Ask Coruscant The Noodle Incident.

[Lorcan]

Was Lorcan allowed to hang out at "Ranger hungouts" anymore?

He wasn't sure and no one had made any move to kick up a fuss and try and get him kicked out of the ramen bar yet despite the fact that he could see a couple of Rangers he had known while on the force. Waving once to someone he knew from the records department, he sank down onto one of the stools in front. Leaning on his hand, he sighed a little bit before shaking his head.

The pangs of regret at leaving were... getting easier to push through and he wasn't sure if he liked that or not. It certainly made getting up out of bed easier though he would freely admit to himself. Taking off his helmet, he set it aside as his order was brought out to him. He eyed the bill for a second before smiling a little bit at the old chef behind the counter.

"Can't take the Ranger discount anymore, Jace." he chided him jokingly as he passed over the full payment for the meal, "Appreciate it but I gave those kinds of perks up when I left the job."

Jace, the old zabrak chef, just laughed.

"You Ranger types never really quit."

Lorcan snorted in amusement.

"This one did, old man."

Now if only he could make himself believe it.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland had been to the ramen bar once or twice and new it was a popular stop for Rangers in the Core. But the Lieutenant tended to get his food to go. This time it wasn't any different when he entered and came to the counter a few spaces down from the private investigator.

<"Two spicy bowls with peppers separate, please."> The Zabrak looked over at the Mandalorian as he spoke Huttese and gave him a smile. <"You're the only person I know that says 'please' in Huttese."> The first time Roland had ordered the spicy bowl they had held back. But the Mandalorian had returned and asked if there was more spice added. This time he had asked for it to be just as spicy which had definitely made Roland sweat. But that was why he was back. It was authentic spicy ramen but unless you looked like an actual outer rim dirt kicker they tended to serve you with kiddy gloves.

Looking at the others peresent he recognized some with familiar faces. But Roland didn't spend extensive time getting to know people in the Core. Most of his time was spent working elsewhere in the galaxy. "I'll also get a black spire brew and straw while I wait." He added, taking a seat at one of the stools, making sure to not sit on his cloak.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Huttese in a Ranger hang out?

Raising an eyebrow, he turned to the side and spotted who had made the order. His Huttese wasn't as good as it could have been, being a Core-Boy in origin after all, but he knew enough to get by. It was the language of crime even in the core after all. Of course looking over at the person to make the order, now sat down on a stool made a lot more sense.

"So you're the Mando Ranger." he greeted him with a little smile as he flagged the server for an ale of his own, "Heard about you when I was in the Rangers."

The talk was that he was a bit of a hardass but also one of the most badass as well. The kind of guy you wanted around you in a firefight but not if you were the type of person who was liberal with evidence collection or whatever else. Lorcan had never worked with the Mando either but that wasn't by choice.

Their paths had never crossed before.

"You know their version of spicy is the kind that burns your taste buds off your tongue, right?"

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland wasn't particularly motivated by fame."Is that right?" He said since he was apparently known. What he said next clearly meant that Lorcan was no longer among the Sector Rangers. "Nothing bad I hope."

Hearing the man warn him about how spicy it was just made Roland smile underneath his helmet. "I'm planning on it. The last two times were a bit on the tame side." He said the last sentence a little louder to make sure the chef could hear him. It had been awhile since the Mandalorian actually had trouble eating something that was spicy.

He stood for a moment in the silence while he waited for his food to come. "Was it worth it?" Plain curiosity was the only tone in his voice.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Had he heard bad things about the Ranger? Of course he had. When you were a Ranger you ONLY heard the bad things and the jokes for the first year - then you tended to see the good stuff underneath it. The culture was rather like that he'd found - or at least it was in the areas he worked in.

"Terrible stuff." he jokingly confirmed with a smirk, "In all the best ways, naturally."

Taking some of his own dish, he finished up and thought about what Roland had asked. He wasn't sure if there was a double meaning there so he just grinned after finishing his mouthful and washing it down with some ale.

"The spice? Oh yeah." he laughed a little bit, "You won't be able to taste anything else for like a day but they've got the sweet spot where it hurts but hurts so good to an art."

The chef mimed blushing and Lorcan flipped him the finger.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland had not been referring to the food. But the civilian seemed to assume it was all the same. "That's good to hear." His gloved fingers idly tapped on the counter top. Grabbing the drink he had ordered he slipped the straw underneath his helmet and took a decent sip from it.

The Mandalorian was far from the best at small talk. His eyes wandered to the holo-projectors and pict-screens showing news or sports. Let's see. Gotta replace the supplies on the Viper. Grem needs replacement parts and if I got to another dust ball...yeah. Should stop by and get some more oil. He continued running down the errand list as he sat, occasionally moving the straw in his glass.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

He hadn't been talking about the spice.

They both knew it but it seemed neither of them were the type to share... well kark it if he wasn't going to share anyway. It was cheaper than therapy and it let him get it all out there he supposed. Or, at least, some of it. He took a drink of his ale before just staring at it for a moment.

"I threw myself into the highest risk missions - lethal force authorized if fired upon kind of missions." he admitted aloud after a moment, "At first because it offered a chance of advancement. But before too long?"

He sniffed a little bit, enjoying the spices that danced across the countertop.

"I did them because I was growing to like it. The violence, more than the victory or the justice or the mission. Figured I needed to stop it before I went too far - for my mental health and all that, you know?" he took another drink, "What about you, Mando? How do you handle those parts of the job? When you have to fill in those forms for 'lawful killings' and find it just... gets easier to fill in the boxes as time goes on?"

By the end he felt like he could write them in his sleep.

Dozens of them.

None of them flagged as anything but unfortunately necessary actions undertaken in the heat of lethal combat. The fancy way of saying that it had been him or them - and they'd committed themselves to that lifestyle, the killings, so it made sense that he was the one to get to come home.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

The man spoke up again. Roland wasn't afraid of listening to him even if it turned into something dull. But that wasn't the case as the private investigator talked about himself. At first the Lieutenant thought he was going to talk about how he had been a badass and could give the Mandalorian a run for his money. Half the time people talked to him he knew they just wanted to indulge their pride by trying to fight him.

When the questions about Roland's method of handling it, he felt the hairs had already risen on the back of his neck. He rolled his shoulders, cracking a joint or two in his neck in an effort to relax. "Haven't noticed it getting any easier." Obviously that was the difference between him and the stranger. That wasn't to say he wasn't without his own faults. But what irked the Mandalorian was the tone he spoke in. It seemed to lack a sense of sincerity. Roland wasn't feeling as sympathetic as Lorcan may have expected.

Even when he killed that Sith he didn't feel feel a thrill. Fear, anger, and instinct. But evidently the private investigator had lost his job as a Sector Ranger. "If you haven't tried it. I suggest professional help." Roland had only literally just met the man but that bit of advice was one of the nicer things he decided to say in the moment. The sound of his drinking slurping into his straw told him he would need to order a second or just wait for his food to finish. It wasn't going to be much longer. This place served pretty quickly.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Heh.

That was the problem then wasn't it? It wasn't supposed to get easier and yet for him it got easier and then it started to be something that he perversely looked forward to. He would stick to the rules and only attack when he was in lethal danger but the point stood, he found it less and less of an issue as time passed. Normal people, as expected, didn't find that it got any easier and found it hard to accept and yet he just... adapted.

And adapted too well.

He laughed at the advice.

"I didn't earn enough for that as a Ranger, let alone a PI now that I've quit." he shot back with a wistful smile, "Gotta keep on trying to do it without the blasters and guns until I get a chance to fix it."

He paid for what he had ordered on top of his pre-paid food, eyeing up a small group of local cops entering. They immediately looked for him and found him. Cursing a little bit, Lorcan tried to push away from the bar but they reached him first, slamming his head into the bar. Honestly he wished they hadn't since all it did was make his head hurt and his ears ring.

Couldn't even hear his monologue.

"Found you, you piece of shite. You think you get to walk away after killing three of our buddies?"

Groaning a little bit, Lorcan turned to look at them, stilling penned in toward the bar. He coughed to clear his throat, annoying them further before he answered.

"When dirty cops try to kill me to product their own interests I shoot back - you here because I shot better?"

Gut punch for his troubles... yeah that added up.

"It ain't Ranger business how we handle our own issues." The leader turned to the noodle bar as a whole, "Sorry to disturb, we'll take this elsewhere."

Lorcan waved to the bar staff and the other Rangers even as he was dragged away by his hair.

"Nice meeting you mando!"

Thrown into a side alley a short walk away, he slumped against the wall before licking his fat lip. Groaning slightly, he looked around at the six local cops that were taking issues with him. This was... going to get messy.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

From the man's following words at least it was infered he didn't have access to a blaster. Roland felt a little sense off relief, not for himself. But anyone and everyone that this stranger came in contact with. He didn't have the details of Lorcan's situation, but where he was now, outside of the Sector Rangers and deprived of the risks gave Roland an appreciation that at the system he enforced wasn't just allowing unjust violence to go unanswered. At the same time, he wasn't entirely sure if his Mandalorian sense of justice had him pulled in another direction.

The chef came back around with the packages of ramen in to go bowls that were also recyclable. It paid to be efficient on a city planet that relied on imports. Roland thought the private investegator was going to leave or stay quiet for the rest of the transaction. But a different voice piped up behind the Mandalorian. At first he thought they were talking to him. But then Lorcan replied before he did.

Quietly, he turned to get a look at the aggressive source here to confront Lorcan. Oof He thought to himself as he watched the private investigator take a hit that would have arguably made Roland double over in armor. The Mandalorian looked at the other officers in the bar. One or two he was sure were even Sector Rangers. A few looked towards him. At first he thought it was because he was closest. The stranger said his good byes before what would probably be a terrible beating.

~Theme change~
​

Does he deserve to get the kark beat out of him? Maybe. Will they kill him? Possibly. A finger tapped on one of the to-go containers as he watched the group walking outside. Taking a deep breath and sighing he slide the ramen across the counter. <Keep this hot for me. I'll be right back.> He told the chef in Huttese and headed out the door after the group.

Before walking up he made sure to flip the stun setting on his blaster. What Lorcan had said didn't fall on deaf ears. The local police were not immune to corruption just like the Rangers. But that didn't mean he was going to allow these people to indulge the same violent tendencies that had made Lorcan lose his job. If they did, well then they should know that there was a price for committing crimes.

They would probably get a few swings in before Roland got to them. "I think that's enough." He stopped a few meters behind the group that had surrounded Lorcan.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Despite all current appearances, Lorcan wasn't a masochist but by the time Roland would come around the corner he was laughing every time they laid into him. Did laughing help? Oh kark no! If anything it hurt him even more but it was beginning to do exactly what he hoped it would. Two of them had his arms held behind his back to present their friends with a free target and they were beginning to feel uncomfortable with the situation.

Not the beating, they likely were still on board with that. They were beginning to feel uncomfortable about how much he seemed to be 'enjoying' it. One of his hands was fingertips away from the vibroknife strapped to the waist of one of his captors. He grinned wider when he spotted the Ranger.

"Mando! Didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"

He got a slap across the face for that.

Lolling back his head with the blow, he licked at the split lip.

"Ranger - step away." the speaker of the group demanded, his blaster pistol in his hand, "This is what he deserves."

Probably.

"He killed cops!"

Definitely.

"They didn't deserve to be done in by some Ranger with a god-complex!"

Actually...

"Gotta disagree with you there, bucko." he declared with a loud grin, "You know when they sell runaways and poor people to a PMC to run tests on them... I think they got off lightly. See I shot them clean. Killed them quick. Based on what they did they probably deserved to be shite on by scumbags in prison for decades until their rectums were a bleeding mass and they couldn't close their eyes without seeing big, burly, bassilisks coming at them with soap!"

Did Lorcan know when to shut up? Yes and this was not one of those times. The speaker with the gun immediately twirled to raise his gun at Lorcan, leaving the Mando with a free shot. In case he didn't take it however - he stabbed the man on his left with his stolen vibroblade, right in the side of the upper leg. Pushing against the wounded man, he would drag the other into the line of fire instead of himself.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland looked at the six men that outnumbered the private investigator. He didn't move even as they slapped Lorcan around a bit more. Maybe Roland could have reasoned with them but the beat up man liked to talk.

The Manddalorian still saw Lorcan reach for his vibro-blade and subsequently stab the nearest man and use his body as a shield from blasters. Raising his hand while the man tried to get a shot on Lorcan the Mandalorian would slide his feet into more firm footing. The arm let loose with the repulsor, catching the blaster wielding man, Lorcan and his human shield in the blast. It would be enough to knock all of them on their butt, or in the case of one, their face.

Being pushed back by the repulsor was expected since it had some kickback of its own. Roland's arm dropped, ready to pull his blaster if any of the others became any more violent. "Are you cops with god complexes?" A warning tone in his question as he waited to see if any of them were hypocritical enough to try test fate further. His pace would bring him closer to the man with the blaster and take the weapon away from him. Lorcan was not exempt from the Lieutenant's judgement and if he brought a weapon close to anyone else again Roland would respond in kind. So far the man had not been making many right choices and maybe his bad decisions were coming back to bite him.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Well he was twisting through the air from a repulsor but so were his two beautiful assistants so that wasn't too bad. Landing hard on the ground was hurtful but it was better than taking a blast to the face or chest or wherever. Groaning a little bit, he staggered to his feet shakily and grinned a little bit.

"How about we all just calm down, yeah?" he gestured to Roland, "Like the good Ranger is saying - we all better be on our best behavior, right?"

He probably should have learned by now to shut up because he wasn't helping anything. To be fair, none of the cops looked all too willing to stand down even in the face of Roland's advance. The one with the blaster opening fire at the Ranger after turning away from Lorcan. It was a rather telegraphed action to be fair but Lorcan wasn't really worrying about that.

One of his lovely assistants was down with his own knife in his leg but the other one got up and tackled Lorcan. Slamming back-first into the wall, he groaned in pain before raining elbow strikes down at the man's upper back, trying to force him to let go.

"Let go of me ya damned bloody wookie-musical-reject!"

Spoiler: Dice

they apparently want to press their luck

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland knew from his limited experience with Lorcan that his words tended to provoke others. The Ranger saw the blaster swing towards him. Roland was faster. The mandalorian's blaster bolt would seem to hit the off duty cop in the chest resulting in an instinctual trigger pull. But the assaulter would drop to the ground, not needing a second bolt to keep him from making any further hostile action.

The Mandalorian knew his weapons. He knew how much damage they could do and how many times he needed to pull the trigger to get through armor. At most these off duty cops were wearing blast vests.

"I said that was enough!" He leveled the repulsor at Lorcan and the man wrestling with him. They were busy in their scuffle to probably notice, not that they would be in good shape to dodge anyways. The Lieutenant fired a second blast from the forearm mounted tool. Walking over to the body with the blaster he used a booted foot to move it definitely out of reach.

With his free hand he pulled out a comlink and began connecting himself with the Sector Rangers headquarters on Coruscant. He had been trying to de-escelate the situation but now he had been shot and had to shoot someone on the exumonopolis not too far from one of the more popular cop-bars on this hemisphere. He was going to need to call an ambulance too. Maybe two His eyes visor looked at the numerous injured. One had a knife wound, another got beat by half a dozen guys, there were some that had been hit by his repulsor which could still concuss someone, and finally the guy Roland shot. He was still alive at least.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Being slammed into the wall again by the repulsor was not fun, especially since he hadn't been able to put his helmet back on. Groaning on the ground where he and his most recent assailant were sent sprawling, he sat himself up against the wall of the alleyway as Roland called it in and took charge of the situation.

Nothing left to do but have a cigarette.

"Do I get to go home to sleep off my injuring at the hands of these guys with some bacta patches and whiskey?" he asked Roland bluntly as he lit the cigarette, "Or is this the part where you decide to drag me in for processing... just cus ya can?"

He smirked around the cigarette, eyeing the Mandalorian for a moment before adding.

"Heard stories about you when I was on the job - they said you were good but seeing is believing I guess. How's Corran doing these days by the by? Don't see people from the old days anymore."

If he was being let go or being processed he didn't much care at this point. He'd talk either way - it was something he was 'good' at in his own way.

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland stood, his body still facing towards the few cops that were standing after reporting the incident. Some of them looked like they were trying to recover. To be on the safe side he placed a free hand on his heavy blaster. His fingers feeling the holster be free and allow him to switch the weapon to stun. Lorcan continued to speak of course. But talking wasn't a crime. Though Roland wasn't above putting his badge aside to throw hands.

Lorcan didn't get up. He was smart in that way and at least a little bit less of a priority. The Mandalorian didn't focus entirely on what he was saying. He was still facing off against larger numbers. Two of them probably had mild concusions, one of which had a leg wound that he would have died from by now if it had hit an artery. The smoke rose from the man that had shot Roland. So that left two wounded, and three still possibly willing to risk it.

His hand stowed the commlink as the standing trio in front of him looked between one another. Two of them decided to draw their own blasters that had been holstered in concealed holsters up until then. They were close so even if they were lousy shouts and at least fast they had a chance. With his free hand Roland drew both blasters. One of them took the heavy stun bolt from the westar-55. Roland's DC-17 however had not been set to stun and repeated the same act as the one of his still unconcious colleague. The momentarily heated blasters stayed pointed at the downed assailants but Roland's helmet center on the last standing cop. He shrugged and raised both hands a little bit higher in surrender.

"If Corran wants to see you. I'm sure he'll call." He said as he began walking towards the standing criminal. Returning the heavy blaster to his holster he kept the DC-17 on him and produced two sets of binders. One he tossed to Lorcan.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Seemed like things were under some semblance of control at this stage but Lorcan wasn't really one to care too much. He watched as Roland dismantled the remaining cops - though none of them seemed to really put up too much of a fight. With reinforcements coming and their will to fight sapped, it was a simple matter of mopping them up.

Catching the binders out of the air, he eyed them for a second before laughing a little bit.

"What's the charge?" he joked, pushing himself off of the wall he was sitting against to stand up fully again, "I'm sure it's not just my bad attitude."

Rather than putting them on himself he used them on the man he had stabbed with the knife, locking his wrists behind him before reaching down for the wound. He examined it closely for a moment before nodding a little bit, patting the guy on the back.

"It's mostly off to the side - nothing big nicked or cut. We'll keep it in until medics arrive cus right now I haven't got any bacta or bandages." he glanced at Roland, "You got any?"

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

With everyone incapacitated save for Lorcan, Roland collected all the small arms and weapons with a pat down of each perpetrator. He wondered if these cops and Lorcan were going to have something in common now. Today the Mandalorian wasn't going to be making any friends with the Coruscant Security Force.

Roland ignored the man's question. He wasn't placing Lorcan under arrest and he wasn't going to die with his mild injuries. "Are you going to press charges?" Asked the Lieutenant as flashing lights in the distance indicated backup was coming.

A patrol speeder and a hoverbus meant for transporting numerous prisoners came into view after a few minutes. Two medical airspeeders arrived as well. They began to see to injuries of all those involved after the other law enforcement officers made sure that the off duty CSF were not a danger to anybody else again. Lorcan was not the first person the EMTs went to. The man stabbed in the leg and those shot were looked at.

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Lorcan took another drag of his cigarette, tossing it away when he almost burned his fingers. He looked around himself at the question, taking in the sight of all the carnage before thinking about it. Pressing charges was a typical thing when someone was attacked but he didn't really feel like it.

He had, after all, killed their friends even if their friends had been dirty and shot first.

"I'm a big boy - this won't be my last beating I'm sure." he admitted with a wave of his head, "They're going to have their own pain to go through to remind them of why this was a bad idea. No charges from me."

He made sure to give the pertinent information to the EMT about the stabbing victim and what he had done, or rather, not done to treat it. In the end he got waved away so he took a step back and waved a hand at the EMTs, seeing them off. He wasn't in a bad enough way to require their attention as far as he was concerned.

Lorcan eyed Roland.

"Keep me in mind if you need a civilian contractor." he advised, only half joking, "My rates will be very reasonable for you, Mando, for saving my ribs."

@Darasuum

 

[Roland Rook]

Roland gave a small murmur at Lorcan's decision. The following moments saw the perpitrators and victim looked after. Roland would dismiss those that inquired if he was injured. Even if he was, the man wouldn't have them look in depth at an injury unless it was life threatening. In this case there was nothing that warranted attention.

The attention he drew from Lorcan was not lost on the Mandalorian. His visor turned to look at the ex-ranger silently for a moment. "Stay out of trouble." He said flatly before heading back to the ramen bar to collect his order. The food was probably not as fresh as before, maybe the noodles were even a bit on the soggy side. That hardly mattered. After this, he was probably going to get good and drunk in the confines of his ship, alone. Some spicy food following that would be a welcome meal. To Lorcan's credit, Roland wouldn't forget the man any time soon.

@Nefieslab end thread maybe?