Forgotten In Memories

As Shine passed through the rotting and horrid streets of Nar Shaddaa, he sighed over recent events. The first job they had picked up had turned out rather well, despite the mishap that occured. In fact, it had picked them up not only another ship to use, but two more members for the crew. Several jobs later and Shine was beginning to see the advantages of having two ships much more clearly. It meant they could split up and cover twice as many jobs. That was partly the reason he was here alone today. A job had been offered on Nar Shaddaa and seeing as it wasn't a done deal, Shine had volunteered to to investigate it himself while the others worked on a deal they already had.

Turns out the deal had been a bust. Shine was disappointed, but not all jobs worked out, so he wasn't that surprised. Since he still had some time on the planet, he decided to see if anything had changed since his last visit years ago. Not much had of course, but it was always worth trying. As he drifted through the streets, he noticed a familiar bar out of the corner of his eye and turned to make his way toward it. The dimly lit sign above the door read "The Meltdown Cafe", sparking from time to time as the sign's age was beginning to show. Flicking away a small shower of sparks that drifted down as he approached, Shine slid in the door and let his eyes adjust to the room before moving towards the bar.

Compared to the almost dark interior, the bar's backwall shined bright with white, allowing its customers to view the selection. The entire front of the bar had been filled, so Shine made his way to one of the far corners of the bar, sitting himself so he faced the bar, his back to a darkened corner. The bartender came along shortly and after a moment, Shine ordered a minor drink from his homeworld of Corellia. As the bartender headed off to deal with others, Shine took a small sip of the drink, almost gagging as he did. This was stuff from home? Perhaps if they hadn't poured dirty water into it. Sighing, Shine looked over the other patrons that were within the bar.

Smugglers, criminals, even bounty hunters filled out the room, randomly chattering to one another or looking over a datapad while drinking. Quite literally, a place of scum and vileness. The sound of movement behind him and a voice caused him to glance over his shoulder, only now noticing the woman who was perched in the booth behind him. Although the room was dark, he could make out some of the woman's features and he had to admit, she wasn't that bad looking. Grinning to himself, he spun to face her, intrigued by her question.

"Well, if your a freak, you've come to the right place. I think everyone here would be considered one, although I wouldn't say it to their face. Might not go over so well."

The voice speaking in reply to her comment caused Taylah to snap out of her own little world, looking up and seeing the man who was talking to for the first time. Dark brown hair, golden eyes, his build hidden by that dark, long coat. The corner of her mouth turned up in a half-smile before she replied with, "Well, really, I generally get away with pretty much anything I say, and if I don't, my blaster lets me get away with it."

She took another sip from her glass before saying quietly, "Well, are you going to sit down or just stand there staring?" As she spoke, she nodded to the seat on the other side of the booth to her, "Besides, you're making me feel short" Truth be told, she knew full well how much smaller she was than most people, it was a fact she was used to, but it was also one she could use to help her get what she desired.

She took another drink from her glass before raising it and waving the the sleazey bar tender. After he caught her eye, she knew that what she wanted was for him to bring her another drink. He began to shake his head, so Taylah smiled at him and winked, and the man suddenly stopped shaking his head. She looked back over at the man that had been speaking to her and said quietly, "I'm Taylah. Taylah Voss." She smiled at him, hoping to get the information out of him she wanted. His name, and why he was here.

As a smile started to appear on Taylah's face, Shine let one appear on his as well. He turned to face her, locking in his golden, cat like eyes upon on her frame. He had to bite his tongue to keep from whistling in respect. She had a rather slender frame, yet he could see that her slender frame might have a little more muscle than her clothing showed. A dark coat hid her upper body from sight, while blue pants covered her legs. Her blaster, clipped to her belt, was un-holstered; not strange for patron of these places.

"Well, that's a philosophy I can't argue with. Although I find people are much more receptive to you if you don't put a gun to their head. Well, at least not right away."

Taking her offer, Shine moved to the seat opposite her, gently sitting himself down. As she downed the rest of her drink, Shine glanced at his for a moment. Taking a breath, he downed the remainder of the dirty water in one go, letting out a long sigh as he put his glass down. He had to fight against gagging the drink right back up, its horrid taste mixed with the strong taste of alcohol. In reference to her comment about feeling short, Shine looked her over once again, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Glancing over his shoulder to the bartender, who obviously was more interested in the woman's body than giving her another, Shine snickered to himself.

"Well, I must say the pleasure is all mine to make your acquaintance Ms Voss. I'm Shine Albartos. I am surprised though, to find another Corellian in this kind of place. Not often do I run into someone from the home front."

Although he had no way of telling for sure whether or not this woman was Corellian, Shine's instincts told him to go with it. And rarely was his instincts wrong.

"It's a philosophy that noone argues with." She said simply, bringing one of her knees up so she could rest her head on her knee. She kept her eyes on him for a moment until she commented on her heritage, or as she found out their shared heritage. "Another Corellian? Well, I must say that you're definately climbing the ladder of respect." She said, smilling widely, "I haven't been there for years though. I spend most of my time working."

Eventually the barman made his way over, carrying another glass of ale. Once again, she noticed his eyes trace over her body. As he reached out, placing the glass on the table, her hand shot out, lightning quick to grab the man's wrist, pulling him in closer to the table. Below, out of sight, her other hand pushed the blaster into the man's stomach. "I said eyes UP. Stop making the same mistake, and get my friend another drink." She looked at Shine's glass before saying, "Actually, better get him an ale aswell." She released his wrist, revealing bruising starting from the tightness of her grip, allowing him to scurry away.

"Some people never learn." She said, shaking her head, "But the reason you don't see many Corellians is because there aren't many Corellians in the business." She told him simply, "They generally stick to their transport and manufacturing careers."

"Yea, can't say I have been back to the home world recently. Not that I would be allowed back there, but I haven't even thought of it."

Motion behind him snapped Shine's eyes to his side, watching as the barman shuffled into view. He hadn't really given the man a second glance the first time, since he'd seen his fair share of human barmen over the years and they all looked the same to him. This one made the rest of them look like saints. Sweat poured from his armpits, obviously by the wet stains on his shirt. His hair was a total mess and he smelled like a dead rat. To top it off, he had a bulging gut that threatened to rip the belt that held his pants up clean off. Shine had to do his best not to flinch at the man's appearance.

Most people that made their living out on worlds like this were usually like that. Unable to afford proper living, they made the best out of what they had. Smell and cleanliness were small concerns compared to obtaining food or money. Shine's eyes watched as the man brought Taylah' drink and followed where his gaze was actually looking. With a speed and suddenness that Shine hadn't expected, Taylah grabbed the man by his arm, her blaster pressed hard into the man's stomach. Out of habit, Shine's hand shot down to his own blaster, his eyes scrolling the nearby patrons in case any of them decided to impose on their buisness.

As the bartender hobbled off, the sweat on his head now from fear instead of the humid climate within the bar. Once he was out of sight, Shine let out a long whistle, clicking his blaster back carefully into its holster. He cocked his head to the side, studying Taylah for a moment as she spoke before responding himself.

"I think you just made him wet himself. Not that anyone will notice over the smell of this place, but its still rather impressive. And yes, that's true; most of us do stick to those kind of jobs. But in my case, I didn't really have that career option, so here I am. Just another smuggler within a crowd of them."

"I don't think it's the first time that he's wet himself. He looks like he does it most days." She let a playful smirk come across her face before she continued, "Although, it could have been the excitement of me touching his arm. I don't think he's too used to being around women, and any that are around him I feel sorry for. Dirty sleazebag." She turned her bright green gaze back to Shine, her eyes locking on his face, "I hope he listened that time, because next time I pull the trigger."

She once again rested her head on her knee, her gaze scanning the bar once again. A few Twi'Lek men in another corner, looking like they were up to no good. A few humans around. Various different sentient beings all around. All bounty hunters, smugglers, or criminals of some sort.

"So you're a smuggler? Well, that's another thing we have in common. My ship, the Graceful Blade, it's one of the fastest smuggling ships in the galaxy." She told him, her eyes locking on his to tell him wordlessly that she wasn't lying. "Unfortunately, business from Nar Shaddaa has been a bit slow lately. I'm thinking about relocating to somewhere warmer." She spoke simply, "But I'm going to keep my apartment here. It's a good hideout sometimes."

"I do hear that Tattooine goes alright. Taris maybe. I don't really know. I always did business out of here." She said with a shrug.

Shine listened carefully to Taylah as she spoke, his golden eyes never leaving her face until he was sure she had finished. It wasn't that she didn't have a appealing frame, but he had been raised to pay attention to someone when they were speaking, not something else in the room or something on their person. That and he didn't want to find himself on the buisness end of a blaster either. As the last of her words trailed of, Shine leaned back in his seat, letting the conversation sink in. Propping his arm up on the back of the seat, Shine met his grin with his own.

"Your probably right about the bartender. Although, I really wouldn't pop him next time. For one, he wouldn't be able to serve any more of these "lovely" drinks. And for two, I don't think we want the entire place becoming a shoot first, ask who did what later kind of situations. Not that it wouldn't be fun, but I for one would like to leave her without a blaster wound."

Eying the bartender as he came back, Shine cast his a friendly smile, noting that the bartender's eyes didn't leave Shine as he dumped off the drink. Quick as he was in, the bartender was back out, running to take care of an order he probably hadn't received yet. Taking a sip of the ale, holding down his disgust as he did, Shine turned back to Taylah.

"Why am I not surprised that your a fellow smuggler. And I'm sorry, but can't say I've heard of the Graceful Blade. And I rarely forget something once I see or hear about it. Then again, who am I to judge another's notoriety. Me and my ship, the Black Cat, probably don't even register on the radar.

"Yea, I came here looking for a job too, but that turned out to be a bust. Which means I'll have to go elsewhere. There are bills to pay, equipment that always needs repairing, crewmates to feed and pay. Can't say I really have a home anywhere; my ship is pretty much the only home I got. Though if what you say is true, then maybe a trip to Tattoonie or Taris is in my future. Any other places you know of with good buisness?"

"Well, of course Coruscant is always good for business, but you have to have real guts to do a job there. Pretty strict on their customs and policing there. It's pretty tight getting the cargo onto the planet." She told him, sipping her drink slowly this time, making it last longer. She watched Shine as he drank the ale, noticing the odd look in his eyes when he tasted the amber fluid.

"Ya know, the ale is the only decent drink in this place, and that's because it gets turned over so quickly. Nothing else gets drunk here, so it sits around for ages, goes stagnant, a bit foul, ya know?" She smiled at him for a moment before saying, "I guess having a crew could be a bit of a burden, but I miss being around people. It's just me on my own out there. I work better that way. My way, every time, and one person is harder to notice than a group."

She took another sip from her drink before looking around again. Her eyes settled on a Rodian near the counter, before suddenly widening. She looked away quickly, reaching up and pulling her hair out of the pony tail to hide her face. She took another drink before saying quietly, "I caused that Rodian at the bar to lose his last contract. If he notices me, I'll understand if you want to stay out of it."

(Omg, this is what I was forgetting D: My bad)

Shine swirled the strange drink in his glass as Tayloh spoke, considering her words about it as he watched the amber drink make small ripples in his cup. He had no real problem with alcohol really, so long as he didn't need to drink it in excess. He could shoulder usually two or three before he would force himself to stop. This often allowed him to have a nice, friendly conversation while accepting people's offers of drinks. Had helped at formal affairs back home as well. Not to say he couldn't hold his liquor; he had yet to find anyone who could out drink him if he really tried and even then he was only faintly woozy after. He just couldn't stand the taste without a good reason.

"Coruscant huh? That's not a bad idea. I owe the crew a little rest considering how up and down our luck has been lately. Maybe even find someone who needs a job done off world or worst case, smuggling something off planet. The Cat's pretty quick and I know a trick or two when I need to get very far away from something that's trying to fry me.

And a crew isn't such a bad thing. True, more to feed and pay, but it opens up the ability to take multiple jobs at once. Fact is, there are five people in my crew, with three ships between us. My Cat, another freighter and a small starfighter. All of which are hyperspace capable. So, we could take two or three jobs at once, depending on whats required for them. Or we can work a really big job and pool our resources together to get it done. You'd be surprised how a good plan can make even the impossible possible."

At her words about the Rodian, Shine tilted his head just a little, allowing him to glance over his shoulder at him without making it appear that he was. The Rodian didn't look like much of a threat, the sickly green coloring of their species noticeable only due to his proximity to the light of the bar. Tilting his head back as Taylah let her hair down, Shine let out a small, respectful whistle. He shuffled his body to block the Rodian's direct line of sight to her as he did.

"Would be kind of hard not to notice someone like yourself. You'd probably attract even some of the most noble people, so in this place you probably would stand out like a shining beacon. And that's a compliment out of pure respect, no alternate motives behind it at all. And if he does try and start something, I'm sure he'll learn his lesson right quick."

Taylah reached up, scratching her chin for a moment before saying, "Well, I'm almost set on Taris. I just know that it's a lot easier to find smuggling jobs there. Bounty hunters are everywhere on Tattooine, and some of them are people I want to avoid." She took another long drink from her glass before saying, "I'm not offering to join your crew or anything, but if you ever need extra help, and you're looking to...uh... sub contract, just seek me out."

She looked up at the bar tender to see him pointing to her, his eyes locked on the rodian. She looked across at Shine before saying, "If you want to do a runner, now's the time to do it." She watched as the Rodian turned, his hand reaching for his holster. She reached for her blaster, sliding it out of the leather holster, ready for him.

"This is going to get messy. My ship is in docking bay AL120 if we get seperated and you need to find me." She told him simply.