Ask Tatooine A bar in the desert

[Jafan Jakar]

Jafan sat in a corner in a small and seedy bar on the outskirts of Mos Espa. The bar itself was almost empty save for a few unsavoury figures and a couple of lonely bounty hunters.

Jafan leaned back in his chair and sipped his drink as he silently watched the patrons in the bar, he had come to Tatooine because it was remote and nobody bothered him, he found it was a good place to think, although the planet's inhabitants leaved much to be desired. "Disgusting savages, I'd love to butcher everything on this dust bowl, perhaps I will get a chance one day.."

Jafan sighed and drank his beverage in one go before signalling one of the twi'lek waitresses for a refill, she was a pretty thing, a sharp contrast to the many ruffians in the bar. He gave her a small nod and a smile before returning to his thoughts. "Well perhaps I won't butcher all of them..."


@KinkyPrawn

 

[Arden Kryze]

Every now and then Arden found himself on Tatooine. The people minded their own business. The ship repairs were cheap. And every now and then one could find some solid work from some criminal or other unsavoury figures. After all, a Mandalorian mercenary was something people valued.

His heap of a ship landed in a hangar and he disembarked, ordering his droid to lock it down and stay put. It did as it was told and closed the ship up as soon as Arden left the ramp. He looked around and checked his gear before giving his jacket a tug. Some people glanced at him as he walked out of the hangar but didn't pay him any mind. He eyed some swoop gangsters outside of the cantina. The look they gave him back made him smirk. Some action in this town would certainly be welcomed by the Mandalorian.

He entered the cantina and took a look around. It was quiet and the few patrons were doing their own thing. His visor found the bar counter and he wandered over. "Afternoon, luv. Pint of beer, preferably one tha' tastes good." he asked the bartender. The bartender, a rather large Besalisk, gave him an annoyed grunt before fishing out a glas underneath the counter. Arden took a seat and spun around to get a better look of the place. A kid with a fair look caught his eye. He definitely wasn't a local. And the look he gave the waitress told him that he definitely wasn't familiar with the inhabitants of the establishment.

The beer was placed down behind him, causing him to turn around. "Straw too, please." he asked in a sing-song voice. The Besalisk eyed him for a good long moment to see if he was joking or not. "One of those, huh?" he asked in a gruff voice. "No, I jus' don't like the smell." Arden fired right back, annoying the giant even further. "Watch yourself, Mando." he warned as he dropped a straw in the glass. "Cheers." he quipped with a chipper tone before taking a long sip of the beer. At least the bartender listened to his request.

@Nerovec

 

[Jafan Jakar]

Jafan's thoughts where interrupted by the newcomer which he regarded with mild amusement as he annoyed the bartender and started drinking beer out of a straw. He downed his beverage and signalled the same pretty twi'lek. "I'll have a Correlian whisky." The girl nodded and walked off to get his drink. Jafan leaned back in his chair and watched the man sip his beer with a straw, and a small grin began to form. "Finally someone who might actually be interesting on this dust bowl...and by the looks of him he can handle himself, might be useful to talk to him."

A moment later the Twi'lek returned with his drink, Jafan nodded and tossed the girl some credits. "Keep the change for yourself." He said with a wink before taking his drink and walking over towards the rough looking man. "Pissing off a Besalisk, you got some nerve I'll give you that. What's with the straw?" Jafan asked with what seemed like curiosity.

 

[Arden Kryze]

Out of the corner of his eye, Arden spotted the kid approaching him with a drink in hand. He eyed him for a moment as he sipped his drink, his T-visor hiding the amused look on his face. "No' as much as you." he fired back. "With a face like tha', you're askin' for a bloody nose on this planet." he chuckled as he finished and sipped at his drink a little further.

He pulled the straw out from under his helmet and placed the drink down on the counter. "The armour should tell you all you need to know. We don't like showin' our faces....plus like I said to Tiny 'ere, I don't like the smell." he explained with a smirk as he glanced behind him. The Besalisk returned the look with a glare, cracking his knuckles on one pair of arms while the other pair dried off a glass quite aggressively.

He looked back at the kid with a chuckle. "So wha's your story, kiddo?" he asked as he fiddled with his drink again. "You look like you're supposed to be in school, no' a drifter's paradise. Wha' are you doin' here?" he continued before finishing off his beer with one large sip.

He finally turned to face the kid properly, looking him over. He wasn't sure what to make of him. He really hoped he wasn't some kind of bounty hunter starting out.

@Nerovec

 

[Jafan Jakar]

Some men might have gotten angry at the Mandalorian's remarks, some might have gotten so angry as to pick a fight with him, but Jafan simply chuckled as he looked at the Mando for a moment. He then pulled the chair opposite of the man back and sat down with his drink.

He took out a cigarette. "You don't mind if I smoke do you?" He didn't wait for a reply as he promptly lit the cigarette and inhaled the smoke before blowing it in the Mandalorians direction. "My story..." He chuckled. "Well that might be something I will share with you another day but I will tell you that I have already been to a school...Of sorts. As to the follow up question as to why I am here on this dust bowl, I sometimes come to this tiny cesspool of a planet to think, nobody bothers me and I don't bother anybody."

He took a sip of his drink and leaned back regarding the Mandalorian. "So why are you here Mandalorian? I assume it's not because of the desert climate."

 

[Arden Kryze]

Arden sighed as the kid blew smoke into his face. If he didn't have a filter in his helmet, he wouldn't have appreciated the gesture. "Be my guest." he replied to the question, way too late to stop him now. He leaned back and rested his hands on his belt as he listened to the kid speak. "You sure abou' that'?" he asked him with a smirk, finding it rather ironic that the kid was doing exactly what he said he didn't do.

He then turned the question on Arden. "Lookin' for work." he said simply. "This place usually has easy money an' I could do with an odd job or two. A little in between jobs a' the moment." he sat upright again, leaing a little closer to the kid. "You don't know abou' any jobs, do you?" he asked him. "You look like a sharp one. Any stories or things floatin' around?" he continued with a light cock of his head. "Or do you go' anythin' in the works? I could do with somethin' to keep me busy in between jobs."

@Nerovec

 

[Jafan Jakar]

Jafan smirked as he listened to the man's words, he regarded him for a moment before sitting upright himself. "I might have a couple of jobs which might interest you. To be honest I may need some assistance in completing these tasks, but I am not looking a simple bounty hunter or ruffian, although you seem to be capable sort, a welcome change from the riff raff this planet has to offer."

He took his drink and finished it. "Perhaps we should start with introductions." He signalled the bartender. "A correlian whisky for me and another beer for him, and make sure it has a straw." The Besalisk nodded and moments later brought the drinks. "Put it on my tab." The bartender nodded and walked back behind the bar.

"I am Jafan Jakar, what's your name and what are your qualifications?"

 

[Nobody]

Xath stalked into the bar, raging. His stupid ship, once again...Ah, well. He' d have it fixed soon enough. He stood in the doorway, surveying the area, looking for anyone who might cause trouble. That Besalisk looked pretty dangerous; best to stay away from him.

He took a seat near to a Mandalorian and a...kriff knows who. He heard a couple words, from beer and straw to a job, but he didn't pay much attention. He called for the bartender. "A water, if you don't mind." The tender grunted in annoyance and began to open his mouth to protest. "Look, that's all I need in this kriff-forsaken place. I'll pay for it if you want, you cur."

Something about his...dark robes? Dark eyes? Dangerous complexion?...made bartender shut his hole and get the drink. Xath downed it in seconds and handed over some credits. "Refills are free, no?" The bartender rolled his eyes and filled his glass. The Eternal's mischievous side took over, and he pretended, clumsily, to knock it over accidentally, spilling it everywhere.

He stared the alien in the eye. "Whoops."

 

[Arden Kryze]

The boy explained his plans and introduced himself after ordering some new drinks. Arden smiled behind his helmet and accepted the drink. "Cheers, ol' boy." he said before downing half the glass in a few gulps through the straw. He sighed with content and placed the glass back on the counter. "Name's Arden. An' I can assure you I'm a few rounds above the cannon fodder you'll find on this dump." he said with an air of confidence. "You need a hired gun, you're talkin' to the righ' Mando." he glanced at the man's drink and chuckled. "You go' good taste, I'll give ya tha'. Probably one of the few good things ou' of Corellia." he said as he reached for his drink again.

He stopped when another patron entered the bar. Between the robes, stinking attitude and face not even a mother could love, he wasn't impressed. He watched the interaction out of the corner of his eye as he finished his drink. "Oi, sunshine!" he called out to the new arrival. "You wanna ge' shot, jus' say so." he said as he placed the glass back on the counter. "Migh' wanna wear somethin' less conspicuous than yer mum's curtains as well." he continued. He had a good idea of what the man was, given the headlines, stories and personal interactions. But he didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet.

His reaction, though, would give him a lot of insight over what he is...

@DarkSaber @Nerovec

 

[Nobody]

Xath ignored the seething bartender and turned towards the Mandalorian. He snorted in contempt; he usually didn't act all this high-and-mighty, but today was an exception.

"It'd take a lot more than someone pulling a trigger to get a bolt through me, Mando. Not to mention, my mum's curtains aren't near this ugly." He cared nothing for being inconspicuous; the secret was out. The Order was in town, and it wasn't going to hide.

The bartender had taken advantage of the distraction and had scooted towards some compartment some distance away, from which he pulled a blaster. Without warning, he squeezed the trigger. In a split second, Xath's saber was out, ignited, and in the way of the bolt. While he didn't have time to aim the deflected bolt towards its benefactor, he still managed to glance it off towards the ceiling.

He turned back towards the Mandalorian, one hand outstretched towards the bartender as he gasped for air, the other still holding his ignited saber before deactivating it. "Of course, If you'd like to test my word, I'm all for it."

 

[Jafan Jakar]

Jafan nodded at the Mandalorians reply. "Well you sound like just the man I need." Before he could continue talking with the Mando however another figure entered the bar, one look at him and Jafan knew immediately that this man was Sith as well, although he apparently did not care much for anonymity.

Jafan slowly stood up, never taking his eyes of the man and pulled out one of his light-sabers and ignited it. "Brother, I suggest you stop with these threats and release the bartender, I think he has learned his lesson." He glanced over at the Besalisk who in between gasps of air nodded and mouthed a yes.

Jafan looked back at Xath. "I was discussing a job opportunity with this Mandalorian, and I might have need for a third man, perhaps you would like to join us?"

 

[Arden Kryze]

His reaction more than confirmed what Arden suspected. In fact, it merely confirmed him that the new Sith were a bunch of immature children. Hardly the stuff of legend. However he didn't budge. Even as the man ignited his laser sword he didn't even flinch. The kid then turned to challenge him, earning a chuckle from Arden.

"I go' better things than to waste my time with you, sunshine." he said dismissively. "Now le' go of him before you hurt yourself." he ordered the boy, finally standing up but still leaning against the counter. His left hand was on his hip, ready to draw in a moment's notice. His right was resting on his vibroblade and his jetpack was ready to jump. He could take him, but he wasn't going to partake in some stupid brawl to prove a point.

He blinked in surprise when his new employer drew a lightsaber of his own. He wasn't exactly surprised, he simply didn't expect it. He ordered the little drip to leave the bartender. He then went on to extend the job offer to him as well, something Arden was a little confused over. Probably the fact that they were both Sith. "Jus' leave your attitude by the door first." he quipped, waiting to see the Sith's next move. At least his employer seemed to have a more levelled head on his shoulders.

@Nerovec @DarkSaber

 

[Nobody]

Xath almost laughed as the man pulled a saber. He should've known...Nevetheless, he released the bartender, his hand clenched into a fist. "I'll have...another water." His stare dared the alien to make a move, replacing his lightsaber in its safe haven.

He turned to the Mandalorian, snorting at his comment. "It wouldn't be a waste of your time...just a waste of your life. I won't be the one hurting." He turned to his fellow Sith; "I'm willing to hear this...job opportunity. I've got plenty of time to waste myself."

He hesitated and motioned towards the Mandalorian. "Obviously, this one isn't true to his kind's past, or he'd already be blasting at us..." He then turned and addressed the Mando directly, holding out his hand. "Name's Xath...and say I like this opportunity, why don't you say we both leave our attitude by the door."

 

[Jafan Jakar]

Jafan deactivated and put his lightsaber away once it appeared all hostilities were over, he sat back down and casually leaned back in his chair. "I'm Jafan Jakar, but just call me Jafan." He motioned to an empty chair at the table "Take a seat and I'll explain the job." He looked at Arden for a moment. "I assume that you're still in even though we're both Sith?"

He didn't wait for a reply as he took data pad from his jacket and placed it on the table in front of him, the datapad showed an image of a beautiful pearl and beside it were several marked locations. "This job is quite simple and straightforward, and is designed more as a test to your abilities. I am looking to get Krayt dragon pearls. I assume you both know what those are...They are very valuable but there is one issue, you have to kill a Krayt dragon to get one of the pearls, now since I am not keen on dying on this dust bowl I thought it might be safer to recruit several capable people to help me defeat a Krayt dragon, we'll split the earnings we make evenly and you'll have a good story to tell."

Jafan pointed at the data pad, I have already asked around and know of some locations where there were Krayt dragon sightings. He looked at the both of them. "So are you in or out?"

 

[Arden Kryze]

Arden eyed the upstart, a raised eyebrow and half-smile hidden behind his T-visor. "Cocky little bugger, ain't ya?" he quipped. The man agreed to the job offer and Arden backed down with a scoff, sitting back down on his stool. The man made another comment towards him, simply earning a shrug from the Mandalorian. "Can't earn much money if you keep killin' your employers." he explained simply before looking back to Jafan. "So don't worry abou' me. I'm still in...if this choobie can keep his mouth shu'." he said calmly, glancing back to Xath.

He completely ignored the extended hand. Instead he rested his hands on the bone grips of his pistols, dribbling his fingers idly as he listened to Jafan's plans. The dribbling stopped abruptly at the mention of a Krayt Dragon. He leaned forward to get a better look at the datapad, then looked up at Jafan. "You're either crazy, stupi' or brave to wanna go after a Kray' Dragon." he chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "I'm in. Cash off tha' thing will keep me goin' for a while. No' to mention the rep. You're gonna need a lo' of firepower, though, if you wanna take one down." he explained casually as he fiddled with his vambrace. "Luckily for you, you're talkin' to a bloke with enough weapons to equip a small army." he looked up with a smirk.

"It'll cost you, though. I don't work for peanuts and those weapons aren't cheap to maintain, either." he glanced at Xath. "Plus colleague relations ain't exactly spickerish."

@DarkSaber @Nerovec

 

[Nobody]

Xath smiled and shook his head under the hood, contemplating what the Mandalorian had just said. "Ay, I may be cocky, but I'm for sure not naive enough to think that a lot of firepower would harm a Krayt."

"All the blaster bolts in the world won't help much. The dragon has a weakness, though; a well-placed blaster shot could bore right through the weak sinus cavity, hitting its brain and killing it instantly." He stared the Mandalorian in the eye. "It'd have to be one hell of a shot."

He turned towards his fellow Sith. "As fast as we are, a Krayt would put us down before we had our sabers ignited. All we can necessarily do is distract the beast and hope your friend here can shoot."

He once again faced the Mandalorian. "As for payment...we're all working the same job here for the same reward. We split it even. Not to mention, if you're as good as you think you are, you should only need one blaster..."

 

[Jafan Jakar]

Jafan listened to both men and smirked. "It is decided then, glad to have you both on board." He looked at the both of them for a moment. "And please, do try and be nice to each other, you aren't any use to me if you two keep bickering so try and maintain a level of professionalism at least until the job is over and we're payed."

He looked at the Mandalorian. "Xath is right, our light-sabers may not be of much use so I trust you to take the shot and kill the damned thing whilst we distract it, if you say your aim is good enough then I take your word for it, and if it isn't me and Xath can easily escape the Krayt dragon, you on the other hand may not be so lucky...So you better be sure you can hit the thing."

He looked at Xath. "I trust in your ability to aid me in distracting the beast, with our combined power I am confident we can do so without getting eaten. But please brother, keep your ego in check." He said as he glanced back at the Mandalorian. "Same goes for you."

"So if there aren't any more questions I suggest we all get some rest, we'll leave first thing in the morning."

 

[Arden Kryze]

Arden chuckled at Xath's words, not bothered at all by what he was saying. "Well if you like to struggle, you can probably try to land a shot most marksmen in the galaxy will struggle with. I was thinking of a more bangin' approach." he smirked behind his helmet as he spoke, the gears in his head already turning to figure out how to make this as easy as possible.

He looked back at Jafan as he told them to work together. "Don' worry, I can play nice on the job." he assured him with a shrug. "I was thinkin' the same. You two are ligh' enough on your feet. Keepin' 'im busy should be easy enough. I can jus' swoop from in from above an' drop a few bombs down its throat...or plant them on some weak spots on top. either way, should be fun." he explained calmly. "An' if you really wanna insist on me usin' a gun, then I'll do it. Probably have a big enough one somewhere..." he trailed off, scratching his chin in thought. He had to admit that his weapon stash wasn't exactly well sorted. It was a little odd, though, that neither of them noticed the massive device on his back.

He rose to his feet and cracked his neck a little. "No questions. Where are we meetin' up. Back here?" he asked Jafan as he looked back to him.

@Nerovec @DarkSaber

 

[Nobody]

Xath nodded. "No questions; and considering I have no idea how to navigate this kriff-forsaken place...let's meet back up here." He turned to leave, nodding towards both of them and walking towards the door.

He waltzed out the opening, kicking a droid that got in his way before searching for a place to stay. He just needed more water...This was not the kind of place he would ever want to live in.

Still, however, if they were going to go after a Krayt, they might want some more help...and he possibly had just the right person in mind.

//EXIT THREAD