Ask Coruscant Where your allegiance lies

[Gareth Gin]

Coruscant level 1215, Quickdraw Cantina.
(Open to Zaa Fenn and mercenaries that would work for Zaa Fenn. If your character is gonna be on one set side regardless of what's gonna be said, state so as to make sure teams will be balanced)

​

It was a tranquil night in the Quickdraw cantina tonight, given the unstable situation of the Zaa Fenn. the people that were part of the family had been talking to each other about the White Lion of Zaa Fenn...And just as they did, as if he was a boogeyman summoned by simply saying his name, the White Lion left the local KnowOnes that ran the place while he was out a simple, short message: "I am coming over there tonight."

And so, an hour after the Quickdraw Cantina was closed for the night, the Miralukan would make his way inside the cantina, completely armored and masked, having carefully sneaked around with his forces as to not draw the attention of the people that were going over the different levels of Coruscant while searching for him.

Gareth had been to the Quickdraw Cantina plenty of times, but this one felt different, it didn't feel like a safe haven, there was a high chance the other members of his family would turn on him at any moment and Gareth knew that all too well, but he also knew this was going to be the last day that he would feel like that, because they all knew why he was here: To overthrow the absent Marissa and claim the top spot of the Zaa Fenn once and for all.

So, the armored Gareth Gin scanned the cantina after entering, Zaa Fenn members and mercenaries alike filling what looked like a closed cantina from outside, those that feared Gareth making darn sure to hire people in case it came down to a fight. Of course, the White Lion of Zaa Fenn did the same, for he didn't come alone either.

It would've been so easy to just open fire on everyone inside that looked even remotely hostile, but, of course, first he wanted to talk to them, make sure he didn't waste good, loyal lifes of people that, at the end of the day, were family, even the heartless Miralukan had some semblance of honor still hidden somewhere in there "So, let's get this family reunion started, eh?"

 

[Seyd Mac]

Most days, even before the whole scandal, Seyd could be found somewhere within the Coruscant holdings of Zaa Fenn. The Quickdraw Cantina was a core hangout of course. News spread fast that the White Lion himself was coming in that night after closing. Seyd was not well known in the family yet. Key word there being yet. His ambition knew no bounds and he would rise up or die trying.

A glass of some kind of rum was in front of him as he sat at the bar waiting. No muscle was brought in and his droid was back in the ship where it belonged. His usual outfit and armament was on, which wasn't much. It didn't matter if a fight broke out or how it ended. Seyd was a loyal member of the family and would support Gareth without fear.

Pathetic how many of the family are showing their true colors. Who cares if a bunch of poor nobodies die? He thought to himself as he glanced around. The well-dressed and groomed man wouldn't show any signs of aggression or even being armed at all. It would be hard to justify calling him a threat.

When the man of the hour arrived, Seyd nodded in recognition and silently raised his glass in greeting.

 

[Kara Zaa Fenn]

Among the other Zaa Fenn scoundrels in the Quick-draw Cantina were eight known to work for Kara Lok. Her 'Coruscant crew' of locals that knew these lower levels like the insides of their own pockets. They usually protected a mechanics shop on another level called 'Rache Robotics', which was a front for the KnowOnes slicers collective, but tonight, after picking up chatter of The White Lion's arrival, they were here.

One of them, a young handsome human in his late twenties drained his shot of sewer-riped moonshine -the Preef special- and rose to his feet, "Welcome, Gareth Zaa Fenn." he looked the Mirakulan over and seemed to point towards a door next to the bar, "Here to pay off the heat?" Obviously, being part of Kara's crew had made the youngster a bit overconfident. Kara and Gareth had a completely different way of doing things, which made this guy think that Gareth was just here to get the cords of a safehouse to wait out for his bounty to get replaced by one fresher or bigger. Another of Kara's men took out his communicator and nodded to the White Lion, "I'll tell Kara you're here. She'll set you up."

Meanwhile Kara was fully aware who just entered the quick-draw cantina as she was watching the whole thing from the camera feeds. Watching intently for what was about to happen. With Marissa's absence the day-to-day had become her responsibility, but someone like Gareth had much more claim to a position in leadership than she had. He was one of Preef's Legends, a Zaa Fenn Original and the rodian's natural successor as a gun-toting figurehead of organized crime. Problem was Gareth didn't seem as inclined to keep Marissa in charge.


@Versok

 

[Aska Ryun]

The doors of Quick Draw slid wide, revealing a woman in custom armor standing in the opening with a helmet tucked under her arm and a cigarra hanging from her lip. Inside it was the same as any other night, save for the severe lack of clientele given it had been shut down for the evening. Blue eyes scanned the crowd, passing over the bouncers and Zaa Fenn Enforcers that resided within before finally settling on a gargantuan man. The mask was new to her but the armor plating he wore was exactly that which he wore on the eve of the broadcast. It seemed that Gareth Gin had managed to evade capture until this point and had made his way to the Quick Draw, and it wasn’t difficult to surmise as to why. Walking in, Aska took note of how heavy the atmosphere was. Tensions ran high which was to be expected given who was in attendance.

Approaching the bar, watching the White Lion from the corner of her eye, Aska grasped the helmet and pulled it from under arm as she placed it on the countertop at her side. As she took a drag from her cigarra, the droid bartender quickly went about preparing her usual drink to which she quickly motioned for it to stop.

”Not tonight. Instead, I’ll have a Calamari Xinphar,”

“Right away, ma’am,”

The woman continued to stare ahead at the dozens of bottles of liquor that lined the wall before pulling the cigarra from her lips and stabbing the burning embers down into one of the near-by ashtrays. Whispers began to grow behind her from the lesser members of the syndicate, not one but two of Preef’s legends had made their way to the Quick Draw tonight. If it wasn’t known that big things were happening before, it was now.

”Genocide doesn’t suit you, you know,” the clone finally spoke up, intending the words for Gareth yet keeping her attention on the drink that had just been placed before her. "I hope you don't plan on making it a habit," She had an air of confidence around her, not un-normal given her reputation. Soon, the pieces would fall together. She just needed to be patient.

@Versok​

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin was not the type to pick sides. He liked credits and he liked access to nice guns and more credits. Both were promised by Gareth, the man that had a massive target on his back. For a while, the assassin weighed the pros and cons of helping him compared to just turning him in for the huge price on his head. However, he decided the promise of continued business and credits was worth more than a bounty from the kriffing Sith Empire. Would they even honor their bounty?

He had mentioned to Gareth he wasn’t the best for close quarter efforts, but the man insisted he came as muscle anyway. The assassin was adorned fully in armor with his grenades, heavy blaster at his side and a vibro knife on his other hip. He felt like the odd one out. While he had worked with Zaa Fenn before, he was certainly not part of the inner circle.

He kept close to Gareth, feeling the tension in the room already. He watched the others arrive, his attention focused on the legendary Aska Ryun. Edin grimaced behind his helmet as her tone didn’t suggest she was in the best mood right now. He couldn’t blame her. At this point, every Zaa Fenn member had cause to be unhappy with what happened with the Holo. It wasn’t that anyone cared about the deaths, it was that there was a giant target and laser focus on the crime family now.

@Versok

 

[Covax]

Taking a page out from the playbook of his older soldiering days. The towering mercenary and one time Enforcer gave the droid a simple knife-hand. The robot nodded and pushed the accelerator. Rolling in under the cover of shadow and poorly maintained city lights, a Galactic Empire era transport swiftly rolled into place just outside the front doors of the Quick Draw. Inside the vehicle were 8 combat droids, a freelance slicer, and a second team of mercs. All had been provided by their new "employer."

Covax would depart the transport from the cockpit hand and slowly walk toward the door. As he did, so he checked of his gear. A habit for him before going into a job. It was mostly his standard kit, however he added another pistol to his belt and traded out his rifle for a scatterblaster. The latter was slung on his back, but could quickly be pulled to his hip and fired if this all went sideways.

Just before stepping into the sensor to open the doors, he paused. "Dismount." Covax ordered over the secure comms in his helmet linked to Aska and the droids being coded by the slicer in the vehicle. The the mercenary's word the droids marched from the craft. Six surrounded the building, two waited at the door, just outside the motion sensor for the doors. All the while the Slicer worked to hack the surveillance equipment using the coded provided by the one time Enforcer. They were likely changed but it gave the Bothan a starting point. The first wave in place, Covax stepped to the doors.

To his somewhat surprise the doors opened without a sound of alarm. However his imposing armored figure did not hesitate. Walking with methodical purpose to the bar, just off the right shoulder of Aska and a wingspan apart from the clone. Like his partner, the sever droid recognized the former Enforcer and poured him a Gamorrean bourbon. Covax gave the droid a nod of acceptance bringing the glass to himself and held his gaze on it. Or at least it appeared that way.

@Versok

 

[Gareth Gin]

The Miralukan stared at the two people Kara had sent him as one of the other Nar Shaddaa legends got inside "...Shut up and get inside, you may see me there in a couple minutes." Gareth said, his voice cold and menacing as to have them get the memo that this could turn out to be quite violent, to which they did just as they were told in response. After that, Gareth nodded at Edin before heading to the bar "Keep an eye out and be careful." the assassin would know to put himself somewhere with cover and away from those two, but Gareth himself decided to position himself on the corner of the side that was the nearest to the backroom's entrance, figuring Aska wouldn't want him to approach her just like that, not long after Covax joined Aska, which just made sense.

Nodding to the droid as it poured him a glass of gin, Gareth let out a small sigh "Figured this meeting would happen sooner than later, so...here we are" He could sense many people outside the cantina, making sure Gareth didn't run away, which...Well, he wasn't planning on doing regardless "There are many things that don't suit me or the Zaa Fenn, I simply picked my poison...And I will do so as many times as I need to." Gareth stated, his voice calm, the Miralukan not really acting like the way they knew him, no boisterous claims, no positivity in his voice, just a cold tone fitting of the man that slaughtered so many in a swift motion, his skin was paler and his trademark smile couldn't be found, only bitterness had been left behind.

"So, you are as armed as when we took out the Hutt, should I assume you are not here to just have a drink with an old acquaintance?" Gareth knew the answer to that, but he decided to ask that question regardless "Tell me, is it about the money, the fame or a sense of justice? I think I know the answer to that, but I'd like to ask regardless."

@Tulos @Taz

 

[Zaid Durmaz]

It didn’t take a tremendous amount of convincing before Zaid agreed to take this job. While he traditionally stayed out of the crosshairs of inter-Syndicate conflicts, the half-Orcolan would always go where the credits were highest. And his current employer? Well. Let’s just say the payout was well worth the risk.

Having arrived with the rest of the hired muscle, waited patiently within the transport until Covax gave the order to dismount, proceeding to match his way towards the Cantina entrance. The half-Orcolan had come equip in his standard armor, carrying a large vibroblade at his side. alongside a pair of blaster pistols on either hip.

He made his way towards Covax as the other mercs surrounded the premise. As soon as the doors to the cantina opened, Zaid followed Covax inside - brown eyes immediately flicking across those who had already gathered, Gareth Gin and legends like Aska Ryun already amongst them.

Zaid didn’t need to be a genius to know that he likely stood as the odd one out - and that was only partially due to his hulking size. While he took work from practically anyone as a mercenary, his own interactions with Zaa Fenn has been exceptionally limited. Taking his place at the bar, Zaid gave a wave of his hand to the bartender - flagging down a drink while he watched the exchange between Aska and Gareth carefully..

 

[Aska Ryun]

As her fingers pressed tightly around the rim of her drink, spinning slowly as the ice cubes within clattered against one another cutting through the silence of Quick Draw, Aska turned her head just enough to the right to catch the full form of Gareth in her peripherals. His words, his posture, his demeanor… Gareth wasn’t the same man he had once been. True, they were never the greatest of acquaintances but fame had a way of changing people. Losing a friend, as he had when Preef passed, possessed the same potential. The tiniest tug of sympathy played with her heart for a brief moment but it soon passed. He wasn’t who he once was. Now he had become a monster. A tyrant. A problem.

”Nobodies stopping you from sitting down and having a drink, Gareth,” the clone coldly teased as she lifted her own glass to her lips. As she sipped on the beverage, her eyes scanned the mirror behind the shelved bottles of the bar. The longer she stared, fewer faces remained to stare back. The bar slowly cleared out as those within moved to the sides, inching towards both the door out into the street as well as the door that led to the back portion. A couple men remained, both of which she couldn’t recognize. Likely on Gareth’s payroll, but a concern nonetheless. ”Come, sit down. Let’s talk,” the clone added as she placed her right foot on the leg of the stool at her side, giving it a good shove in the Miralukan’s direction.

”Greed always has been and always will be the greatest motivator, Gareth. You know that just as well as I do,” Aska continued calmly as she set the drink back down on the surface of the bar. Placing her left forearm across the counter with her hand hanging over it’s edge, cracking the knuckles of her right hand against her palm, she proceeded to roll her shoulders back to limber herself up. ”You’ve got a price tag on your head so damn large that even the Empress’ is chump change in comparison. To be honest, I’m surprised this bar hasn’t lit up already with everyone here carrying you out in a body bag. Tell me, how much are you paying ‘em to not drop a slug in the back of your head?”

@Versok​

 

[Gareth Gin]

The White Lion of Zaa Fenn gently used the force to have the kicked stool reach all the way to him, grabbing it and sitting down but without even bothering to move from where he was standing at all, another person had just come into the picture, one he didn't recognize, but if he had to guess, he was probably another mercenary that wanted the bounty on his head, one bold enough to actually enter the scene, he wouldn't bother to ask for his name, since there was a possibility only his brains on the floor would remain.

The Miralukan took a sip from his drink as Aska began talking, his head tilting away from her and down at the bar counter as she talked, one would think he was being foolish by doing so, but it was well known that his eyes were not real, and his vision was different than normal, who knew what he was truly watching, or what he was thinking, from this gesture alone?

"The only thing that motivates people more than credits...is staying alive, Aska" Gareth said as he swirled his glass of Gin, the elbow of that arm on the bar counter as the liquid circled around inside the glass "An 8 million credits bounty commands respect and fear as well, most bounty hunters haven't even made it to bounties over a few thousand, only the ones that are exceptionally bold would try it...And as you might have gathered from the amount of people that are left inside the cantina, there are not that many of them left, because bold people like us can die pretty fast."

Gareth left the glass on the counter before laying back a little bit, putting a hand on his chin, playing with his beard a little bit as he let out a shrug "And believe it or not, the Zaa Fenn is probably the most loyal family when it comes to his members, if I had gained that bounty on my head under less...conflictive conditions, that thought wouldn't have crossed anyone's mind inside this place."

And then, as she asked that question, Gareth let out a small smile "You would know, you were paid by a Zaa Fenn leader once." With that said, the White Lion of Zaa Fenn pointed at the slicer sitting on his own (@Oreus) "But besides that, some won't turn on me out of respect" And then he pointed at Edin, the assassin that helped him in the mission that put the bounty on his head in the first place "While others prefer to play the long game, knowing that I can get them more than eight million, given enough time...But I take you'd rather jump from one big job to the next, right? First Durr the Hutt, now the White Lion of Zaa Fenn."

@Tulos

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin was thankful for the helmet hiding his face. Others would see his helmeted head very slowly turn towards Gareth as the man loudly implied that no one had collected his bounty out of fear. There was the subtlest twitch of the assassin’s fingers as they flirted near the blaster on his hip. While he had agreed to the job, there was no denying that bounty looked delicious. And Edin was quick on the draw. If he wasn’t sure he would be peppered with bolts and have the bounty stolen, he would have moved right then. No, it was smarter to play the long game and see what rewards would unfold, even though Gareth’s promises sounded shaky at best.

The assassin remained where he was, keeping a respectable distance from the others. He already sized up everyone here, along with their assortment of weapons and where they kept their grenades. Being a sniper and contract killer meant he was exceptionally good at picking up details, almost enough to guess the various fighting styles people may employ. He only hoped it wouldn’t come to that since this was looking like more of a good old fashioned brawl.

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Gareth swirled his drink, making his statement of how the bold had a tendency to die young, Aska chuckled softly.

”You’re right about that. The brightest stars burn the fastest. In our line of work you either die a legend or live in anonymity until you fade away into nothing. There is no in between,” As she spoke, the clone turned to face the Miralukan more fully, nodding to Covax to give her some space. Leaning on her left arm still on the counter, the clone brought her right hand up and gently laid her palm over her wrist comfortably whilst smiling coyly at her fellow Legend of Shaddaa. ”Just look at Preef. He once thought of himself as invincible. Where is he now? Left to rot in some back alley. You really want to follow in those footsteps but not in what he stood for? What he died for?” Still smiling, the woman clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth three times, gently shaking her head from side to side.

”Loyalty and fear, oil and water. Loyalty can be bought, Gareth. True loyalty is hard to come by but it can only be earned. Respect earns true loyalty. Killing thousands, if not millions, earns you fear. And one day, the people will stop being afraid,” Blue eyes locked on Gareth’s, unaware of how useless they were, but she wasn’t looking into his soul. Instead, she was watching his body language. She was watching for tensing muscles, so many of them left uncovered and clearly visible. If he sprung into action, she’d be ready.

”That’s if Zaa Fenn doesn’t crash and burn with you at the helm. Given the heat you’ve brought down on your family already, I give it a month at most before the ISC smokes you out of every hiding hole you have in the galaxy. How do you expect to pay these people when you're locked away on the Island or jettisoned into the Maw? You’re just as poisonous for Zaa Fenn as you were to the people of Mon Cala. Taking you out of the picture? It would be a mercy to those you claim to serve,”

@Versok​

 

[Covax]

Covax was keen to let the two Legends trade barbs back and forth. After all, of the two of them Aska was a far better talker. At least most could understand her after a few rounds. Instead the former Enforce watched the room, helmet never moving, even was his eyes continued to count the bodies moving for the exit.

Taking notice of the two who remained. A pretty boy who was likely better equipped then he looked. And the hired gun, the head nod telling Covax that he wasn't nearly as loyal as lion thought he might be. Perhaps there was a play to be made there.

When Aska gave him the nod, he returned it. Glass in hand he moved from the bar, behind his partner and over to a Sabacc table far left of the front door and perhaps 40-50 feet from the bar itself. Taking the boom stick from his back, to carefully place it on the table in front of him as the sat facing the rest of the room with other the exterior wall and an empty corner booth behind him.

@Versok @Sreeya @Oreus

 

[Gareth Gin]

Aska's words about Preef made his face contort in an ugly way, frowning his eyebrows as he pondered about what he would think of this for a moment before shaking his head as if to prevent any doubt in his mind "Preef did die a sudden death as a result of a backstabbing empress, but make no mistake, he died a legend in the eyes of most of the galaxy...Which didn't do Zaa Fenn any good."

Gareth took a mental note of where Covax was going, he knew the man was dangerous as well and he was obviously armed, he was not going to underestimate neither of them, for that could very well lead him to his death "Those that stick with me either respect me already or will eventually, given enough time. It's those that oppose me that will fear me, no matter the cost" After all, he was the most experienced, the oldest veteran of all the Zaa Fenn members that were still playing the game. They didn't need to fear them, he didn't even understand why they would fear them, even if the reason would be obvious to others, he was doing this for them, after all.

"You know why I said that Preef dying a legend didn't make us any good, Aska? Because after that happened, the rest of the galaxy thought of the Zaa Fenn as weaklings" Gareth said, putting his fist on the bar counter almost with a slam, a scowl on the White Lion as his voice spouted pure venom, the results of being consumed by the situation he had been put in "And why wouldn't they? The sith killed our legendary leader, and in response the best we could do was send Covax to them to maintain the alliance at all costs, letting them get away with it scot free, because at the same time the ISC smelled blood in the water and decided to declare war on us!" Gareth said as he pointed at Covax as his name had been brought up, he didn't know what he felt about that situation, chances are not much, given how he was part of the Zaa Fenn for a very short amount of time, but Gareth? He had been deeply ashamed of all of this for the longest time now.

"The morals of Preef inside this family were long gone before this, the Zaa Fenn had gone lazy, they only cared about the money as they happily ignored everything that was done to us and the absence of our current leader. We were already at a war with the ISC, who haven't attacked Nar Shadda simply because it's an infected hellhole. The chance of more planets like Mon Cal joining them in the fight only increased with time as well and there also were people on Coruscant that threatened to take action against us if they didn't get to put the mockery of Zaa Fenn that lacks the bravery and honor it was once praised for on a leash!" Gareth leaned forward as he said all of that, his voice sounded tired, yet powerful, angry, yet composed. "This was a long time coming, the only difference is that instead of me letting them kick us while we stay down, I made sure we hit first and hard."

"I am not the poison of Zaa Fenn, I am the fire that's burning the cancer that has spread deep within it, be it under my command or after my death, Zaa Fenn will have to learn to become strong once more to face these challenges or burn down quickly instead of rotting away in the way I've seen it firsthand" Truth is, it was the first time he had been so sincere with anyone in a long time, it was funny how he only could open up to people that wanted him dead or, at the very least, gone. Every single thing that bothered him, he had swallowed and suffered on his own as he thought a good leader should, and of course... "I've thrown away what little of my humanity I had left to make sure of it, and I'll damn myself in the eyes of the force many times more if necessary." ...It had led to this.

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Gareth continued to speak, his fist slamming into the counter whilst his frustrations began to boil told Aska she needed to make a decision. She could sit here and listen to the drawn on monologuing of his intentions, why he had done what he had done, so on and so forth. Or she could strike. She likely wouldn’t have the better opportunity than what had been presented now.

”Fuck it,” she muttered under her breath. Turning her head fully in Gareth’s direction, Aska took aim and tightened the fingers of her right hand around her left wrist. The activation plate of the dart launcher built into the gauntlet slid into place and was soon followed by a soft ffwwwip as a projectile, tailored to incapacitate those of Miralukan blood specifically, sped at high velocity towards his bare shoulder as he ranted about the state of Zaa Fenn. If it connected, it gave Aska and the others an opening to deal with those loyal to the White Lion whilst he fell unconscious.

Knowing in such a distracted state even a Force User would struggle with reacting in time to evade the dart, Aska then leaned her body weight onto her left forearm and pushed off the stool with her feet. Sliding across the bar and down to the floor on the opposite side, the clone drew her SE-45 and positioned her back against the metal cupboard door and prepared for every ounce of shit in this place to hit the fan.

@Versok @Oreus @Sreeya @Taz @Altaris​

 

[Covax]

By now Aska and Covax had worked so long together that one knew exactly how the other worked. How they moved, thought, and most importantly in this situation. How much bullshit the they would listen to.

As Aska said "Fuck it." Covax groaned, "Bla bla bla bla bla." Aiming the scatterblaster toward the pretty boy (@Oreus ) as it rested on the table, and firing. As the weapon already charged to fire, because who walks into a gunfight without one in the pipe? There was no need to pump the action and both barrels would be burst cones of light boltlest in the Scoundrel's direction. As the bar was still within the effective rage of the weapon, and his back was still mosting turned to Covax. It was unlikely the fresh faced thug had a chance.

As the burst left the weapon, the merc worked the action to charge the next shot. While kicking over the metal sabacc table and taking a knee behind it. Leaving only the upper armored part of his torso exposed, as well as his weapon. Still aimed in the fancy suit's direction.

@Versok @Sreeya @Tulos @Altaris[/abox]

 

[Zaid Durmaz]

Zaid silently watched the exchange between Aska and Gareth, brown eyes drifting between the pair as they exchanged words. The tension was clear on the half-Orclan’s face, and there was a faint twitch of his fingers as his hand lingered low at his side – dangerously close to his blaster pistol. He knew from the moment he arrived that shit was inevitably going to hit the fan. He had been told as much. The question was simply when and who was going to take the first shot.

That simple expletive from Aska served as the only signal that Zaid needed. The moment that Aska raised her arm to Gareth and Covax groaned, the half-Orcolan sprang from his current position. Zaid – who had purposefully neglected to seat himself on a stool – leaned his weight onto his right forearm and pushed himself up and over the bar counter. He swung his legs around and landed directly onto the other side of the counter.

The moment he touched the ground, Zaid pulled the DG.7 from his hip and turned to face the rest of the Cantina. While Aska went for Gareth himself and Covax targeted Seyd, Zaid turned his attention to the Firrerreo who lingered at the edge of the room. The half-Orcolan leveled his blaster pistol on Edin and pulled the trigger, firing bolt of yellow plasma aimed for the Firrerreo’s chest.

As soon as the bolt left his pistol, Zaid dropped down to one knee behind the bar – keeping the majority of his body hidden behind the counter as he prepared for what was bound to be a good ole’ fashion shootout.

@Sreeya @Taz @Tulos @Oreus

 

[Seyd Mac]

Tensions were rising as more and more people filtered into the cantina. It was fairly obvious which sides were being taken and that a fight was going to happen. Seyd was on edge, especially as he saw one of the mercenary types pull out a scatter gun. At that far away it would likely be difficult to hit anyone, but it wasn't worth the risk to dismiss a blaster that could be pointed at him. When the fight itself started, Seyd had already been twitching with anticipation of jumping for cover and pulling out his pistol. Gareth got attacked by who he had been speaking to, another jumped behind the bar, and of course the scattergun moved right towards the slicer.

Seyd threw himself to the side in what had been mentally rehearsed since he saw others begin to position in the cantina. He had Gareth between himself and where the two enemies had been, who were now both behind the bar. The bar would provide cover from them for now. His main concern had to be, obviously, Covax. The scatter of plasma was just at its threshold as it hit stools and bar and floor around Seyd. The dive had maybe saved him, maybe didn't matter, but it positioned him away from more direct shots at least. Part of the rehearsed dive was to draw the pistol he kept holstered under his jacket.

Just like a spy holo. Seyd thought to himself as he managed to draw the pistol while sliding prone on the floor behind some stools and a table. He was next to the bar and his head way below it for cover, and his jump to the side put a few obstacles between him and Covax. It wasn't perfect cover but it did something at least. There was only one target in the room for him right now so Seyd fired off two shots from his DL-18 in return (@Taz) as he retreated to a position along the bar where more furniture was between him and Covax. The shots were both aimed at roughly the upper-chest/neck area.

@Versok @Sreeya

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin knew things would go from bad to worse the moment Gareth gave a speech that made President Thorne’s loquacious ramblings look fast. The Firrerreo grimaced as he heard Aska curse, knowing that meant action. He wasn’t close to the bar and would have to make do with a table. He kicked one over and ducked down. The top edge of the table had a burn streaking through it from where the bolt nearly clipped him.

While the assassin was usually the silent type, the amount of absurd he witnessed here was grating. He remained crouched behind the table, but his opponent would notice there was no incoming return fire. Instead, Edin decided to speak.

“Why the fuck are we fighting each other instead of the real enemy here?” He called out from behind the table, “Gareth, even if you win today you can’t lead Zaa Fenn. You have a target on your back and everything Zaa Fenn is marked. Zaa Fenn as a name is finished and so are you,” He rapidly continued speaking, “Aska, even if you win, you may not win in the end. Because you see the fucking cameras? That means we’re being watched. By the person actually in charge of Zaa Fenn.”

Edin looked down at his chrono, thinking about how they were on borrowed time, “What the fuck do you think a Crimelord does when they are cornered?”

Burn everything.

He didn’t need to spell it out, but Marissa was in a position to hand every single one of them over on a silver platter to the Rangers. Someone like her would know that there was no salvaging Zaa Fenn in the context of what it used to be. She could easily take the nuclear option and turn over the entire fortress and escape with all her intelligence and data through some exit only she knew.

@Tulos @Taz @Oreus @Altaris @Versok

 

[Gareth Gin]

Sure, Gareth was speaking, but that didn't mean he would be completely taken by surprise by Aska's attack, if only because he was still paying enough attention to her to at least notice her saying "fuck it" and turning her head fully in his direction. If she had just silently let him rant before sending that projectile, chances are he would have been taken out, but instead, those signs put him on alert, giving him time to at least expect something coming from her.

Of course, a high velocity projectile so close to him would be hard to dodge regardless, Gareth would both need to raise his arm as to cover the targetted part with his Matukai glove as well as use the force to deflect the projectile downwards as to make sure it would meet the gauntlet instead of his shoulder. Thankfully, being behind the side of the bar counter meant that he had one arm raised high enough to be quite quicker in the action, as well as having the bar counter itself serving as cover, which meant the Miralukan knew that, if he had to defend himself, he would really only need to focus on the upper area as well, had he been in any other situation, less experienced himself or using something slower to defend himself such as a lightsaber, he would've been done for.

"Rude." Gareth simply said after being interrupted in such a manner as he reached for the force just as Aska wanted to slide across the bar counter and yanked her back, making her fall in the open instead, by the time he had done this, the White Lion would've already kicked the stool he was sitting on away as he crouched behind the counter as to make himself a smaller target, just taking a peek as he had both arms ready to defend himself.

And then Edin started talking...He was not exactly wrong when it came to Gareth, the mad Miralukan himself would've admitted as much if he had been allowed to finish his speech, that being said... "Edin, they are here for the giant bounty on my head, not for the Zaa Fenn, hell, they could be working for her, for all I know. We need to finish this as soon as possible!" The Miralukan exclaimed, making sure he kept an eye on the opposition in case they wanted to interrupt him at any moment once more, but Edin trying to interrupt the fight did, indeed, stop Gareth from doing the opposite team further damage, because...Well, he was indeed, right, but is not like they had given him any other option right now.

@Tulos @Taz @Oreus @Altaris @Sreeya