Ask Coruscant Off Duty

Nick Shaw

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Nick let himself get lost in the hustle and bustle of the crowded cantina. He was in a sour mood. Work had worn on him more the usual as of late but it was more than that. He was used to the stress of work, he wouldn't know what he would do without it actually. The girl he had been seeing for the last few months had up and disappeared a few days ago, only leaving a note saying it was over. He couldn't really blame her, there was only so many dates you could cancel before it was too much for someone.

He wanted to just turn his brain off for a while, so he found a cantina that was nowhere near the usual spots for Sector Rangers. No one knew him here. He could be just another face in the crowd, exactly what he wanted.

"Another" he told the bartender when he came back around. He was a few drinks in, and he had no intention of stopping in any time soon. He had left his comm, his badge, everything back home. Tonight he was just a civilian.

As the band switched songs, Nick pulled out a cigarette and it lit it, letting out a sigh as he exhaled smoke.

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Lilith Vye

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Lilith decided a break was in order, and not on a world bathed in the Dark Side. She'd been on and off lately with her mood, most of the time a hairsbreadth away from sticking a lightsaber through her head. Her goals remained unwavering, but that didn't make the pain go away.

She was at the bar, already pretty drunk and high on spice. It was never enough though, not with the Force always aiding her resistance naturally. She had two drinks in front of her when she heard a guy call for another, so she just slid one of the glasses down. A small, meek smile flashed towards him as if to tell him 'you're welcome' before she looked way.

It prompted her to call for another drink though while simultaneously downing the other one in front of her. She'd never managed to get blackout drunk but maybe she'd be successful tonight.

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Nick Shaw

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He caught the glass that was slid down towards him. He looked up at the woman, somewhat confused expression on his face. He finally held the glass up towards her in thanks before downing its contents. It was stronger, much stronger what he had been drinking and looked like she was putting them down pretty quickly.

He contemplated turning back to the game on the halo-screen but looked back at the woman again. He finally decided to slide over the one chair so he was sitting next to her.

Nick was quiet for a second before looking over at her. "You have an excellent taste for drinks, miss." he said with a bit of a smile. "Mind if I buy the next round?" he asked. Assuming she didn't shoe him away. He would catch the bartender the next time she passed.

She produced two glasses with the same clear liquid that Lillith had been drinking. "Name's Nick" he said before he held up the glass towards her.

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Lilith Vye

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Lilith shifted a bit uncomfortably when he approached her. It had been a long time since a man had sat beside her in a bar like this. Part of her said to just get up and leave, but another wanted some sort of...human interaction that didn't have a religious undertone. "Sure, I guess then we'll be even," she answered when he mentioned buying her a drink.

She looked over him for a second. He wasn't a small guy by any means, but he didn't tower over her like some in the past. She looked at her drink again, a single sip left. She took it and sighed. It was hard to decide exactly what name to give him, but she kind of wanted him to address her by her name known only by the Sith, so she didn't strictly feel tied to them when it was said. After a moments of debate, she said, "You can call me Lilith."

"So Nick..."
she continued looking over to him now, her eyes tracing his features. "What brings you here tonight? Just trying to have some fun?"

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Nick Shaw

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Nick almost thought about leaving himself. He could see that she seemed a bit uncomfortable. Maybe she didn't want to be bothered, he understood feeling more than most. She finally agreed and Nick decided he would stick around for a drink and then he would leave. "I have always found its bad luck to owe someone." he said with a bit of a grin as he took a swallow from the glass.

She paused again after he had given her his name. It wasn't much but Nick was trained to pick up on small things, the little tells in people's body language. There was a definite hesitation but she eventually gave her name. "Its nice to meet, Lilith." he said with a smile.

He leaned back in his chair somewhat. "Seemed like a waste of a night to stay in." he said with a bit of a shrug. "Don't get too many nights off so thought I would blow a little steam off." he said. "What about you, any special occasions?" he asked looking down at the glasses piling up in front of the woman.
 

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Lilith could sense some deception in his answer. Nothing that also gave her a sense of danger though. It was possible he was lying about something frivolous, but what she wasn't sure. Either way, maybe it was the plethora of drinks or the spice running through her veins but she blatantly said, "Something tells me you aren't telling the entire truth."

But she smiled then, not in the wicked way she'd been lately. It was just a soft, amused smile. "It's not like most of us would in a bar," she said with a meek laugh.

Her new drink arrived so she grabbed it, sipping on it so she didn't blacked out... yet. He was a good looking man, so she didn't need to forget everything. She answered his question after she pulled the drink way, "Maybe to be around other people. I've been alone a lot," she frowned, and her eyes drifted away some.

It wasn't the entire truth, but not entirely untrue. She'd been around people but the only people she had "normal" conversations with were Sith, and the word normal didn't exactly fit that either. "What keeps you so busy?" she asked after, though in a distant way.

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Nick Shaw

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He paused, slightly grinning into his cup when she said he was lying. He wondered what it was that tipped her off. People had all sorts of tells that weren't telling the truth if you knew where to look. It was something Nick used all the time, and something he had trained to break in himself but no one was perfect.

"Well..." he said pausing "its just been a rough few days. Just needed to cut loose for a bit" he said looking down at the bar counter. That was the truth. "But its been my experience that people don't want to hear others complain." he said with a shrug. He would be far from the first to use the bar to run away from his problems.

She answered and there was a certain sadness in her eyes, Nick believed her. "People aren't so great." he said taking another sip from his beer. He understood the sentiment though, as a cop he spent all day around the wrong people. There were times he forgot what normal interaction was like. There were criminals, and there were his co-workers and that was pretty much it. Maybe he had come out for the same reason as her, just normal interaction.

"I'm a cop." he said. It was kind of to say that. He spent so much of his time in parts of the Galaxy or even this planet where it wasn't in one's best interest to openly admit it, but this wasn't such a place. They were in a relativity safe district whose civilians wouldn't automatically want to kill you for being in law enforcement. Though tonight he wasn't much interested in work, he was trying to escape that for a little while.

"So are you from Coruscant or you just passing though?" he asked continuing to drink. He was moving slower through drinks that she was, starting to feel the buzz of the alcohol in his system.
 

Lilith Vye

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"Sometimes I enjoy hearing complaints," she said smiling softly, adding with a short laugh, "Makes me feel better."

Though she raised an eyebrow when he mentioned being a cop. Of all people, a cop. But now that she'd talked to him, laughed off a bit of the ice it was hard to simply see him as a faceless cog in the gear of a defective government. Just like she couldn't see Trys as one, not just because of her master but the kindness she showed.

Lilith sighed, though quickly explained—sparingly and in simple terms—her reaction, "I grew up on the Nar Shaddaa streets, so my experiences with cops have mostly been the same experiences I had with gang members. You know, the type that like to capitalize on street rats just trying to survive." Hell, most of them were gang members. "Luckily I'm off that hellhole, but I'm just passing through Coruscant."

She shifted a bit, taking another sip of her drink. "I guess I'm a nomad now." Lilith rested her elbow on the bar, then her cheek on her hand. Even though he was a cog, she felt relaxed enough around him. She smiled again after a second and added, "What's it like being settled down? That is, assuming you aren't passing through."

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Nick Shaw

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He returned the smile but didn't go further. He was near drunk enough to spill his life's story, much less its problems to a complete stranger. Though he was starting to feel quite good, a comfortable buzz setting in.

At the mention of his profession, the conversation soured. This happened from time to time. Alot of people didn't like cops, alot of them had good reasons not to. He worked hard to display the qualities of a good cop, but it was something he had to remain constantly vigilant about. It was not hard to get tangled up in the wrong things in this Galaxy.

"I'm sorry you had to live with that."
he said in an empathetic tone. "My grandfather dealt with a lot of the same corruption here on Coruscant. That is why he went into the profession, did a lot of good. Took a lot of dirty people out of the game." he said lost in the thought for a second. His grandfather had always been a hero of his. "Trust me, there are some good cops out there." he said.

"I stay mostly on Coruscant, though I tend to sleep more at the station than I do my apartment."
he said. The halo screen in front of them displayed a news story of the aftermath of the attack on Corellia. Nick had only just returned from memorial but the feelings were still fresh. "Though with things like this.." he said "..I suspect I will be moving around more in the future." he said downing the rest of his drink. They were hard feeling to face, and they still clearly weighed heavily on him.
 

Lilith Vye

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She listened to him talk about his grandfather, but remained quiet for awhile. She didn't doubt there were cops that thought they were doing good, and meant to do good, but their version of good was fed to them by their government. That stray thought, however, did make her feel something when he pointed at the holoscreen, but she was still numb. How could she work past that numbness when most people she'd come across were cruel?

Lilith sighed again and looked away from the screen. "Do you truly believe in your work?" She wondered if he spent almost as many hours at it that she did hers. Rarely did she sit at a bar, taking to a stranger. The funny part was talking to strangers at bars was her life back in the day, over two years ago.

"You come off as a sincere guy anyway," she added, suddenly feeling everything she'd taken hit her at once. "I'm... having trouble seeing straight," she said, unsure how to react. It'd been awhile, and the last time she'd been in her own bar near her bed.

Another guy near her overheard what she said and slid over closer. "You're quite the little thing, you know, I'd be happy to take you home," he said with a devilish grin.

Lilith was no fool, even drunk and spiced out of her mind. She could sense danger, but she was so overwhelmed and having a hard time thinking of how to nicely tell him to kark off.

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Nick Shaw

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He thought about her question. There was a lot packed into it that made answering honestly more complicated than just saying yes. He held a beer up to his mouth, eyes starring at nothing in particular on the bar. "I.." he paused slightly before continuing "I do..I have to. If I can't believe in what I do, what's the point of anything?" he said.

He chuckled "Thanks..I..." he was cut off by her announcing she was having difficulty seeing straight. He glanced over, looking into her pale yellow eyes, he could see the signs of intoxication. Her pupils were dilated and somewhat watery. "Are you alright?" he asked, turning towards her. He was careful with his words, not wanting to spook her. Someone who had taken drugs would naturally be worried about talking to a cop about what they took.

Nick looked past her, seeing the man move over seats. Past him, he had two other friends who were laughing and jeering him on. Nick sighed. The man looked at Nick. "Why don't you tell this punk to get lost and come have fun with us." the man said, a smile showing he had several teeth missing.

"Look pal."
Nick said in a confident tone. "She obviously is not interested." he continued hoping the man would just give up. It was obvious that Lilith was getting hit pretty hard by the effects of whatever she had taken.

"Stay out of it!" the man replied, standing up and taking a step towards Nick. Nick also stood, he was taller and likely the stronger of the two. As they approached one another, the man pulled a knife, exposing only briefly to Nick. The Sector Ranger didn't back down though.

Something strange fell over him, it wasn't like anything he had experienced before. He assumed it was his drink catching up to him, but it was beyond that. "You don't want to do this." he finally said. The man's eyes went out of focus for a moment. "I don't think I want to do this." he said in a monotone before turning back to his friends.

His friends were confused, ready for the fight but the trio left fairly quickly. Nick stood confused about what had just happened but turned back towards Lilith. "Is there some I can contact for you? Call a cab maybe? You staying close?" he asked as he sat down again.
 

Lilith Vye

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Maybe she was completely wrong, but it sounded like he didn't truly believe in what he was doing. It sounded like he wanted to believe. It made her think he might not be the standard cog, even though thinking was pretty hard to do at the moment.

When she looked at him again, she noticed he was staring deep into her eyes. If she was a betting woman, she'd put her credits on him noticing she'd had more than alcohol, but she just nodded when he asked if she was okay. She was okay, but not really capable of too much at the moment.

It even took her some time to realize the two men had gotten up, and she looked back to see the "fight". It struct her as odd, though sweet, that the ranger stood up for her. But something else quickly struct her as well; he used the Force. It was amateurish, but the weak minded drunkard really had no chance against any sort of influence from the Force. She was tempted to say something, but how do you broach the subject? Especially while drunk and spiced out of your mind. Lilith remained quiet until the ranger sat down.

"Thank you but I can... take care of myself," she said stubbornly even though she had just admitted to not being able to see straight. It was probably a lie, but she felt a bit of defensiveness kick in. She was scared to admit that she did need help, or would like his company a bit longer... but then she stood up and the room spun. "Okay, except for maybe walk straight," she admitted.

"If you want to walk with me to my ship I..." she trailed off. Unsure if he'd actually want to. He'd stood up for her, but that didn't mean he'd go any further. "I wouldn't mind it..." she added, but attempted to walk away herself, not willing to see his reaction.

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Nick Shaw

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He backed off a bit as she said she could handle herself. He worried what would happen if she walked off in her state but it wasn't his place to tell her what to do.

She stood up and he could tell she was about to fall over so he moved to catch her but she managed to just barely keep her balance. There was no why she was making it anywhere. He was about to offer to call a cab for her again. when she asked, or better yet offered him the chance to walk her back.

He couldn't let her just go out into the street on her own. They weren't in an especially dangerous sector but it still wouldn't be entirely safe out there either. He let out a chuckle "Sure, I'd be glad to walk you home." he said.

She was already making her way towards the door. He laid down some credits, enough to cover their drinks and moved to catch up to her as she moved outside. "So where is this ship of yours?" he asked as the moved out into the chilly evening. He hoped she was clear headed enough to remember. He would offer her an arm if she needed to stabilize herself but otherwise walked along side her.
 

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Lilith didn't fully comprehend that he'd agreed to walk her until he extended his arm. She took hold of it, because she really would've fallen over if she didn't. But she stopped for a second to look up at him. It really was odd for a cop to be so nice to her. They were suppose to be on opposite sides of the ongoing conflict. Maybe she should run now, call a cab and forget everything, but against her better judgement she didn't.

She sighed instead, leaning a head against his arm after a second. It felt... nice to be close to another human being, and the contrast between the cold and his warmth was comforting.

"The..." she paused for a second, trying to recall the name when he asked, "Halad Spacesport." Thinking on it, she probably should be wary about showing him to her ship, but it was hard to care about that over getting back to a bed.

As they walked, Lilith felt an odd sense of sadness slowly falling over her. "Nick?" she started, looking back up at him. There was a pause, and maybe he'd see the conflict in her eyes before she asked, "Will I never see you again after this night?" It was probably an odd question. She was just trying to enjoy the crisp stroll with another human being near her, but she wasn't sure a single night of it was enough.

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Nick Shaw

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He led the way towards the Halad Spaceport. He was glad she was coherent enough to at least remember that much. She seemed to drift in and out of it as they walked. Nick couldn't help but feel a tad awkward in the situation. As she leaned against him it was an oddly familiar gesture for people who had only just met.

He had certainly been with people who were much less pleasant while intoxicated though he knew it wasn't real. This likely wasn't who she was, maybe she was better, maybe she was worse. He doubted he would ever find out.

As the thought crossed his mind, she tilted her head up and mimicked the thought out loud, asking if they would ever see each other again. "You tell me, nomad." he said pleasantly "You know where to find me." he said.

"The Galaxy always seems like a smaller place than it actually is. I think we will run into each other someday." he said. "Where are you headed after Coruscant?" he asked, more to make conversation than anything, thinking it better to keep her talking and maybe a bit more coherent.
 

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Lilith thought for a second, and landed on one answer, "Probably not." Besides human contact there was no reason for her to seek out a cop on a world where most people probably wanted her dead, or at least wanted the real her dead.

"Not sure," she added after he asked. "Some place dangerous probably. Part of my work." She shrugged.

It wasn't long until they got to her ship and she let go of him. "Well, goodbye. Sorry for pulling you away from your drink," she said, though she noticed a few men gather at the gate entrance. One of them clearly had a knife but their eyes wernt on her. "Just one last question, you piss anyone off lately?"

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Nick Shaw

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He nodded his head. She was right. That was fine with Nick, it was a pleasant end to the evening. He couldn't complain about that.

He grinned at her next comment. "Oh yeah? A dangerous nomad, very exciting." he said with a bit of a teasing tone. Who knows if she was telling the truth or not, it didn't really matter all that much anyway.

She was able to lead them to her ship and she started to walk towards the ramp. "Nothing to be sorry for." he said with a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Lilith." he said as he took a step back.

Instead of turning to go inside, she looked past him for a moment before asking if he had made any enemies. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the figures gather. There were three figures that Nick saw. "Its alright. Go inside and lock the ship, I'll be alright." he said with a reassuring smile.

He turned, his expression growing serious as he walked towards the figures. He put his hand on his blaster in his back waistband. He was hoping they would just scurry off, but they didn't.

"Can I help you?" he asked, stopping about 15 feet from the gate.
 

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Lilith wasn't exactly in the listening mood, and stayed on the ramp of her ship to watch the scene. Her fingers wrapped around her blaster, and she had at least enough sense to switch it to stun. She didn't want to get mixed up with murder charges on this planet as Lilith.

She considered just minding her own business and passing out on her ship; he was a still a random stranger to her really and... well a cop. However, he'd helped her and she was not in the best state of mind to make rational decisions. At first she only saw two men at the gate, but then in the distance seven more men emerged and were moving at a very fast pace towards Nick.

"Kriff...." she said, bringing out her blaster, aiming, squinting her eye, biting her tongue and praying to the Force that she didn't hit the wrong person. After a second she she squeezed the trigger twice and.... actually hit the two closet targets to Nick. One in the shoulder, the other square in the head and they both fell to the hard ground with a cartoonish thud. Lilith nearly did the same herself from the shock of actually hitting them, and she paused for a handful of seconds to wonder what a stun bolt to the head would feel like.

But the ranger was still in grave danger, so she shouted "Nick!" while still holding her blaster haphazardly out. "My ship!" Maybe they could take off, and she could drop him off at another port, or maybe he should fly...

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Nick Shaw

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The men didn't get a chance to respond before blaster fire rang out behind him, causing the ranger to jump slightly. Bolts flew past his head, getting dangerously close before striking the two men in front of him.

He was about to turn and ask what she was doing, but then he saw what she had seen. Seven men were now running towards him, blasters drawn. They started to fire as Nick turned to run, pulling his own blaster out.

Blaster fire was all around him as he tried to weave in and out of what small cover there was. He turned periodically to return fire. As he hit the ramp, a sharp pain shot up his leg as a blaster shot struck him in the leg.

He cursed as he threw up himself up the ramp. "Close the ramp!" he cried out to Lilith as the group grew closer. With the closed door, they had bought themselves some time. "We need to get out of here." he said pulling himself up. He tried to put weight on his left leg but winced in pain, almost blacking out. "Can you fly?" he said. It was obvious she was in no condition to fly them out of here so Nick braced himself against the corridor, and hobbled down the hallway towards the cockpit.

Throwing himself down in the chair, he started up the launch sequence as the engines started to warm up.
 
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