" The others in the squad turned their fire to concentrate on Kor and her confederates.

"Bloody typical. Jafan, get us a way out of here!" Kor shouted out dispatching a trooper with her pistol. "Narac, I hope your ship is nearby, I think our welcome on Narshadda has worn out!"

"Don't you worry about me," Narac yelled as he aimed his blaster behind him and opened fire, "I'll meet you in orbit!" he explained before tapping his droid on the head. "BD - go get the ship ready. I'll be right behind you buddy," the man instructed before disappearing down a side alley, his droid bounding away ahead of him.

Jafan, who's head was narrowly missed by an incoming blaster bolt, picked up his own blaster pistol, twirling it around in his hand, and sent a barrage of his own fire towards the new found enemies. He wasn't aiming at any one in particular, but his intended purpose of making the group break up and find cover worked like a charm. "Let's shove off that way," he yelled at Kor, indicating a side door, having to communicate over the now deafening crowd and commotion. It was likely guarded as well, but they might be able to use the old-fashioned element of surprise.

The brief pause, well not so much pause as it was a lessening of the shower of blaster fire sent Kor into action. She lept from behind her cover sprinting for the side door. staccato sparks from tracing fire followed he movement. She saw the door just a few steps away and lept throwing her body at the flat surface and promptly bounced back as the structure failed to give under the impact of her body. She was slightly dazed as she looked up from the floor, a shower of sparks falling towards her. She uttered something appropriately obscene and scurried back for the door. Pressing the door lock, it popped open with a rush of air from the outside. She slinked through as a mass of Blaster fire lit up the top of the doorway. She was still alive and relatively unscathed, minus what would like turn into a large bruise on her shoulder and face. She considered a conceit that she may have drawn enough fire and attention to let Jafan and their new friend escape. But she knew the truth, she was happy to be out of the building and still alive, little thought for the others was involved.

She looked up at the alley the bar backed up on. Dark figures were rushing down the street away from her. That was a good sign. A good sign turned ugly as the figures were suddenly mowed down from blaster fire further down the way. She uttered another appropriate obscene expletive, hoping Jafan would come barreling out through the door behind her.

As if on cue, the door opened again. Jafan appeared, seemingly flying backwards out the door, firing his blaster with both hands inside the door. As he landed on his back forcefully, he rolled to the side and came to an upright position. Reaching into his pocket, Jafan pulled out a quick charge thermal detonator out of his pocket, immediately setting it to go off, and throwing it inside the door. He shut the door behind it. He looked first at Kor, ensuring she was still moving, then over to the new squad of troopers heading their direction. He pointed down another alleyway and said, "That way." As he ran towards the opening, the familiar sound of a detonation rang behind them. Jafan grinned as he ran.

Kor quickly nodded acknowledgement of Jafan's direction as she quickly turned to head up the opposite corridor. The shock wave of the detonation washed over her as she ran. That should slow the troopers down. Now they just had to get their way to the seedy warehouse they had hired to park their fighters in and get off this rock.

It wasn't too far, but with Stormtroopers trying to seal off exits from the city, it certainly was going to get more complicated. "You ready to get the hells out of here?" Kor shouted over to Jafan.

Jafan, scanning the streets and paths, reponded, "That would be an affirmative." As they made their way further and further down their path, Jafan heard a shout.

"Captain, over there!" a trooper called out.

The lead trooper appeared around the corner and ordered, "AFTER THEM!"

Kor shook her headtails. "Damn, why can't we ever lose these guys?" she picked up her comlink. "Droid, get the engines started, we are gonna need to leave in a hurry."

A short staccato of whistles and beeps came back at her, which she ignored sliding the comlink back into the small pocket in the small of her back. Slinky dresses didnt have lots or carrying room. Besides, she didn't listen to droids.

Jafan knew their droids would have the ships ready in moments, which was fortunate because they were only moments from the semi-concealed area in which they landed their fighters. They came up to their next right turn and as they rounded the corner, Jafan looked back at towards their pursuers, who were still a bit behind them. Jafan let off a volley from his pistol, catching one trooper in the chest and forcing the rest to scatter for cover. He looked towards Kor to see how close she'd gotten to the entrance, still blindly firing in the direction of the troopers.

Kor moved quickly up to the building, thanks to Jafan's cover fire. The warehouse they were using as a hanger was dark and rather depressing looking, but you get what you pay for. She just wanted it to be off the grid. "Get to your ship. I will try to buy us a little time. I'll see you in orbit!" she shouted to Jafan.

Her X-wing cockpit opened as she got near and mounted the extendable ladder to climb up. The engines were spinning up as her droid had started the prelaunch sequence. She quietly thanked the goddess that there wasnt time to get into the damned orange flight suit. She tossed the thing unceremoniously down by her feet as she pulled her helmet on.

"Let's get out of here!" she called to her Astromech droid. It had a name, she hadn't bothered to learn it. It squealed something back at her as she started flipping switches to bring the engines on line. The repulsor lifts allowed her to swing the nose of her fighter towards the entrance to the warehouse. She watched as Jafan rushed across to his ship. Once he was clear, she unleashed a barrage of laser fire that decimated the entrance. "That's gonna cost extra... if they ever find us."

Kor flipped her shields forward and blasted away at any stormtroopers stupid enough to peer in. As Jafan's ship lifted away, she fired one more volley then brought the throttles up, spinning the ship to exit out the open hatch to the Nar Shadda sky.