[OPEN to DarkNet] The New 'Net

[Flying Blind]

Location: Kal'Shebbol

This is it. This is the beginning. Kannick Deacon Stargrave had been waiting for this moment for months now. He was on his home planet of Kal'Shebbol, in the cantina that would serve as a rallying point for their agents. Today the newest members of DarkNet would meet up. The others were old friends and allies that had helped Kannick find out the fate of his parents, but the DarkNet had a greater purpose. The DarkNet would help the Galaxy in ways no one faction could. In his mind, his thoughts drifted to an imaginary future, where DarkNet was a huge network that had Galaxy wide influence. But, first things first. They had a long way to go, and he was certain it would not be easy. In all honesty, he doubted they would ever wield quite that much power, but they would do everything in their willpower to get there, even if they fell short. Besides his brother, who wasn't far from him, there were no other occupants in Jecht's Cantina, named The Void. The Void was closed today supposedly for renovations, at least for the regulars who would pass by. But the new members of DarkNet would know the passcode Knowledge Lives, and would enter no problem.

Today it would just be him, Jechtral, Astra, and the new recruits, the ones who would hopefully take DarkNet from being a small contact network created by Kannick and Jechtral, to a new faction, capable of causing serious damage to its targets. But of course, everyone usually had humble beginnings. Like right now, where the future Overseer of the L.O.C.K. Division wasn't dong anything glamorous, not trying to look the part of an important leader. He was cleaning off the various tables that lined The Void. Looking around, he saw Jechtral messing with the drink hose. Every now and then Kannick drank straight from the nozzle, just to mess with his brother. Jechtral wasn't exactly a neat freak, but he knew how to push his twin's buttons. Of course, wanting to still be a little official, he hadn't messed with his brother today. Not yet at least. He was finishing up with the last of the tables when he called over to his brother "Tables are done, Jecht." Everything good over at the bar. It was a little cheesy, but Kannick was a fun of laughter, since it seemed to always brighten up the place, so he put up a sign that read I bold colorful letters "WELCOME NEW DARKNET MEMBERS!"

Kannick checked his chrono. 8:12 pm local time. The sun was setting, and Astra was supposed to have been there by 8:00. The invited were going to come at around 8:30, so Astra was running out of time. Kannick's broad smile lessened a bit, but stayed on his face, since he couldn't manage to take it down completely. "Hey, have you heard anything from Astra? She was supposed to be here 12 minutes ago, wait, 13 minutes ago." He had quickly grown accustomed to asing Jecht about Astra. Apparently they had a stronger bond than Kannick did. It was understandable, since Kannick was locked away as a hostage and those two had to work together to rescue him. He made a mental note to speak to Astra later, since he wanted to make sure he had a stable connection with both of his co-leaders. That is, if she even got here. With everything mostly ready to go, Kannick simply stood around the Void, waiting for Astra to show up, as well as the others who were invited.

 

[Zigara]

The rain had cleared up this evening but the scent of a fresh rain hung around the planet of Kal'Shebbol and the clouds still lingered in the sky. It'd start out like any other day but today had a bit more of a significance, today was the dawn of a new era - a new chapter... or rather a novel in Jechtral's life. It was refreshing. Tonight was his twin's, Kannick Stargrave's idea, granted he had a little say in it all. Last night he had just spoke with his brother, he showcased some new tech and caught of few highlights of last night's Hutt Ball game. They'd talked about what they should do and quite frankly his brother would have been right. They'd spent countless hours and days collecting talented individuals from "nerds" (the real heroes) to "brutes" to "party magicians" all in hopes of trying to accomplish this one creation, and it was all theirs. Previously some of the people they spoke with were old contacts, but most were new contacts. Jechtral thought to believe that his reputation as a "cyber punk" served him well in a few meetings. He'd spent years carving out his presence in the HoloNet, planting seeds just waiting to bear fruit. And here they were.

Naturally, it was just him and Kannick in the Cantina, known as "The Void." A cantina and club that Jechtral had acquired through legal means, he'd had it built specifically for himself - just a young guy with those hopeless dreams of owning one of the most happening places in the galaxy. A typical dream, a guy who wanted to be able to get all the drink and music he wanted... and of course the ladies. The cantina wasn't that old but it was old enough to have definitely made an impact! He had regulars, he had a black balance book, he had trademarks, he had the music, and he had the know how. Oh yea, guess his brother had some part in that - but Jechtral often took full claim; it was impressive you know? Jechtral was proud, but not to the point of inflated ego... much. While his brother was off gallivanting a hero's life as a Jedi, Jecht was working on becoming a successful businessman. His hard work paid off, he was by no means a business tycoon with millions of credits to his name but, he'd managed to be comfortable.

Tonight, tonight wasn't his night or Kannick's night. Tonight was about something more and tonight was meant to be fairly lax and peaceful. Kannick had a few people Jechtral had never met just as Jechtral had people Kannick didn't know, and there was even a third; a gal they'd met who'd also had a few people neither of them had met - but despite all of this, they all proved themselves in one way or another. Each of the trio trusted one another explicitly. Jechtral had finished up some standard checks to verify the integrity of the drink lines before he heard his brother's call. Jechtral met his eyes and nodded in appreciation before he looked at that banner strung up. Jechtral sighed, his brother had insisted on all those colours and that oversized banner. What was it? An arts and crafts project? Were they back in the pre-school days? A smile appeared as he thought about that.

He had just turned around when Kannick ask the location of Astra - Astra, the mandalorian female they'd met and the third member of the DarkNet Trio. She'd proven herself as a capable partner in this upcoming creation. A valuable asset that he'd be foolish to ignore. Him and Astra got along really well, almost too well. Right from the get-go they were upon each other, taking jabs at one another which had clearly grown a little more than expected... Jecht wasn't complaining, and neither was he guilty about it. What had happened was drawn solely from the combined strength of the two when they set out to Utapau to bust Kannick out of a crime lord's - scratch that, EX-crime lord - base of operations. The two of them had to work in a more intimate setting for the job, they needed to trust each other implicitly and he'd worked with Astra to come up with a full plan that they'd knock off in efficient precision.

"So, I do one mission with the girl without you and you think I have ALL the answers? I may have tracked you to save your sorry ass back on Ruusan but that doesn't mean I track everyone I meet." He smirked as he took the jab at his brother. "Just you Kannon! Besides, she's her own woman. She's got her own things to do believe it or not. She's not here to serve you, Nick." It was good natured. But at the same time, Jecht couldn't help but to wonder himself. He shrugged it off and brushed it aside, despite a few slight bumps in their trip to Utapau he'd developed a certain bond and they'd come out feeling great with one another.

 

[QwibQwib]

Boredom - Absolute, withering boredom.. It was all Nabassk felt as he stared out of the cockpit window at the blue swirley of Hyperspace.. That same swirley that had been there for weeks now, how many weeks? The Trandoshan couldn't remember.

His Jaws parted in a yawn, hand going up to rub the sleep out of his eyes that was a direct effect from the rather eventless sleep that he had awoken from no more then five minutes ago, most of the time spent on this trip was sleeping, no longer in his quarters though, always in the pilot's chair, anticipating coming out of Hyperspace.. It had to happen sometime right? The Reptile sighed heavily, getting up off of the seat, he needed a shower, not so much for reasons of cleaning, but more to ease stress.

The sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the ship, reaching only the senses of the man who caused them.. It was a short walk to the main quarters, the door sliding up quickly in front of Nabassk. Inside it was all so.. unused, the room was rather empty, just a bed and an end table right next to the bed, said table had a lightsaber resting on it, Nabassk didn't stay in the room for very long, instead he turned to the refresher doors and walked in.

The shower did do it's intended purpose of relieving much of Nabassk's stress, if not all of it.. The Trandoshan walked out, towel wrapped around his waist and his first smile since he started the journey on his face.

The smile did not last though as an unexpected jolt went through the ship, causing Nabassk's expression to turn to one of startled shock, a yelp escaping from him as he fell forward, arms flailing in a futile attempt to balance himself, his hands made contact with the floor, now stinging.

"Kriffing.. ugh.." The Lizardman cursed, getting back up, he shook his hands to banish the pain, and looked around his room, the jolt vanishing from his mind as he didn't realize it meant the ship was finally out of Hyperspace.

It was realized however as Nabassk walked back into the cockpit, clothes on and lightsaber clipped onto his back hip, he gasped audibly at the view of the planet in front of him, the smile returned, even more joyous then before, as he laughed happily, moving quickly to the pilot's seat, he brought himself into the planet, requesting entrance at the nearest spaceport, getting granted such, and planting his ship down in hanger D-14

Nobody told him that word of his arrival would likely have reached the man who brought him here already

 

[Zigara]

"Greetings Nullifier, welcome to Kal'Shebbol's space. Your request to land has been granted, please proceed to the South... negative, eastern landing pads, D-14. Please be sure to check in with the arrival desk before you venture into the city. Once again, welcome to Kal'Shebbol." Would enter the cockpit as control gave the trandoshan direction.

Upon Nabassk's landing, a male Nikto dockworker approached the lizard. The nikto was reptillan by nature, standing about the same height as Nabassk, with a high athletic build. His scales golden with black eyes with harder scales making up his scalp where hair would be on a human. "Welcome traveler. We have a record on this freighter." The nikto greeted as he looked down at a datapad and up at the trandoshan. "It appears that we've been expecting you." He lowered the datapad and looked over the trandoshan, almost studying him. The nikto made no move to come off as threatening and Nabassk's Force Sense (inherent to all Force Users) would not set off any alarms - it might have been a little odd that Nabassk would be getting a reception of this nature; but this was a planned thing ever since Jechtral had his exchange with him. Hopefully, the trandoshan would feel slightly at ease and be willing to follow - after all, it was a highly public area with security cameras and personnel throughout the starport. "I humbly request you follow me. We'll take care of this."

Kal'Shebbol had grown into a massive trade hub over the centuries. People came here from all over the galaxy looking for fine goods imported and exception goods being exported. Here, there really was no need to feel threatened - everyone had a purpose and everyone stuck to it. Sure, it didn't compare to Crouscant or Nar Shaddaa; crime had it's foot in the door here but for the most part the authorities kept on it and being so far from the core worlds crime lords generally saw no profit in setting up. The nikto would lead the trandoshan through the lobby and past the arrival desk; Nabassk might wonder why they just skipped over the arrivals when control told him to check in - however the dockworker anticipated this and provided the answer. "Today you can skip check in. As I said, we knew of your arrival; we just didn't know when you'd be here. Don't worry, your ship will be safe. We can lockdown your hanger if you'd like - docking fees waived for this visit." Soon they would exit the starport, a landspeeder was waiting for them, manned by a robotic driver. "Good evening sir, your trip was well?" The droid driver said in pre-programmed greeting. "Where are we going sir? Shall I recommend some areas of interest?" - "No, he's here for business. Proceed to destination 77891-Hotel." - "Very good sir, when ready please buckle up." - "Welcome to Kal'Shebbol, trandoshan. I know it must be odd, but trust us - you REALLY want to go there. Your Nar Shaddaa Slicer is there." The nikto winked at Nabassk before his final goodbye, "Knowledge Lives, remember it when you get there." And with that, the dockworker disappeared back into the starport, presumable back to work.

Once Nabassk buckled up in the taxi it was off, through the streets and skyways of Kal'Shebbol until they broke free of the city. The taxi droid wouldn't hesitate to talk to it's patrons but it assumed that this one didn't wish to talk; unless Nabassk spoke, the droid would not. They traveled through the open plains of Kal'Shebbol's landscape, that was typical of the planet - one time the planet housed a couple small cities, primarily that of the capital but over the centuries the city had expanded to the point where you could see city lights from space, kind of like Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa just nowhere near as dense. The trip would take between 10 - 15 minuets.

In the distance Nabassk would see a small settlement, arranged much like a circle with a larger building smack in the middle of the arrangement. There were several other buildings as well, all looked to be like facilities. Just slightly beyond the 'circle' Nabassk would see smaller style homes - most with their lights off. The taxi would come to a halt in front of the middle building, the words The 'Void' were lite in purple running vertically downward ending at a door. "Your destination sir, have a great night." The droid finally said and would wait for the trandoshan to leave the taxi before returning to the capital.

 

[QwibQwib]

All of it seemed a little suspicious to the Trandoshan, getting off the ship and already seeing someone walking up to him, as if by practice.. quite suspicious, but the suspicion was clashing with what the force was telling him, causing confusion.

Both suspicion and confusion disappeared however when the Nikto spoke, Realizing that it must have been through the doing of at the time "liason" that these people expected him.

Trust earned, Nabassk followed the Nikto, it was as they approached the arrival desk that the Trandoshan prepared to stop, but as the dockworker walked past it, so did Nabassk, confusion flooding his mind as he was about to ask why they hadn't stopped.

"Today you can skip check in. As I said, we knew of your arrival; we just didn't know when you'd be here. Don't worry, your ship will be safe. We can lockdown your hanger if you'd like - docking fees waived for this visit." Ah Nabassk thought, closing his mouth and shaking his head as the Nikto looked back to see the response to the question about locking the hanger.

The two continued and Nabassk froze as they walked outside, the droid being the reason for this pause, all of his experience with droid was when his master pitted them against the Lizardman, but it was silly to think that this one would jump out of the speeder and try to cut him in half.

The pause had been long enough for the exchange between Nikto and Droid to end and the dockworker turned towards Nabassk "Welcome to Kal'Shebbol, trandoshan. I know it must be odd, but trust us - you REALLY want to go there. Your Nar Shaddaa Slicer is there." He said before giving a wink, the gesture embarrassingly devolved Nabassk into a flustered school girl as he just stared, and would likely be absolutely red if possible. The Nikto didn't seem to notice as he just continued.

"Knowledge Lives, remember it when you get there." The Trandoshan's trance broke as these words were said, Knowledge lives.. those words kept echoing in his mind as he pondered the meaning behind them, and as he got off the speeder and walked up to the half awake person who was keeping most people from entering, Nabassk answered his question of a passcode automatically and walked up to the building, entering.

Inside, the absolute first thing he noticed was the banner, the multiple colors of welcome brought a smile to his face, Darknet was a word unknown, he looked away from the banner, and noticed the two other men, who were now looking at him.

 

[Zigara]

Jechtral heard someone enter the cantina, which drew his attention almost immediately. In the door way stood a dark green, 5 foot 8 inch lizardman. The lizardman looked into the cantina with a sense of confusion and wonderment, or at least that's what Jechtral thought. A grin slowly curled across his lips as he realized just whom was standing in his cantina this fine night.

"Nabassk, the dancing hutt." He spoke in way of greeting, the trandoshan would no doubt recognize his voice; after all he never attempted to mask it when they met on Nar Shaddaa. "Tell me, did you have to come up with something clever in regards to the previous owner?" Jechtral chuckled.

"Kannick," he shouted at the other man, "Meet Nabassk - one of your LOCK charges going forward... he's also recently become a drifter. Nabassk, meet Kannick - he likes to pick things up as well and toss them around. He also likes using that little overpowered glowstick he carries around with him."

Jechtral lifted his hand and gave a summoning gesture to Nabassk, inviting him into the cantina.

 

[Pyromaniac]

Honestly, how many Neepo entered this planet? Not very many from the looks of it. He was the only one here, and still the shortest alien getting off the public transport at the starport. His cloak intact, the tiny alien walked off the crowded loading ramp and into the transit area, where most would either pick up their luggage or wait for their rides.

Jeeto, or Lil'Pyro to one, was no waiting around.

He had been invited to show up at the designated location, though Jeeto was still a bit sluggish from the flight. Thanks to a few bribes he had been able to keep his weapons and gear on him, as long as he stayed near the back of the transport. Small price to pay, for he hated to be disarmed. Call him paranoid like that.

Either way, as he made his way towards the exit of the star port, he hailed a transport that would take him to his final destination, not too far from here. The Neepo hailed his little cab, and stepped inside. He told the driver, a droid, to take him to the specified coordinates, and the thing sped off. Within the hour, Jeeto was now standing in front of a building, with the purple, illuminated words, The Void on the front. Before Jeeto could say anything, the taxi sped off to somewhere else.

Curious... the thing didn't even ask for payment.

Without much delay, Jeeto entered the bar and saw a familar face. The Neepo spread his arms wide, revealing his walking arsenal of weaponary and gadgets to all inside before running forward yelling, "J-J!" The little bugger then hugged said man's leg like a child reunited with his older brother for the first time.

Looking up, he saw the banner and grinned. Backing away from Jechtral, he did a handstand and chanted, "D-D-D-Da-DarkNet!"

 

[Sierrien]

She was running late. She didn't even need to check her internal clock or any external ones to know that. She was supposed to arrive at eight, and everyone else was supposed to arrive at half past the hour. That hadn't worked out so well, at least not so far. She had sent the messages out to those she knew in the Darknet to arrange their presense at the party, but then she had run in to a dilemma. The dress she had purchased specifically for this event had been delivered - and they had gotten the measurements she had given them wrong, somehow. It had been too tight for her to even try to squeeze in to. And like all females, that meant she had to go shopping and find something that would fit. It was a party; she didn't go to many, so any chance to dress up she would happily take. Even at the price of being late and making the twins worry about her.

Now that she had gone and purchased a stylish blue dress that matched her hair - and spent some time on her makeup - she was on her way. She was set to be fashionably late - though she would probably be there at the half past mark anyways. Fashionably late in that she was supposed to be there early, but in reality she would be showing up on time. At least that was the plan. Unfortunately getting to the bar in the most direct manner possible would mean going through a couple of back alleys, and some thugs had decided that she looked like an easy mark. Though she soon taught them how wrong they were, getting through them put her another five minutes behind, and that was without stopping to smooth out her hair and dress. So when she finally did arrive, she looked a bit less like she was going to an elegant party and more like she was going to some strange kind of pseudo-elegant fight club, complete with blood on her knuckles. She was pretty sure none of it was hers, but she would need to wash her hands to be sure.

She stepped in through the front door of the bar and pretty much stopped dead in her tracks as she saw two of what she assumed must be members of the Darknet. The first was a large lizard - she wasn't expecting that - and the second was possibly the cutest little being she had ever seen. So cute she had to fight to keep from letting out a 'squee' and running over to pick him up like he was a teddy bear or infant. Instead she just put on a smirk and walked across the room towards the bar, claiming a stool and just forgetting about the blood on her hands for now.

"Honestly surprised this place isn't full of beautiful ladies with jechtral recruiting..." She sent a grin towards Kannick as she said it, though it was loud enough for Jechtral to overhear - wouldn't be fun otherwise. "Sorry I'm late. Couldn't decide on shoes, you know how it is."" A smirk played across her lips with the somewhat obvious lie.

 

[Zigara]

Jechtral just finished up pouring a drink from the hose when he heard an excited 'J-J' and before it had time to register he and the little beast wrapped around his leg. He tried to shake it off but smiled either way. Soon the neepo released his leg and did a handstand while chanting, Jechtral sighed heavily and scooped the neepo up and placed him on the bar. "There will be no chanting, Jeeto." Jechtral scolded him like a father scolding a child. "And do not make a habit of getting on the counters - watch those jets!" Jechtral then ruffled Jeeto's head before continuing, "Nice to see you. Would you like a drink?"

As he finished the previous sentence he heard a familiar woman enter the cantina and take up a seat at the bar. He turned his head to the side to inspect Astra now that she was sitting at the bar. He tried really hard to contain his astonishment of her wearing a dress and he could tell she made an effort to be made up, he almost passed it off as poor makeup techniques but then he saw the blood and put it all together. Even wearing nice clothes and plucking at men's hearts, she never loses that fierce warrior in her. He offered her a smile as he thought about it, aloud he said "True, they should be here in a little while... but more stunning then yourself, I don't know if that's possible." He gave her a wink before continuing, "Because I'm sure you wouldn't allow them to be."

He stepped away from Jeeto and came over to the lady in blue, he ran a finger down her closest arm and stopping on her bloodied knuckles, placing his hand over top almost tenderly, meeting her eyes. "You might want to get yourself cleaned up and rearranged... I absolutely loath cleaning blood off my bar, and it sends a wrong message." As he finished he playfully pushed her away and stuck his tongue out at her before asking her if he can get her a drink for when she returns. He wandered over to a sink built into the bar and rinsed his hands clean of the blood, before applying a level of disinfectant soap.

"Nick! You next, what do you want from behind the bar?" He shouted over to his brother.

Spoiler: The Void Cantina, Layout for Reference -- OOC

Below is a quick description of the cantina, I've copied the description from the main thread for easy reference; in case you just forgot something.

Jecht's Cantina is set out in a more functional manner, there are two doors one serves as the front door and the other serves as a back door; just before exiting the cantina is a locked power house generating power for the cantina. The cantina serves all manners of life, including droids.
Upon entering the front door door you are greeted by a small foyer – an area where one might get a little peace from the music within.

The actual cantina is fairly spacious, the bar is directly ahead is often manned by a droid shaped after a protocol droid – or one of the actual Stargrave brothers, to the left of the bar is a stage protruding outward with a small dressing room hidden by walls and curtains; the stage is equipped with holoprojectors allowing for the holograms and special effects to bedazzle it's spectators.

Just slightly away from the stage is a table that stretches the length of the stage with a set of steps and the furthest point (providing a gap between the secondary bar and stage). On the right side of the bar is several private booths, each with (leather) seats in a crescent moon shape and could typical fit 4 – 5 people comfortably; several tables are scattered about and two additional booths are available on either side of the stage each are enclosed with transparisteel should the patrons request it.

Directly behind the bar is a door that leads into the store room with a walk-in refrigeration unit available. At the far right corner is another door locked by keypad and hand scanner, beyond the door is a private office used for typical management, however under the desk is a switch that sinks a portion of the floor into a stairwell that leads into one of two entrances to The Pit.

The most famous feature is the 'secret fizz' concocted by Arvid Stargrave and kept secret for the family; a drink only crafted properly by the hands of a Stargrave and not the droids.
The cantina offers basic appetizers but they are considering developing a proper restaurant.
Gambling tables are another thing being considered.

 

[QwibQwib]

Nabassk cringed at the self earned title of The dancing hutt he recalled that he did have to think of a story of an owner, it was mostly a made up sob story about how his "father" went really sick, complete with lots of whining until whoever was unfortunate enough to be hearing it just let it drop for the sake of not hearing the story any longer, worked like a charm.

His attention turned towards Kannick as he was introduced, "Nabassk, meet Kannick - he likes to pick things up as well and toss them around. He also likes using that little overpowered glowstick he carries around with him." Oh really? the Trandoshan thought, with a smile he walked over to this man stopping in front of the bar, leaning forward and resting his arms on it. "I didn't think I would meet a fellow lover of the overpowered glowstick here, any good with it?" He asked.

He jumped as he heard the loud call of the Neepo, turning his head to look at the scene of it doing a handstand, blinking in confusion, he'd never seen one of those before, as was evident.

He just stared until a woman walked in, the first thing he noticed was her blue hair, searching his knowledge to try to think of any species that had that as a natural hair color, he couldn't think of one, so he assumed he was either ignorant to the existence of one or she dyed her hair.

The matching dress was the next thing he noticed, blinking he looked down at himself, frowning slightly as he realized just how informal he looked compared to her. Then again.. everyone looked pretty informal compared to her, despite the contrasting roughness of her look.

He sighed, turning his attention back to the L.O.C.K overseer.

 

[Flying Blind]

Kannick had never seen a Trandoshan before. He had heard that they were usually skilled mercenaries, but they had never interested him like Noghri or Echani who were bound by honor.,truth was, he never had a reason to look into the species. Apparently now he did as Jechtral introduced him to what would soon be one of his own members of LOCK, a Trandoshan named Nabassk. Although a little awkward at first, Kannick gave the Trandoshan a firm handshake "Sup? Like my brother Jecht said, I'm Kannick. You'll tell us apart by the hair." He gave a big smile and after deducing who the Trandoshan was, with the help of the Force he didn't seem as chaotic as he had heard of some trandoshans being, he gave the man a clap on the back and with as much enthusiasm as his homemade banner implied he said "Welcome to DarkNet. Nice to see a member of LOCK with us, I was worried Jecht and Astra were getting all the good ones." He directed his comment to both Nabassk and Jechtral, knowing Jechtral would catch on. It was one of the rare thank-yous Jechtral would get from Kannick, even if it was disguised.

Kannick showed Nabassk to a table and gave him a drink menu, "I'm sure Jechtral will have something to soothe your taste buds, especially after a tiresome trip all the way to this little Ol planet. Enjoy the party, we'll talk later." He ended with another smile. He avoided any drink suggestions since he didn't know enough about trandoshans to know what they preferred drink wise. He looked over at Jechtral, who was pouring a drink from the handy dandy drink dispenser, and thought to himself that he could use a drink as well. It was at this moment that the tiny alien he had never even heard or seen before burst in. It took all his professionalism not to laugh outright at Jechtral as the small alien called him J-J and hugged his leg almost like a pet. By this point, his laugh could probably be bursting through his ears from holding it, but he was sure his face gave him away anyways. Of course, Jechtral was Jechtral and he never missed a beat brushing the alien off gently and serving him a drink.

Kannick went over to the bar while Jechtral was preoccupied and poured himself a drink as well, mixing it quickly as to save time just in case anyone else came. He had yet to see his own recruits come in, and was hoping they would show up. It would suck to have his own recruits not show up. He was downing his drink as Astra came in. She seemed a little shaken up, maybe from having to get ready quickly. Her hair was a bit messed up, and Kannick created a mental picture of her oversleeping and getting dressed last minute, giving her the appearance. But he noticed the blood on her knuckles and laughed mentally, apparently someone had gotten on the wrong side of Astra ?Iviin, he was sure they were out there somewhere weeping, if they weren't dead that was. He gave her a big smile and said in return "Don't worry, I made sure Jechtral didn't go overboard with the recruiting. Did I ever tell you the story of that waitress he hired a month or so ago?" Before he could tell her the hilarious story of one of Jechtral's botched help wanted ads, his brother interjected.

Kannick looked over to his brother who was asking him if he wanted a drink. One was usually his limit, but it was a celebration, so he called back "I'll take an Arvizz." It wasn't like the drink would effect him much, so there was no harm in having a second. He sat at a table near the entrance so he could greet the others who would show up. He took out his datapad, running through the list. There was a decent amount of newcomers, which pleased him. Taking the opportunity of a not so crazy scene, which Jechtral would no doubt make of it later, he raised his datapad to take a picture of it, making sure to leave out the banner out of paranoia. You never know. He told himself. It was a nice picture, and he mused mentally If the slicer thing doesn't work out, I can always go to photography.

 

[Phoenix]

Kaz was probably going to be late, but only fashionably right? He considered his attire. In full combat armor maybe it wasn't exactly fashionable to anyone that wasn't Mandalorian, but he had been caught out in bad situations because of lack of armor before, and he didn't have any intention of having that happen again. There was a reason the word in Mando'a was Beskar'gam - second skin.

The message he had received had said to arrive at 20:30 and it was just about that time. He never was exactly the MOST social person, but he could get by. Time to find out just how skilled he was at it. He pushed the door to the bar open and was greeted by the sight of several others in the room. Two men, a lizard, a blue haired woman, and something that reminded him a bit of an ewok. So this was DarkNet? An interesting smattering of people.

"Hello everyone," he said cheerily as he removed his helmet, revealing a sandy-haired handsome man in his mid-thirties. "Hope I'm not too late." He set his helmet on a nearby table and leaned his rifle up against a nearby wall. He didn't think he would need it tonight. Although he didn't really know anyone here yet, since all of his business with DakNet to this point has been through the holonet, it looked like he was among friends tonight as evidenced by the flashing welcome sign.

 

[Zigara]

Of course he'd chose the most difficult drink... well for any inexperienced slinger. "Of course, Arvizz comin' at ya - want the spike or just the mix?" If Kannick wanted the spike, Jechtral would add it after the mix, it wasn't an essential part of the mix. Here's the thing with the Arvizz, his family's secret concoction that can pack quite the punch once downed - especially if not savored - the drink needed to be mixed at the time and could never be premixed, not unless you wanted something most foul. Jechtral disappeared into the back and gathered the ingredients: some spices, some citrus, the alcohol, the fizz and a few other items. You only brought out what you needed, never more and never less. He could have simply mixed it up but he figured he might as well do it with flair so common amongst the drink.

Jechtral stood up to the bar. He didn't care if people were looking or not, this was the way. He placed the silver shaker on the counter in front of him. He tossed a shot of alcohol and the fizzer. He sealed the container and started to shake it, he tossed it up and caught it behind his back tossing it up to his right left hand, instead of catching it landed on his hand and rolled down his arm and into his waiting right hand; he brought the canister up and twisted it with one hand before backhanding over his shoulder and catching it with his left hand, he smirked and set it the shaker down opening it. He took 4 bottles all containing certain elixirs and poured them in at once, two in each hand between the fingers. Now he tossed the 4 bottles in the air and started to juggle them, he caught and set down two bottles tossing the remaining two high in the air. With a twist he got one bottle in front of him, setting onto the counter - the second bottle fell and he caught it back handed behind himself without looking at it bringing the bottle up to the counter. He picked up the shaker and tossed in a few spices from a bag.

Giving the shaker a swirl he tossed it up - it's top off - and caught it before bouncing it between his elbows in front of his face. Scooping up the canister he pulled up the drink hose, with rapid speed he spun the canister, centripetal force preventing the liquid from spilling. He poured in the drink from the hose pulling the mixer further away exposing more of the liquid... oddly enough you needed some air. After putting the hose away he sealed the top, shook it up gingerly and cracked the top. Taking a drinking glass he dosed the rim with a citrus fruit and splashed some spices onto it before pouring the liquid into the glass, keeping the head minimal. "Come and get it bro." That was the simple mix, the real show is what he did when there was music... and unless the family drink was getting asked for by many, he wasn't going to do the full show.

And now his eyes fell the the newcomer, the one fully armored. Must be a mando, bet that's an Astra recruit. Jechtral thought, but aloud said "Nope. You can call yourself on time and I see you've brought your second skin." Jechtral mused and chuckled, "Hopefully we won't get to that extreme! So, tell me what can I get you - let me guess, something hard?"

 

[QwibQwib]

Nabassk was more then a little bit confused, he had only started thinking about it Darknet.. LOCK when he was recruited he had been told very minimal of these two things, Jechtral did just say he would need help getting information or whatever.

And so Nabassk had alot of questions, and was about to pour all of them on his would be unfortunate overseer, when said man started to walk towards a table, Nabassk blinked, quickly following until they stopped at the table and the Trandoshan was handed a drink menu.

"I'm sure Jechtral will have something to soothe your taste buds, especially after a tiresome trip all the way to this little Ol planet. Enjoy the party, we'll talk later." and with that Nabassk was left with the questions still circling in his mind, he decided to drop it, at least until later came, sitting down he opened the menu.

The pictures and names were all more or less unfamiliar, truly he himself didn't even know much about his species, other then they saw in infrared and could make hissy sounds, he had no idea what his species enjoyed, so he just decided to look for what looked appealing.

When he finally found something he looked up towards Jechtral, ready to call out, but paused as the.. show began. Nabassk's mouth was open in wonder as his eyes followed the container going into the air, being caught behind and then rolling down Jechtral's arm, he sighed as the man poured the cup, believing that to be the end, but no, he started to juggle the cups, somehow without spilling any of them. It was all so wondrous, Nabassk couldn't help but wonder if he was sure he wasn't force sensitive, all thoughts of his order disappeared from his mind as the preparation of the drink ended.

It was then that Nabassk began to clap, he didn't care if no one else did, that was absolutely perfect in his mind, so he clapped, focus still on Jechtral, he didn't even notice the Mandolorian.

 

[KrakenDaWhip]

((Posting as if this thread was finished))

Daemon was worried he would be late. He was told 8:30, but he had to take a little detour. "Grocery shopping" he called it. Hard to be informal when your buying detcord. Luckily the pickup was fast, he had arranged for it happen near the planet where the meeting was. Unfortunately, Daemon realized he still didn't know where they were meeting, just the planet. If he had to he could poke around a bit, eventually he would get there. For the meeting, or party or whatever it was, Daemon had worn his EVO suit. At the least, it would help keep things formal. At the most, if this turned out to be an Imperial sting or a Hutt assassination attempt, he would have a bit of protection. On that note he had brought his hold-out blaster, just in case.

There was a moment of confusion as the spaceport didn't recognize his ship. It was an "ugly", an amalgamation of old starfighters that somehow worked. Luckily, they listened to Daemon and let him land at one of the hangers. He had stepped off the ship to see an attendant walking towards him, a small transport taxi thing parked farther back. Daemon had gripped his pistol, almost pulled it out when the attendant told him he was expected here. With a deep exhale, Daemon released the gun, and walked towards the taxi, not wanting to be late. He still had time.

The droid driving the thing had mentioned a cantina, apparently popular around here. The Void. That seemed more like the name of a club, but perhaps it would fit more upon seeing it. The ride was uneventful, and thankfully fast. Daemon had scrambled off when it had reached it's destination, not bothering to pay. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to care. When he looked up to see the large purple sign, he shrugged. Maybe it would be fun inside, he wasn't the most social butterfly out there.

Stepping in, Daemon noticed two things. A midget, and a woman with blue hair and matching dress. Daemon sized them both up, and his eyes lingered on the woman's.... shoes. She had a very nice pair of shoes. Pushing the footwear out of his mind, he noticed the rest of the bars occupants. A mandolorian, Trandoshan, and some others. Then he saw a man putting on quite the show behind the bar.

Then he saw the sign. The kriffing sign. These guys must be hardcore. With a smirk only he understood (and that only he could see or feel!) Daemon spoke up. "Hi and all that, names Daemon."

 

[Noctyr]

The thud of a man slamming against a permacrete wall could be faintly heard from the interior of the cantina before a young boy, no more than 14 years old, walked in, blood splattered over what appeared to be formal wear. The boy was clearly at least half-Echani, judging by the lighter skin and the white hair. The only thing that really made it clear that he was not full Echani was the fact that his eyes were a seafoam green. Walking in casually, as if the blood did not bother him one bit, he analyzed the room, scanning over everyone and sizing them up. He held a neutral expression as he did so.

Aruetiise, he thought, save for the other Mandalorian, Kaz, in the room. Even still Veran was cautious. There had been a recent civil war after all, and Mandalorians weren't always so keen to help out one another. Astra was the only one he felt he could trust, for the moment. Veran noticed Daemon looking at Astra and glared at him. Veran didn't know that Daemon was just taking note of how expensive her shoes were...he thought that Daemon was lusting after Astra just like the thugs that the duo had dealt with just minutes before in the back alleys on the way to the Cantina. He put his right hand on his waistband very casually, brushing his fingers across the grip of a Merr-Sonn Q4 blaster he had concealed underneath his coat. Seeing that Daemon didn't do anything, he sighed and moved his hand back to his side. The entire motion of even brushing his hand against the pistol was very discreet- only someone keenly watching Veran's every move would've noticed something even slightly amiss.

He brushed past Daemon, walking over to Astra and speaking in Mando'a. It was probably a good thing that Veran hadn't heard Astra and Jechtral flirting with each other earlier. Veran would probably have not been amused.

"Kyr'yc be aruetiise ganar cuyir jurda sra, Astra ...."
Translation: "The last of the outsiders have been taken care of, Astra...."

He frowned, speaking to her again. Piercing seafoam green eyes looked up at all the adults around him. The lizard, the armored Mandalorian, the Stargrave twins, Daemon.....the short Neepo....the amount of strange people was making the kid nervous. To top it off, to match how Astra had prepared herself for the event, Veran had followed her lead. Went shopping for clothes, got all well dressed and ready, only to have to contend with a bunch of thugs on the way to the Cantina.

"Cuyir surya ibic tomad na vagale? Ni aalar solus ures ner beskar'gam...."
Translation: "Was wearing this really necessary? I feel vulnerable without my armor...."

Veran glanced at Kaz, as if to tell Astra, See? He's wearing armor....

As for the Neepo, he could've sworn he saw one in a cartoon. He had to stifle his fascination a bit, but if one was attentive, they could tell that Veran didn't seem to be bothered by the Neepo's presence....it was just all the other, dangerous looking adults that made him a bit nervous.

 

[blstrgmr]

Overwatch would make his way to the planet and the nearby area of the bar after a multitude of ships, shuttles, and speeder transits. His next investment would either be yet another rifle...or a personal ship of some sort. He was being bled dry from all the travel. On top of this, his latest job didn't pay too much...it actually ran him in the red due to certain clothing expenses which were unforeseen.

He eventually found his way to The Void. Apparently, this was the new meeting spot. Prospero had little idea how he belonged in this...cult...but their views aligned. Maybe it'd be good for him...though he wasn't about to undergo any tattooing or branding if it came to that. With a strong arm, he pounded on the door and spoke the password, "Knowledge lives," was the phrase that the sniper spoke. The door opened, and even then, just that key phrase made this place seem more nefarious. Better pass on the punch if there's any.

Prospero was dressed fairly...casually. He still wore his combat shirt, pants and boots, though he left his actual armor and carrier equipment in storage, same with his rifle. However, there was a blaster pistol holstered at his side. No point in walking around unarmed. As he entered, he did his best to swallow his social anxiety and put on a good image to show his new allies. With a casual wave, Prospero introduced himself to nobody in particular. "Name's Prospero, sni-..." He managed to make eye contact with Astra, who was at the bar. That would've been his next destination. Upon his realization that it was a former teammate from a certain past contract, Prospero let out a rather audible "HUUUUUUUUEE?!

So much for the professional facade. The sniper certainly wasn't expecting to see her, of all people.

 

[Flying Blind]

Kannick watched as more people began to arrive. A particularly young Mando arrived with Astra who he turned to adress, determined to be a good host, his drink could wait. "Sup bro? The name's Kannick. I guess you're one of us now." He was trying to be casual despite the other's age. If Astra had picked him up from wherever he was, it meant he had skill despite his age. He gave a big smile and gave him a pat on the back. "If you need anything just let me know, Vren. Wait no, that's not it." Kannick thought to himself for a moment, almost forgetting the names Astra had mentioned. "Wait... Don't tell me... Vener... No... oh I know Veran!" He smiled, having finally remembered. "Nice to meet you Veran." Woth a bit of an awkward goodbye, he left the young Mando to maintain his serious expression. He would have to talk to the Mando later, get him to loosen up. He seemed determined to be in a emotionless facade.

Another of Jechtral's additions walked in, the masked man named Daemon. He definitely didn't forget his name, probably because he talked to Jechtral more than he did to Astra. He seemed like an unknown, but in this business the whole point was to be unknown. Kannick greeted him like he had the others. "Glad you could make it, Daemon." He gave a big smile, unsure of what the masked man thought of the whole setup. Noting that he was looking in the direction of the sign he said "Like the sign? Made it myself." He felt a bit uncomfortable around the masked man and decided he would wait for Jechtral to properly introduce him. He excused himself from the conversation.

Finally, one of his own walked in. Even if it wasn't the one he held in highest regard. It was Tyler Prospero, or Overwatch as they decided to call him. They hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot, which was a bit of a pun since the large man had shot him in the leg. The injury was gone by now, but Kannick would never forget the pain of being shot by a slugthrower. In some ways, it was worse than a blaster. He walked over to the large man and said "Tyler. Good to see one of my own recruits joining in on the party." He gave another large smile, his face getting a little tired of smiling all the time. He rarely had so much to smile about. "Want a drink, anything, go ask my brother Jechtral over there, he'll serve any drink with style. But between you and me, I can do it better." He gave a wink, making sure there was no tensin between them.

 

[Phoenix]

The man behind the bar put on quite the show as he made drinks for one of the others in the room, an impressive show indeed. The man finished and turned, seeming to eye his armor. He didn’t seem thrilled to see it, but he wouldn’t have been the first person to be unhappy to see beskar’gam. Kaz shrugged and gave a smile, “Yeah, what can I say? It’s called second skin for a reason. I certainly hope I won’t need it tonight either, but you never know if you’ll get jumped on the way here.”

He considered for a moment the man’s offer of a drink. Tihaar was typically his drink, but following the Mandalorian civil war and subsequent Imperial butchery, it had become exceedingly hard to come by unless he brewed it himself, which he had been known to do from time to time. “That’s quite an impressive show you’ve got going there,” he said referring to the man’s mixing style or juggling show, he wasn’t actually sure what to classify it as. “As for my drink, I’ll take a Corellian whiskey if you don’t mind,” he paused a moment and, realizing he didn’t know the man’s name decided now was a prime opportunity to make a new acquaintance. “I’m Kaz by the way.”

He realized now that several more individuals had begun to fill the bar. There was a younger looking boy who seemed to be eyeing his armor for one reason or another who seemed to be hanging about with the woman in blue. After a moment he heard the Mandalorian tongue being spoken between the two and realized that they must be vode. He would have to make a point of getting over to talk to them before the night was up. But the night was still young and there was much time for that later.

It was an interesting group indeed that was gathered here, but Mandalorians never concerned themselves with bloodlines or species. For the first time since his clan had been exterminated he felt that he may have found a home.

 

[Marf]

The New Man
Die Braut

☢​

Night was blanketing the shady town. Dotted lights began to pierce the blackness falling over the Kal'Shebbol plains. More life was drawn towards the little cantina, but the young woman remained almost fixed to the lamp post on the street corner. Large headphones covered her ears and sat on top of her mass of platinum scruff. The cord leading to her music player was held snugly in the pocket of her black knee pants, worn charmingly with black and white striped socks and lace-up combat boots. A black jacket was worn unbuttoned and casual over a loose fitting red t-shirt. Her attire was complemented as usual by her respirator which covered the deformities of her lower face.

Andromeda was tense, for more reasons than one. Should her superiors know what she was doing at this precise, she would be in much more trouble than she usually found herself in. Secondly, though the band of nerds and misfits was a crowd she should undoubtedly fit in to, there was one fatal difference which might set Andro apart from her fellow cyber punks. She was Sith. However, Andromeda did not consider herself a traitor. She was loyal to her beloved Imperial Armed Forces and she followed the Sith code, she just despised the monsters who enforced it and the horrific Empress who commanded them. Only time would tell if Andro's allies from cyberspace would be sympathetic to her plight.

The cantina was growing full. Andromeda stepped away from her lamp post and strode towards the entrance. The rebellious young Sith entered, instinctively expecting all manner of eyes to lay upon her. Her own glowing, mechanical eyes scanned the room awkwardly. She shifted her shoulders nervously and turned off her music player before removing her headphones and placing them around her neck. Slowly, Andromeda moved her feet through the crowd and towards the bar. She would not approach anyone directly, she already felt habitually unwanted. The small Neepo and the Mandalorian caught her attention first and she shot a wink towards the creature.