New Experiences, Old Times.

[Tristar]

A shot rang past his head, so close that it nearly burnt the paint off the helmet's sides. The man clad in slim black armor turned around and dropped to a knee, raising his weapon to bear and pulled the trigger. The compact gun burped several rounds back, catching a pursuer off guard and downing him with a weak yell in pain. Calico had no time to finish him off, letting him go to his own devices as he continued running down the alley way. Heavy boots thudded on a path lesser walked but completely trashed with various types of litter- sweet wrappings, leftover food from a nearby restaurant and even what looked like a trashed speeder. All these and more, made for a very unpleasant get away as he dashed into an alcove and waited with ragged breaths.

When another one of his pursuers came into view he tripped the Rodian and fired a shot at the back of his head when he was down- purplish blood flew back to splatter his visor in retaliation, revenge from the afterlife as he wiped it away with the palm of his free hand. More voices yelled out down the alley, giving Calico further motivation to keep running. Was it the fifth? No, that was an outdated count of his 'simple runs'. This was probably the eleventh simple run that turned out to be anything but simple. Oh on paper it was a very good job- run into a warehouse, locate the crates with the appropriate markings and then place the ditrium charges on them. That part he got well covered. The problem was when the explosives were triggered remotely when he was in the process of sneaking out- the unexpected interruptions of the night's proceedings surprised him so badly that he lost his footing and revealed himself to some of the fellow smugglers operating in the warehouse.

One look at their cargo they were in the midst of packing showed how badly screwed he was- spice. Of the most expensive kind. You could tell by the shine it gave off. Their off-planet look on their clothing was the final click in his mind: This was nothing more than the local business's owners way of pushing out foreign competition who were intruding in their territory. He cursed and grumbled and was determined not to die. So one thing lead to another (One involving him toppling more spice crates down on top of several workers) and he was running for his life from the men he had pissed off by blowing up their way of life. With his armor and a jetpack combined he was lugging almost 60 pounds worth of gear on him, making him significantly slower than he was if he was running bare-clothed.

Why didn't he use the jet-pack? No reason really, except he wanted to put some distance between himself and the men who wanted him dead before he flew off, flipping birds as he did so. Such a happy thought crossed his mind, eliciting a smile from the disheveled looking man as he turn around the corner, upturning the trash cans as he did so to slow down his pursuers. The end of the dark, smelly alley was a bright light- quite literally. From the city district's maps he had pulled up he was running into an open street where he could easily lose the bastards in the sea of many faces. He redoubled his efforts and barreled his way through the last few meters until finally-

-he crashed into a group of tourists, accidentally ruining their trip by being there- him, a washed up mercenary and mandalorian fighter in armor that reeked of something bad from his escapades in the dark pits of the city. Of course they weren't the only people he had ruined their normal evening stroll. Calico's wandering eyes spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Someone used to dismantling weapons on the spot- at least once. He pulled out the very same blaster pistol she and him had played a game with before and tossed it to her, expecting the teenage girl to catch it with deft hands. He turned around and spotted the first few angry faces after him, all with malicious intent on their faces.

"Rancor in a crap basket."

 

[Fen Vel]

Following From: When the Road Disappears

It seemed that walking helped her think, or maybe being away from the Jedi helped her think. Either way she was back on the streets for a short while, no so far from the Spaceport as before. What she was getting used to was that this planet was cooler, drier than she was used to. The air picked at her lips and finger tips, the evening settling in to make her cold. The outfit she wore was the same was the day before, a black gown with metallic trim around the neck, boots too the same combats. The difference was now she also wore a dusty looking brown leather jacket, three sizes too big for her that clashed terribly against what she was wearing under it. Enough to keep her somewhat warm though, forming a shell about her that felt, safe. The musky smell to it, that also reminded her of something, though she was at a loss as to what.

Ignored by the crowds she walked just like everyone else, weaving a path, thinking more about she had talked about the day before. Her mind was somewhat made up now, she should go where her possible talents would make the most difference. If she was one of the few people that could be a Jedi, a good one, that helped people then, she should not waste it. It would also solve many of her current problems and worries, yet, she was still hesitant, what if it wasn't right? What if the Jedi were liars, or their version of good was wrong? Could she make it alone, was it all a trap? Was she putting her life in danger by joining them? Would they force her to fight? Could she?

These thoughts, along with any to follow were promptly interrupted by a suit of armour launching through a group of people like a wrecking ball. He'd come from the alley up ahead and the streets seemed to freeze in a murmur of confusion. There were shouts behind him and with those most of the crowd started to scatter, leaving Fen, startled. The armour was dark, she'd not seen it before, though there was that mark. Before she had even moved, he threw something at her. Of course the instinct was to catch it, which she did, after it hit her hard in the chest, enough to stagger her. By the time she had recovered and looked at the pistol, humanoids of an unfriendly persuasion had started to arrive, armed. The pistol was familiar, and that mark, she signed, loudly. This was not the time, place, or way she wanted to pay him back. More over, how could she? Fen wasn't confident she could even remotely take one person in a fight, much less a thug, much less several of them. Before yesterday she had never held a weapon and still had never shot one. No she needed something else. Something, it clicked and it clicked loudly as the thugs came closer.

This was Twerk's territory, Twerk was a terrible racist and these certainly were not all Rodians. If they were a gang, then, it was logical. In Rodese she put all the force behind her voice she could, "Oona goota ittu?" It was meant to sound aggressive, it was meant to be loud and it was meant to draw attention. At best the latter two were achieved, the former, that was helped by the blaster bolt she fired into the wall above the alley, certainly getting their attention. Again it wasn't just their attention, already Rodians were slinking out of alleyways and a betting shop with their own blasters in hand. There were certainly going to be a lot of aggressive questions asked as to why these guys were treading on their turf. It should be noted however, Fen was generally terrible at making decisions on the fly, and this one. Even before the bolted started flying she could tell this was not one of her best. Adding more guns to the fire, didn't that make her chances of getting shot, higher?

 

[Tristar]

The mandalorian didn't speak a lick of Rodese or any other alien language except for a smattering of insults he had picked up in his bounty hunting days. He had a few special ones he'd only use for special situations. Did this count as one? He certainly didn't expect her to speak the way she did, shoot the way she did nor bring the amount of backup(?) that she did. A short glance at the newcomers confirmed one thing at least: They weren't happy to see outsiders in their territory, which meant Calico had a common enemy with the gangsters. What he didn't know just yet was how they'd react to his presence, along with the upstart girl who had basically pulled the first shot in their holdings. His jaw clenched- this was still a manageable situation by his standards.

He had a gun, a good set of armor and another shooter, no matter how inexperienced she was. Compared to his last few 'special situations' this seemed far too luxurious to be even worth mentioning. On a dime he spun around to face Fen, the barrel of his T-6 still smoking hot. As impressed as he was that she wasn't b*tch*ng about her wrist on what he assumed was her first gunshot, she was going to need a crash course on marksmanship taught by none other by a relatively new acquaintance. De-polarizing his visor, he let her see the same eyes that stared her down the very same gun she was holding down and offered a little wink before pointing down the alley. "No times for pleasantries. Shush and listen because I'm going to teach you how to use that thing you're using- effectively."

Calico's eyes scanned the faces of his pursuers by the alley way, some already spilling out at the mouth of the alley and then dashing into whatever cover available to them. One of the shooters tried to jump behind a newstand but fell short of her mark and scampered awkwardly to get back on her feet. Swinging his weapon up to bear he pointed two fingers at her to Fen before assuming a quick firing stance and pulling the trigger. An single bullet ripped through the forced silence of unexpected and unfortunate encounters and managed to bore its way through the alien's neck, splattering a shocking amount of blood on the building's walls behind her. She fell, choking from her own blood and twitching- he'd make a quick bet that the FMJ round had barely grazed her nervous system. Either way she was beyond saving as the tension was broken and replaced with a fierce recognition of hostility.

The smuggler's forces drew their weapons, a motley bunch of holdout blasters and slugthrowers, although some at the rear brought military grade rifles- they had yet to break the confinements of the alleyway to make much use though. Provoked by both Calico's actions and the presence of multiple weaponry aimed at their general direction they unholstered their own weapons- mostly outdated blaster pistols and the odd scattergun- and drew the trigger. In the few split seconds Calico reunited with Fen, the world had become filled with led and volatile energy bolts. Aware that his companion had neither the survival skills nor the protection offered by his suit of armor he pushed her to the ground and took a knee in front of her.

She would complain later on to him about the cuts and bruises she may have sustained from his rough handling of her- she wasn't the one that had been hit squarely in the chest with a solid round. If it wasn't for the solid plate of armor between his body and the bullet he would be coughing blood and bleeding out on her: His own craftsmanship wasn't that shoddy though- the bullet was lodged several milimeters deep into the plating and had scorched the paint around the impact point. At most he would suffer from a mild bruise on his chest as the layer of soft padding had negated most of the outward force. All he felt was the slight jerking motion as his chest swayed a little from the round which dazed him a little but otherwise was still in fighting condition.

Cheating death was a game that Calico had the longest winning streak on but it was still a game he would rather have not played at all- anger bubbled its way to the surface and took hold of him momentarily as he settled his gun on his knee and extended his left arm. His left hand clenched into a fist and bent downwards: A click, a small puff and a long lance of flames erupted from the conical device mounted on his forearm. The searing heat forced several of the nearby shooters to duck back or flee from the burning flames- it also left a thin acrid smell of burning plastic and a black smog of smoke from the chemicals in the fires. With a good layer of concealment between him and the shooters, he turned around and bent over Fen to cover her from any stray rounds. "You caught that right? Hold the gun with both your hands, aim at the poor sucker right and then pull the trigger. Don't flinch or close your eyes. Don't want you huffing the shot when it's most needed." he said, not bothering to point out at the obvious bullet lodged in his chest.

 

[Fen Vel]

Shock had given way to nausea. There was comfort in seeing that she was not wrong about who she thought this man was, not that it helped much. What she had just done, what he had done to warrant it, the ramifications were hitting home. In the worse case scenario she had just signed her own death for a man she barely knew who was also about to die. The best, she had just started a turf war on a street in a major city and people were going to die. Fen heard to the words Calico said, muffled as they were but they did not reach her brain. It was still reeling, trying to make any sense of how stupid she had just been, how much danger she was now in. How it could get out of this one. No one was shooting yet, maybe they'd be able to talk it out. Maybe, then she realized what the armoured man was doing and her breath stop. The sound of the rifle, where he had pointed to look, the slap of blood against stone, someone dying. Something she had seen before, yet this was real. She wasn't a detached watcher from a booth with her Master, or in his Court, she was in the middle of it.

The sound of blasters filled the air and then she was on her back, looking up at a smoggy sky, a dazed look on her face. Blaster pistol gripped close she seemed to be stuck, nothing was making any sense to her right now. Had Calico pushed her down? Why? He was next to her again, but, when did he leave? It was longer still after that, she noticed his armour was dented, that he'd been shot. Was, he shot before? For a second she considered reaching out to him, before she had even moved though, he turned.

Fire, that got more of a response from Fen. The gout of flame seemed to snap her daze, the heat, the smell. Even more than before it made her want to retch, seeing that woman, die, this situation, the smell. The shouts, the smell of cordite, gas, blood. Then again, he was almost on top of her, his words muffled but much clearer to her. What he said, what he meant, for her to fight.

The cover they were in was makeshift, the edge of a building and part of a street sellers stand, the seller hiding under it. It all seemed to be in slow motion as she stuck her head ever so slightly around the corner. Between the fire, and the gang, they all seemed very preoccupied. A lot of shooting but very few hits. What they had by way of weapons didn't seem that deadly, a few could be seen staggering away, crawling. Pulling her head back around, looking to Calico again Fen thought hard about what she had just seen. To take a shot, wait, why did she need to? Right now, the heat of the confusion was hottest. There would not be a time better then, oh. Her friend, her only friend, was wounded. Of course, he'd been shot, that was why he wasn't running. Then, she had to do something.

Lips so dry they had sealed shut Fen crouched against the wall, ignoring complaints from her knees, took a breath and did was she was told. Using both hands, she took aim, shaky as it was. At the last moment she did flinch and close her eyes. Her shot found its mark however, despite her. Flashing past the ear of a human at the edge of the alley, slamming into a fusebox against the wall with enough force to blow the door off its hinges. The fuses tripped, a cable sparked and just like that, half the street was in darkness. Her face illuminated by fire smoldering towards the alley she slipped back in to look at Calico. Though she didn't know the first thing about first aid, if he was hurt, she should do something at least.

 

[Tristar]

Tucked in a cover so shoddy you could tip it over, Calico inspected the bullet in his chest with a smithy's curiosity. It wasn't lodged that deeply and at the range he was being shot at it must have meant that the slugthrower was of an old make. If he had a spare plate he wouldn't hesitate to swap out the damage armor plating for increased insurance, but he didn't have the luxury. Fen didn't have the skills or practice to put a round through someone's head and her last shot confirmed what he already knew. Still, the gruff man couldn't blame her for her inability- but he could rebuke her for making the exact same mistakes he told her specifically to avoid.

He caught her looking at him, most likely worried about his condition. Slumped back against the wall of the building, he made a pitiful noise and reached up for her face with a gloved hand, placing it gently on her head. He let the moment settle in before lightly swatting the side of her head in annoyance. "Ya' huffed the shot, doofus. Didn't I tell you not to flinch and close your eyes?" His tone wasn't aggressive, but in a chiding manner that resembled that of a firing instructor who had caught a shooter in all the wrong stances, positions and mistakes. The gunfire continued wildly above their heads, some connecting, others merely to discourage the curious. Her shot had blacked out most of the streets, leaving the place in darkness partly illuminated by the fancy lights of death.

Flipping the toggle button in his helmet, the world was briefly illuminated in a dull green glow that gave him better vision, though the shots that skimmed near their space irritated him with a short flash of light that threatened to blow his eyeballs out. He fell into a tactical crouch and nudged Fen out of her cover, holding his gun as though it weight nothing more than the pistol in her hands and beckoned her towards a side entrance leading into the building they were taking cover in next to the betting shop. Dropping his voice until it was a bare whisper, he gestured with his hands as he spoke: "Let's try to slip off from here and run off- if we make it we'll find a place to stay low and I'll explain everything I can to you."

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen thought she had hit what she aimed for, she certainly didn't think she had aimed at a person. Then by the fact she had closed her eyes, had she aimed at all? But really, what did he expect. Panicked, uncertain, unfamiliar with weapons or fighting, recovering from confusion and being physically inferior, that she didn't mange to do it first time was hardly a surprise. Then as the lights started to dim around them, she had still hit what she meant to. It seemed right to aim there and apparently something other than her firing skills had guided her hand. Breathing was hard, so was focusing but she did her best to keep her eyes on him. Harder in the darkness but it was hardly pitch black, yet.

Still stunned she listened carefully to his words and nodded, words seemingly beyond her right now. When he made it clear to do so she would move, at a stoop to where he had indicated. Firing back at all was not on her mind, even if she did it would likely only draw attention they didn't want. Not if they were making a get away.

 

[Tristar]

He guided her by spirit, crouch-walking in front of her with his weapon raised for any unexpected threats. He was half-dashing his way to the side entrance, no longer shivering with the tension of combat as he used to do when he first started the job. Now it was replaced with cool determination to keep his passenger in tow safe and secure. Part of him thanked her for huffing her shot, not fully aware that she had actually intended to aim for the fusebox- perhaps it would have been best if he didn't knew that, otherwise he'd be faced with conflicting thoughts on the matter. The battlefield wasn't a place for underaged citizens like her even though he was more than certain she could handle herself on the streets.

Seeing a man kill someone in front of you was something, but being forced to kill to survive was another type of beast altogether. He suffered through the haunting images at night a few years ago- she was still young. Those kinds of nightmares can come later, not earlier in her life. He stacked himself by the door and raised his hand to stop her from following him any further, pointing downwards to keep her there while he breached the doorway. Placing his back to the wall, he fished out a small cylinder the size of his palm and held it to his chest.

Click.

The silver pin dropped to the floor, and on cue he rammed the door with his feet in a mule kick, forcing the door to splay wide open revealing the inner chasms. Whoever was inside was in for a surprise as the explosive cylinder followed shortly after. A loud bang and a brief illumination of light followed as the flashbang detonated. Confusion and dazed expressions would follow to whoever was caught in the blast. With rapid movements Calico swept inside the backroom of a printing shop, a janitor slumped against the wall with blood leaking from his ears. When no one else came inside he called out for Fen to come in, pointing at the door at the end of the hallway. "We'll exit through the back entrance and try to get to a side street. Don't worry about the janitor," he continued, kneeling by the middle aged fellow as he slipped a few stacks of credits into his front pocket, nodding at Fen to keep going.

"He's rattled, dazzled and knocked out. He'll be safe here, but we should hurry."

 

[Fen Vel]

Shots still rang out into the night, bringing flashes and flares into the darkness. There was a distant between the two of them and that now, an illusion of safety that was enough for Fen to start feeling better. There was soot on her face, discoloring her somewhat, mixed with the loss of colour from her face leaving her rather dull looking. Her breathing was back, her nostrils flared, itching. Despite colour leaving herself, the world seemed more like normal, right up until the flashbang. She realized what it was, with just enough time to look away, it still half blinded her never the less. Rubbing at her eyes she felt him move, certainly heard him. Until they were inside she remained low, finally then she could stand up and look around.

It didn't occur to her that she was still holding the heavy blaster pistol in both her hands. One around the grip, one under the muzzle, in her hands it seemed more rifle than pistol. While Calico swept the inside she stood in the middle of the room, just looking around, other than the hurt gentleman, there didn't seem to be anyone else. She would have gone to him if she wasn't intercepted, again she was being told what to do. If not for that she would have asked if he was okay, but he seemed fine. There wasn't any blood and it had been a bullet right? Not a blaster bolt?

Incorrectly holding the pistol close to her chest Fen went on into the darkness, doing her best to feel around the wall as she did. It was close, it smelled strange. Something caught her, stumbling her hand found a table to steady herself, knocking over a stool with a thunderous clatter. Watching her feet now, in those black combat boots she slowly kept going, the sounds of blaster fire becoming more distant, the sounds of speeders closer. For whatever reason though, rather than a simple door, it had a blast door over what appeared to be the rear exit, and no windows. For a second she panicked, the buttons on the door requiring a code. Shooting it would do nothing and she had no other options when it came to doors right now. Breaking the seal that had formed over her lips she turned towards the dark shadow that was following her, "It's locked," Her voice scratchy, quiet and clearly uncomfortable.

Turning to look around again she caught a shaft of light, there were stairs leading up, to the roof she hoped. From there they might be able to get down to the service yard and away, though that might be locked too. It seemed a better option than nothing, still, "Up these stairs?" Not quiet certain if Calico could see where she was pointing in the darkness.

 

[Tristar]

Calico could most definitely see things far better in his perspective than hers, after you considered that his suit of armor probably had several support features for this exact situation of momentary blindness- or at least, partial darkness in the area. The staircase was narrow, without his armor he and Fen could easily walk side by side together, but when suited up she'd find herself very out of breath, squished up against one side of the wall. He took the liberty of walking up first- he probably would have gone up first even if he wasn't in his armor. It was better that he be shot at than someone who'd make a mess out of things out of instinctive fear and reactions to duck and wish the violence away. Fen wasn't a pacifist, was she?

He hoped not as he thumped his way up noisily, his weapon ready to snap up and trigger finger ready to pull back. There was no point in hiding their presence from anyone else in the building- if no one had come downstairs to challenge their existence after the loud fiasco of his explosive present, then he could safely assume they had free reign of the place.

Or free enough, he thought when he rounded up the stairs to see a few civilians- office workers, possibly- on the floors or crouched together in a corner, away from the windows in case of a stray bolt. From their anxious but expectant expressions, he wagered that these kinds of shootouts were common in the neighbourhood. It was just the when and how that made the feeling of anxiety stay when the fear of the unknown left. They looked at him like an unknown species, slightly curious and very cautious. One of them spoke up, an elderly man who looked in his sixties- "When are they gon' stop?"

"I don't know rightly, both sides are equally matched." he replied courteously, keeping his gun pointed down to the floor. They weren't too scared to address him at least. "Bah," came the annoyed reply, surprising him slightly by the annoyed expression etched all over his face. "If they don't stop any time soon we'll be darn well buggered for today's earnin's won't we? Bloody gangsters and their damned turf wars. Whadda ya want?"

Shaking the stunned grip over him, he jerked his thumb back over his shoulders, nodding his head in the direction of rooftop exit. "You know. Out." The elderly man nodded, holding to his daughter very tightly when he noticed the weapon in his hands. Calico felt very self conscious about himself all of a sudden. The shop's proprietor (He assumed) nodded slowly and sealed his lips so tight he'd make a bet that you couldn't open it with a car-jack. "Get on with it then, don't stay around any longer than you have to." Calico graciously nodded, looked back and gestured for Fen to follow him.

Kicking the door to the rooftop open- much to the elder's distress, he quickly breached the doorway- to find a lone gangster around the corner, firing his carbine into the street behind them with the accuracy of a five year old on sweetened milk. He hadn't noticed them so far, too engrossed in his battle with the tactically disadvantaged smugglers, faced with terrain unfavourable to their numbers. Calico crouched further and kept his eyes trained on the gangster, motioning for Fen to be quiet and pointing at the ladder access that lead to the service yard- with all hope, they could sneak past the sentry silently and without the need for her to see him kill another living being, a light blue twi'lek, in front of her eyes.

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen was surprised to see people hiding up here, then it also made sense if they were working. Just because she had free time didn't mean the rest of the world did, even at night. While Calico and the man spoke, she kept close to the edge of the room, offering nothing more than an uncomfortable smile. Her companion was much rougher than the door then she expected, it seemed a rather mean thing to do. Still she was in no place to argue and their lives were in danger. So she didn't even look back at people hiding, nor did it occur to her that she could join them. After all, in theory she'd be fine to wait with them until all this finished. Unless some of them recognize her that was. So out she went, pistol still at the ready and saw the same sight.

A Twi'lek not an old one given by the length of his lekku, shooting, shooting a lot. Calico directed her to the ladder, there were two things that Fen wasn't certain he was aware of. The first, that she had never actually looked at a ladder before, let alone climb one in what could be a fire fight. Two, she didn't trust him not to out right kill people when she thought there was another way. So, like before, Fen tried to create an alternate plan on the fly. As silently as she could muster she moved forwards. Even in combat boots, the Twi'lek didn't seem aware of her. Right up until the point she shoved the point of her pistol's muzzle into his right armpit, hard. In a scratchy voice she forced a controlled tone, "Don't turn round," She breathed deep, "Six of us, one of you. Blaster down, lay on your belly and you don't die here today." When she felt him relax slightly she took her left hand away from the muzzle and pulled hard on his lekku until he complied.

Sucking in a breath she shot a look at Calico, fairly certain he would disapproved. Sliding the blaster to one side with her foot she pulled a comlink from his belt. Then she reached around, undid the belt and pulled his trousers down until she could fold the seat, inside out over his boots, then pulled it tight again. Done she lent down to pick up the carbine, "I'm leaving a man here until we are gone, move your head at all, he shoots you." She had spoken to Calico about this already, it was easy to seem to be one thing when you acted the part. More like the confident girl that had tried to outsmart him the last time they met Fen handed Heavy Blaster Pistol back to its owner. Starting down the ladder she was thankful her new weapon had a shoulder strap, otherwise this climbing dealie would be much harder. In combat boots on metal, it certainly wasn't silent, she dreaded how much noise that the armour was going to make on it.

 

[Tristar]

From behind the outside, the man clad in armor did not seem to move, did not pose any qualms about Fen's daring action which had succeeded beyond his expectations- truth be told he was very inclined to pull the trigger when the guard flinched. Yet behind the half inch polarized visor of his, the edge of Calico's thinly sealed mouth twitched downwards in a disapproving glare at the teenage girl. He didn't like taking risks if there was no point to it- they could have easily sneaked past the guard with no issues about it, leaving no trace behind to even suggest that they existed, asides from the firsthand accounts of the workers in the building.

He had first hand experience with their kind however, to know that they couldn't care any more about legal proceedings, especially when it cut into their daily routine which they worked so hard to build in spite of their environment. What he saw was in direct violation of how things were supposed to work in his mind, and if it displeased him he didn't show one inch of his emotions to her outwardly. Instead, he allowed her to leave their newfound prisoner face-down on the ground, taking the blaster from her hands and holstering it with in a fluid action, never wavering his gaze from the twi'lek at all during the entire process. He waited until she was out of sight, climbing down the access ladder before he stood up and strode over to the prone body and knelt by his face.

"That was pretty pathetic, but I'm not one to judge." he breathed out to his captive, pawing through his belongings as he tried to pilfer whatever he could from him. All he found was a switchblade- Now wasn't that just lucky of her, he thought to himself. One good look at his shaking eyes revealed much of what he had feared- if she was by herself and did what she did, he had no doubts this person would have turned around to stab her: Calico had a presence, which was both good and bad for your average situations. This wasn't average.

Calico hefted his weapon in both his hands, giving the subdued captive a tsk of indignation as he stood up. "Nothing personal, mind you." Quick as a viper he pointed his PDW down at the twi'lek and pulled back the trigger. He felt the kick of the weapon, hearing the barely audible cough of the trifecta of deathly rounds that shredded his back over the loud and undisciplined fire from below. "Just a personal belief of mine."

He turned on a dime before anyone realized what had happened and dashed for the edge of the building, next to the ladder. Rather than mess with the metallic tool he leapt, falling the two story drop to the earth and activating his jump pack at the last possible second to dampened the impact when he landed with a heavy thud. It was a quicker, if hazardous method of leaving the crime scene. They had a buffer zone between them and the firefight, allowing him a quick break to reassess the situation. But first-

"What was that all about?" he asked, turning around to the ladder where Fen would be when she finished her turtle descent down the metallic rungs.

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen didn't exactly weight a lot, she was far from used to doing anything at all with her upper body however, even ladders were a challenge. So being careful, she had almost reached the bottom where there was a sudden gout of flame, she didn't realized Calico had, whatever that thingy was. Setting herself onto the ground and taking a moment to look around in the dark she was surprised when he turned on her. He had plenty of chance to object before didn't he? It had also all worked out for the best. Taking the comlink from the pocket of the jacket she looked confused, "The risk of him turning around and shooting at us, plus, I haven't used a ladder before? He could have shot us in the back, now he can't and he can't even tell anyone without leaving where we are. We just have to keep him busy for a minute and he didn't even see our faces." Fen made up her mind to leave out the fact that she didn't trust him not to kill him either. There was no reason to her that he needed to be killed, just preoccupied for a few moments.

Starting to walk towards where she expected the exit to the yard to be she pressed on the comlink and the blaster fire was back, tinny but back, there were orders being conveyed though there weren't completely clear, "It seems your friends are losing," Then blowing out her cheeks slightly, "Why are they after you anyway?" He was in full armour, that meant he planned to run into them, right? Had he done something to them, was wasn't stealing from them was he? The last thing Fen wanted was to be sent to prison for something, let alone something she had no idea about. Not that it had stopped her starting a shootout.

The yard was empty, it had enough room for a small transport to land. Nothing useful, just a few crates and a ten foot high wall around it. On the other side another street, one with lights and without gunfire by the sounds of it. A matter of just getting over the wall it seemed, or the door.

 

[Tristar]

Her reply, though not one without a base of truth, was still a weak argument when you look at it from a whole- he was there, he was armed and he had the implement of death aimed precisely towards the gangster. Had he even shown the intention of looking over his shoulders, he could bet you that his own trigger finger was far quicker than the now-dead-sentry. What infuriated him even more was that the girl hadn't used a single ladder in her life!? What kind of childhood did she had to endure that she didn't know how to use a simple contraption as a ladder? He didn't doubt that she certainly had street smarts and had what it takes to live on a planet by herself but after hearing the revelation of her lack of basic motor skills on a vertical plane, you couldn't help but wonder if you were perhaps, wrong.

He let out an exasperated sigh and covered the face of his helmet with his hand, his left on his hip in a disappointed fashion. He had hoped that he didn't have to point out every single reason for his actions, but she made him feel like he had to. Waving his hand in a tired manner at her face, he began to launch in a tirade. "That so called risk of yours was negated by the fact that I was pointing a gun at his back. If he so much as breathed in our general direction he would've been wasted before you could say 'stop!'. Keeping him 'busy'- he was already busy shooting at whatever he had his attention on at the first place."

Sighing, he dropped his pose and threw his hands up in the air, turning around to face the other street, guarded by a wire-fence that he had no doubt was far too weak to even consider climbing over. "We could've snuck past, but no you had to show yourself to the one guy you should've have. Now he's dead to cover up our tracks, one death less if you would've just- followed simple instructions." He turned around quickly and pointed a finger at her to drive the message back home, his voice slightly raised in built up tension. "Improvise only when there's no alternative, not because you fancy yourself a hot-shot just because you've survived odds."

Calico gave up being the lecturer after that, sinking down to the ground and resting his arms on his knee, head hung down with a tired creak of the helmet's material creasing on the black flight suit underneath. He folded his weapon half-heartedly into it's compact version, a small black case that smelled of heated metal and soot. "Those friends of mine didn't take too kindly when I snuck in and blew up their spice operation to kingdom come. Likely did more collateral damage than worth the contract pay, but that's not the point- the bombs blew up while I had the detonator in hand, which meant my employers never wanted me to pick up the cash. . .f*ckers."

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen was aghast, he killed him, why?

She also had a blaster and if he had, well, even she couldn't miss that close. Instead he gave up and what was the worse that he'd do? Turn around? See a girl who was soon to disappear and a suit of walking armour. That was the reason that this man she had respected gave for taking a defenseless man's life? Her point was valid, his was not in any way to her. If the Twi'lek had resisted, tried to fight, gotten up and shouted for help, then maybe, sure, he might have to die. That wasn't the story she was told just now though, it was that he had been killed in cold blood for no stupid reason at all. Her arms felt heavy, numbing to the night air even through the jacket. She had seen otherwise, she knew otherwise despite the life she lead, it didn't have to be this way. You didn't have to kill everyone that might just be an inconvenience to you, that was just, evil.

Ever subservient Fen would have done nothing, taken what he said. That Fen was now holding a blaster after escaping a firefight however, this Fen felt a fire that she hadn't felt before, not like this. She was angry, she was fuming, and he had the never to chide her? Had her feeling before been so right about Calico, on the rooftop? Not showing it in her eyes she bent down next to him, then with her sleeve brushed against his chest plate, whipping some of the dust away, "I guess that Twi'lek had eyes in the back of his head, must have seen your invisible nametag." Looking right into him again, just like when they first met, "I did something because I knew you would just shoot him anyway if I didn't." Her voice was flat, certainly colder than it had been to him even when he threw a blaster at her. Standing up she looked back to the fence for the moment, "The men after you don't know your face? The men that hired you?" She didn't like that situation, how likely was he to shoot her when this was over if she was the only one who knew who he actually was? Outburst over she seemed more like the girl he had left in that bar, confused but finding her feet. Now she was back to trying to plan the next few months in her head, to make sure she made it out of this alive.

Of course she just couldn't think of any reason anyone would ever want to kill Calico, he had been such a nice guy up until now. Well, yeah, she had thought that. Which made it hurt all the more. Looking up to the roof top and back to him she let out a sigh, "All I have ever seen you do improvise," Clenching the blaster carbine tightly, "So an actual plan this time then? One that doesn't get everyone killed?" If he was of the same mind that she had spoken the last time they met, that he would have to get revenge to prove he couldn't be taken advantage of to keep his reputation. So whoever hired him never meant to pay him, the best situation is that it was a mistake. So go back, walk right back in like he owned the place and ask for his money like nothing happened. Assuming these guys were too cowardly to attack him out right. It would mean no one had to die, as long as they had the money. Would he just want to level the place with explosives though? She hoped not, at least she could leverage that with the fact if he did, there would be no one to pay him.

 

[Tristar]

He heard the sass coming from a mile away, her voice cold and grim as she judged him with all the airs of superiority that she lacked because she felt she could do better than him in a million different ways for one situation? Her inexperience and naivety into thinking that there was a peaceful solution in the long term. Sure, she could say all she wanted about how she gave them a peaceful opening to leave, but she was blatantly revealing herself unnecessarily, and what was worse was that she made a strong assumption on her part because of his profession? The little minx had nerve to accuse him.

The man was tired and irritated- the exposure to her harsh and unjustified comment only served to fuel his anger, something he long tamed with copious amounts of liquor. Here he had neither and was sweating under his armor, making every second a damp, miserable moment for him. He ripped off his helmet and flung it across from where he sat, the black projectile smashing into the wall opposite of him, the concrete cracked and chipped. By comparison, the helmet was in far better condition, testament to months on the forge. He stood up, dusting his knees, his jaws clenched so hard vessels were popping out as he walked over and yanked the helmet free from the wall. Calico turned and jabbed a matte black finger at Fen and launched into something short of a rant.

"Take a good long minute to think Fen- if I wanted the man dead I would've shot him when I open the door immediately. There's no slow reaction to consider either, because in case you haven't notice I've been doing magnificent on that part. If you thought I was holding back because you were in the vicinity, let me remind you I taught you how to use the gun by literally shooting at a smuggler in front of your face without hesitation." He turned around and gestured angrily at the top of the building, where the carcass lay with missing pants and a head unrecognizable.

"We could have snuck past him easily, but no you couldn't trust me, ruined my plans and then forced me to improvise, thus causing the very one thing you feared in the first place!" Calico angrily shoved his head back into the helmet and latched the atmospheric seal with a hiss that suited his mood, keeping him well protected from gaseous contact. The cool air inside helped him to calm down, his ragged breathing slowly returning to a normal pace as he walked past her towards the wired fence, its criss-cross of weak steel no match for someone with a wire cutter. Calico did not have a wire cutter, and the empty street proved to be very much tempting to him.

"Now I'm afraid of revealing the plan to you in case you do what you did before and force an improvisation." He walked over to where the crates were and lifted one, taking tentative, cautious steps to the wired fence and dropped it at the foot of the fence. Still wasn't high enough for her to clamber over, so he repeated the action with another crate. "Can I afford to trust you, much like how you didn't trust me back there? If you want, you can just run along away and not look back if you say no, because I don't want a whiny teenage girl tagging along with me if all she's going to do is yap about how she'd rather not kill anyone at all."

"Once upon a time, long time ago, there may have been a time where I'd agree with you- no one would have to die at all. But I've been stabbed too many times in the back by people I've shown mercy to want to risk it over again. No one's going to show you the same mercy you showed them, not when you made them angry while doing so."

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen jumped slightly when he threw his helmet, she did not expect him to, loose it. Then she focused hard on the accusing finger. He was right, he didn't seem to have a qualm before about killing and trying to get her to do the same. However he also hadn't stayed to fight and kill them all, he'd fled right alongside her. He could have just shot the man, he was right but that didn't change how she felt about the situation. For someone that was used to evidence more than emotion that was unnatural but it felt like what he was going to do. What she did, she felt like she needed to, that it had to be that way. Gritting her teeth this time she didn't answer, it wouldn't help, only make things worse. So the fact she thought he was completely wrong, about all of it, she held silent on. This was not the time to seem stubborn, nor brave, or strong, she had no need of those masks.

Instead she stood there, looking him down plainly. Even goaded he did not threaten her, that put away some of the concerns that had developed from his bloodthirstiness. He also made what was already plain, clear. That he had been bitten too many times, that he didn't trust people or want to take any chance, however slight when it came to leaving an enemy behind. There was a creep of pity there, that a slave girl put more of a value on life than someone who had been free. Walking up to the gate Fen found the security far more lax than she expected, just a button press to unlock, another for them to very slowly swing open.

Looking back to the man that had bumbled though this with her she looked through him rather than at him, "You can't trust me, if you did you wouldn't be you." If he trusted people would he be here alone? Would he not have called for backup if there was anyone at all he knew here that could help him? Of course, to her that more than implied he didn't trust anyone. Just like he wouldn't leave an enemy to turn his back, he wouldn't trust anyone to watch his own either. How many times had people he considered friends, tried to kill him? "I don't want to kill anyone, I don't have that right. That doesn't mean I want you to die though, I would rather you didn't because I don't know anyone else like you." Looking out onto the street she took a breath, trying to slide the blaster rifle inside her jacket, something harder than it would seem. "If you want my help, I need to know your plan, I might trust you a little but its far from blind faith. If you don't then I wish you the best." She didn't want this to be how she said goodbye, in a day or two the Jedi planned to be leaving this planet. She would likely never see him again after that, or know if he died or not in this crazy vendetta.

 

[Tristar]

"That's very nice darlin'." he said, falling back to his Dantooine country accent, thick and rife with satisfaction of being the alpha. His burly voice mixed well with the accent, which makes you wonder why on Earth would he even bother masking it with a neutral accent that bordered that of a typical Inner-Rim Imperial citizen. When he saw how Fen merely pushed a button, the wired gate swinging open to greet her, he dropped the crate, breaking whatever was packed inside it. Like everything, there was always the simple way out, wasn't there? He gave her that, walking out behind her but turned left on the open street- away from wherever she herself was headed. He stopped himself from walking right past her, halting with trepidation in his throat. It wasn't in his right to keep on asking her for help, not when he disturbed her peace with gunfire and death. Yet she did say she was willing- in a fashion.

He turned to face her, the fighting in the background slowly fading away into nothing more than a few pot shots, the occasional scream and cursing back and forth. As much as he didn't want her help, it was always a good opportunity for her to learn a few things about the world. She might have plans of her own after this, marking the breaking of distance between them- for good, perhaps. She wasn't special by far- he still remembered a few certain individuals that had their own sense of uniqueness to them- but she was still a child that could be molded into something special by itself. She just needed the right lesson.

Was he the right teacher though? Calico wouldn't put his coin on it.

"If you want to help, don't ditch the coin I gave you. I lied, it's worth nothing, but what it does is worth more than what credits can be offered for the purchase of the actual coin. " To be frank, the coin was a replica- a damn good replica, might he add- of the real artifact he saw stumbling across a museum somewhere on Manaan- was it Manaan? There was a lot of water and not too much natural land, so it might have been. "Meet me at the Grand Pazaak Motel, south of town. You'll not miss it, from the neon stands and the hookers there. Bring yourself and the rifle you just nicked, but keep it hidden. Walking down that part of town will only get you killed faster than you can toss the coin away."

He took a few steps back, giving her a mock salute before spinning on his heels and breaking into a fast jog, away as far as possible from the firefight. "We'll try to do things diplomatically- if you don't mess up the plan by taking the steering wheel again, that is. See you tonight."

 

[Fen Vel]

Hardly the gentleman was he?

Fen watched him run away into the night and all she could really muster was a, huh. He had blown into her life yet again, almost gotten himself killed again and seemed to be trying to teach her something. This time he had made her angry rather than laugh, still that was a feeling. It was one she was far more familiar with than levity but she at least felt as if she was having it for her own sake now. It really made going to help him with his stupid plan a hard choice. He had ignored her, been rude, killed someone and lost his temper with her all before leaving into the night leaving her all alone less than thirty meters from a firefight. He hadn't told her his plan, which was her one request. At least he said he didn't plan to kill anyone, and somehow, Fen was feeling responsible for him.

With the blaster carbine hooked under her left armpit and hidden under her overly large jacket, she took walked into the night with a direct purpose in mind. Heading to one of the night markets she kept to the edge of the streets and kept herself to herself. With an ear to the ground and an eye to the crowds it was not hard to find what she was looking for. A fence for that comlink she had liberated, she would need a few credits for the rest of her plan. Oh she would do as he asked but that did not mean she could not have her own plan for how things were going to go down. A pittance of credits to her name now she found the type of stall she was looking for. It took a while to find a tone that matched her own, she was able to get a small pot of foundation, enough to cover her tattoos, a lipstick to match the colour of the bar lower on her face. Finally a black shall that wrapped around her hair and under the collar of the jacket. Enough that for tonight at least she might seem as a different person than those that might look for her in the morning. It has crossed her mind to sell the carbine for something lighter, it would make sense, more so since her shoulder felt numb under its weight. Calico had said to bring it though, and since he didn't share his plan, she had no idea why. If it wasn't for that she would have done.

As she walked she listened to the talk of the crowds, in all its many languages. A picture of the nights events started to come together, whose warehouse had been attacked, who was likely behind it. Useful bits and pieces, one she put away for later. Finally with the last of those credits she got on a shuttle that stopped near Grand Pazaak Motel, once there the now less remarkable girl would hope to slip into a shadow and wait for her compatriot to make his grand entrance.

 

[Tristar]

It was four hours until the meet up, and he was already lodged within a tight, dingy and very badly lit room he had called home ever since he arrived. On the bed, his worldly possessions packed within 3 grey-green duffel bags. Most of the items in there were associated to violence in one form or another, ranging from his kushari rifle to his second and most powerful suit of armor, yet another reminder of his contract with the feline soldiers. With four hours to kill, his armor stripped away, lying on the bed waiting to be scrubbed and packed, the mandalorian allowed himself a short reprieve to relieve himself in the restroom before setting to work.

Three hours to the meet up, and the last of his armor had been packed away except for the chest plate which was slim enough to be masked underneath a T-shirt. The dent in his armor stood out now that he had gave it a little wipe, the matte black paint scratched in various places. That was good. It meant the armor had survived a practical field test, and therefore could be relied on further more. Calico was an advocate of tests such as these, which was why he was still processing whether to give the teenager a decent grade. . .or downright flunk her on her first combat experience. Sure, not everyone was a prodigy when it came to snap shot decisions, but he expected her to be able to follow simple gestures and commands.

Instead, she decided to get uppity with her attitude, provoking a reaction from him- was that fair to her ally? At least seven out of the ten people he'd met that he could call friend, dead or alive, wouldn't agree. Then again out of those seven, only. . .sh*te he didn't know how many were still alive. Chances were, they were just disconnected from the real world, locked up in their jobs in their own little corners of the universe. Or they were just six feet underground, carrion food. The scarred man pulled out a spare change of clothes, dismantled his weapon and kept it back in its secret compartment: most custom agents weren't so bendy with the wave of credits under their nose. Two and a half hours to the meet up. More than enough for a quick nap, and he was getting sleepy . . .

________________________________________________
​

His hand clamped down on the source of the noise, eyes fluttered wide open and alarmed. After two seconds, when he realized he wasn't assaulted did he let his guard down. The figure under the covers turned to the table next to his bed, the bright green figures taking a few silent minutes of intense scrutiny to click in his mind: an hour to their meet up. Calico dropped out of bed, shuffled to the tiny shower room and spent the next five minutes rinsing, washing away any residue of fatigue. Only then did he applied the works, using up most of the soap the cheap motel offered. He glanced at the alarm clock once again as he slipped a singlet over his damp body: four hours to the flight out- the roaring of a shuttle burning in atmosphere blasting in his ears. There was a reason the motel was cheap, despite it's close proximity to the space station. Next came the chest plate, then a t-shirt and jacket to cover up the slight lump on his chest. It wasn't too noticeable at a distance, and up close it merely looked as though he had became slightly bigger and a tad bit disproportionate in some areas.

Not too big of an issue, it wasn't a fashion pageant he intended to win. The 'civilian' pulled out a long thin baton and pressed the depression in the handle, issuing forth a slight hum and the bright blue spark of energy. Fen was against him killing someone, was she? Well, he had ways to incapacitate people without permanently closing their eyes, even if it meant he had to get up close and dirty. This was as lightly armed as he dared to venture, although. . .

The holdout blaster held a single shot, but was tiny enough to be faked as a metal flask kept within the jacket's inner pockets. With hope, that was all it took. Locking the door behind him, Calico paid his dues and left the motel, his bags being mailed by a street courier to the space station's many lockers. Now was the part where he pulled up the hood of his jacket and walked down town, a good thirty minutes walk. He jabbed his hands back into the pockets of his trousers and walked the silent walk, slipping past the crowds with a down cast look.

_____________________________________________________
​

Calico blinked once. Then twice. His datapad wasn't lying, that shawled woman was the teenager he was looking for- the soft blip was silenced by his thumb. She still hadn't sold the coin, good. He walked up to her side smoothly, starring out at the open street with his back to the motel, its neon lights and loud music blasting away. "Good to see you actually kept the coin." Without it, he might've kept on waiting, not realizing she was already at the site. "Sorry for earlier on, rush of adrenaline, heat of battle and so forth. Won't happen again. . so long as there's no reason to."

"Don't look back. Not just yet. Don't look at me either, keep looking at the street. As far as we both are concerned, you and I don't know each other." Technically correct. None of them knew too well of the circumstances they had been under, asides from the bare basics. Was that really knowing someone though? He wouldn't bet on it. "In 20 minutes, my employees will arrive for their usual 'fun' in one of the suites, whatever passes off for a suite here. I've checked in ahead of time, so very calmly, and I mean very calmly, the two of us will walk in, take the elevator up to the room. Look for their 'play' room. We will very calmly gain entrance into their room, sit down across from a coffee table and then talk business. Your gun will discourage the rude and curious, because for all intents and purposes I will be entering without a weapon."

He gave a little smirk at that. "Yes, you heard right: you're the one armed here to kill. Don't disappoint yourself when we finally get to talk business with my employees. Strictly niceties. They'll act a little surprise, a little taken back- whatever. See to it no one dies while we're behind coffee tables, okay?"

 

[Fen Vel]

Fen was reading a pamphlet when a disembodied voice made itself known to her. She twitched with surprise before doing her best to cover it up. Falling against the wall she had been standing next to she pretended to keep reading, uncertain why they had to be so secretive about this. No one was looking for her and if people were looking for him, it didn't matter who he talked to. Given where they were, it might actually be less suspicious if he just up and up talked to her. His words quickly took that thought away though, what he said about the coin. He had tricked her, that, scoundrel. The folded page in front of her was getting such a glowing look right now that it might wilt. That also meant that he knew exactly where she was when he ran into her, he planned all this out from the start and used her. He had given her the coin, gone to this stupid encounter and then used her of all people as insurance. It would almost be admirable if he had picked anyone other than her for the job, in picking her he had been stupid rather than smart. It made her think for a moment there must be more to his plan, irksome.

As to the rest that he told her, it seemed acceptable. That he wasn't armed, was comforting as much as it was concerning. It put her in a situation where she was doing the illegal act, the one he could blame for all this if it went wrong. That, was not a good place to be but, what choice was there? She was here now, she wanted to help him just one more time before she had to make up her mind if she, hated him or not.

Folding up the pamphlet and tucking it into her pocket she pushed off from the wall and walked around to stand on his left side, "Then lets go." Placing her arms across her chest she didn't exactly look remotely happy. Ready to walk in a skulk rather than her normal upright manner, it was weird for her but it seemed to fit the role she was trying to play.