Of Manfists and Man-hugs (Pol, Ghostie)

[Fromikeable]

((OOC: For those of you wondering why the crazy guy from New York City is associating espresso-soda with childhood: www.manhattanspecial.com/products_pure_espresso.html ))

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Horst inhaled deeply, smelling fresh air, a multitude of different fuel-fumes, and even a hint of rust.

With that, his opinion was reinstated; Corellia was the best-damn smelling place in the galaxy.

When Ethan had told him that they needed to head into the Core to pick up their new ships, he had been skeptical, remembering how that had gone last time. But when his Mando'a-speaking friend had named Corellia as their destination, Horst had packed in mere seconds.

He hadn't been home in a good decade, and boy, oh boy, did it feel GOOD.

He had gone to his old neighborhood. He had seen his old tenement (which he had actually owned before he had deserted; Pat had left it to him in the will). He stopped by the cornerstores and had drank, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, a Corellian Special; the soda-pop of his youth. After he had found them, he'd cleaned out the store, spending about 100 credits for a good 6 dozen bottles of the espresso-soda. After his tour was over, he'd returned to the Verada, packed half of boxes away for Ethan, and gone to town.

Now he was leaning on a railing, overlooking the sunset on his one and true home. He was in his usual T-shirt, cargo pants, boots, and dog-tags, and he'd thrown over his old leather jacket to remember the old styles he and his neighbors and childhood friends had. He finished his 4th Corellian Special of the day, tilting the bottle back a fair amount until every last drop was down his throat.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" If Corellia was his home, then Corellian Specials were his home in a bottle.

Satisfied, Horst tossed the bottle into a bin and retreated back into the bar. He'd stepped out after losing a few credits in a game of poker to some guy with pointy ears. In a way, he looked familiar, but Horst hadn't thought about it too crucially, instead trying his best to win back some of his credits.

He'd failed. Oh well. Credits were just credits.

Horst headed across the bar, which was pretty roomy with the central area being filled with tables and chairs, one of which was hosting the poker game, which appeared to still be going on. Horst glanced over; it looked like that guy with the pointy ears was cleaning house, as he had most of the credits. Horst spared his face another glance; he just looked so familiar...

Arriving at the bar counter, Horst found Ethan. He rustled around in his pocket, producing his final bottle of Corellian Special, which was admittedly a little warm thanks to the absence of any cooling for a good hour or so. Still, it was the moment of truth; if Ethan was a real Corellian kid like he looked, he'd like it.

"Found these today. Figured it was only right to share." He grinned and sat down, taking in the evening.

[Poludnica]

Sharp, well-developed fangs flashed briefly when a young half-Firrerreo snarled at an information stand, kicking it angrily. ”Damn thing!” A mixture of Corellian and Firrerrese curses exploded in the air. Few people turned their heads to look at the odd half-blood. ”What are you gawking at?” Yu asked a tall, lanky man who immediately stepped back seeing the canines. The young alien looked like an angry bantha. Yu scoffed at ...general publicity and turned to the stubborn machine.

For couple of hours he was not trying to find a cemetery with his grandmother's ashes. It had been years since the young solider properly visited the planet outside the ship districts. Yu let out a frustrated sigh and slammed the haptic keyboard again which sparked vividly before dying. The sniper had no more strength left to throw another meatball of cusses. Completely defeated by a mindless virtual information and leaned over the rail slightly, taking in a deep breath only to cough when a sharp stench of fuel fumes filled his lungs.

His senses weren't necessarily more keen than any other human but spending few months on Ruan one couldn't easily adjust to honest, technology reeking civilization. Regardless, Yu loved Corellia with strong, nostalgic love even if he rarely visited it. Still, his mother and grandmother had raised him to be a Corellian more than anything else and part of his young heart always regretted not living here.

Maybe he should ask someone? Maybe...Though getting drunk looked like the best option. It was kind of sad he knew more bars than had an actual family on Corellia but...Yu for a moment gazed in the distance watching fires of ships leaving the atmosphere. There was a time he had dreamed of becoming a pilot. Instead used to hide in bushes to take down bad people. And now...now he was peeling potatoes on a ship that rarely seen any battle. With every next day his frustration grew more and more, pushing him to leave this whole mess behind him.

And do what? Yu's hand balled into fist. He had hundreds of years to live but couldn't figure out what to do throughout the next few. Now that was a whole new level of pathetic. Screw it...The soldier turned and kicked the machine again.

[Ghostie]

Corellia. Ethan loved being home. He loved the food, the racing, and the over all atmosphere. It was a shame that he really didn't have someone to visit. Anyone he knew from school probably wouldn't remember him. And he didn't have anyone special to come back to. So, instead, he had visited the cemetery where his father was buried.

Ethan didn't spend much time there. Just enough to place some flowers and say a couple words. Not much to say. He wasn't sure how his old man would feel about Spearpoint. He always wanted Ethan to live a respectable life, and run his business.

Well, that didn't work out so well.

Ethan kept busy with business to distract himself. Talk to contacts this day, meet someone then, transfer credits now. It was lucky that Ethan still had some contact with Gardan. The Hutt was able to scrape together a couple guys who could get the ships Ethan needed. For a fee though, of course.

Two Telos-Class Corvettes were waiting for Ethan and his group to walk in and pick them up, just outside of Coronet. They were fueled and ready to go. Sure, a corvette wasn't a big ship. But the Telos-Class hit hard and ran fast. That was what Ethan wanted. It would help them start out.

It amazed the old bounty hunter that he needed two more ships to cope with the amount of recruits that signed up on Oatara. Going after the Sith as dangerous, some would even say suicidal. Sure, you could make excellent money off of it, but how long would you live to spend it?

These questions were the ones that started to plague Ethan. Were they basically committing suicide by doing this? He never really wanted this many people to have a command over, to be pirates. A crew fit him fine. But now he had a fleet basically.

“Remember Ethan, people are drawn to fire.”

Something his dad always said. All this time, and he was still giving the Hunter advice.

Ethan finished off his drink, and set it back down on the counter for a refill. The last night on Corellia, and Ethan had given the crew shore leave to enjoy themselves while they could. Ethan had chosen a mediocore bar/casino off the beaten path. Horst was around somewhere...

"Found these today. Figured it was only right to share."

The ex-smuggler had shown back up, with what appeared to be an espresso-soda. Ethan remembered the stuff, he had it a couple times while he was a teen. Horst offered Ethan the bottle, and he took it. Taking the cap off and taking a gulp of the soda, memories started flooding back. Him, hanging out with friends and their swoops, sitting around and drinking the stuff. Good times.

“Haven't seen this in forever. Where'd you find it?”

Ethan let Horst answer while his eyes scanned the room. There was a fellow, young by the looks of him, racking up while the winnings at the card table playing Sabacc. Ethan had seen him at the beginning of the night. It seemed like hadn't lost much. He was either very good, or something was going on.

“See that guy over at the card table? He's been winning all night.”

It had been awhile since Ethan played cards. Last time he was working in Hutt Space actually. Which was quite a long time ago. He'd never been the best, but he wasn't bad either. People in Hutt Space used that, thought they could get away with cheating. It didn't matter the game, Pazaak or Sabacc, there were always rules to exploit.

Well, Ethan could notice quite a bit. No one got away with cheating when he played.

Ethan hopped off the stool and walked over to the table, taking the espresso-soda with him. The lastest victim of the young man at the cards table was leaving, and no one seemed to keen on sitting down. Ethan slipped into the seat as the Duros left, and set his drink on the table.

“Care for another game, burc'ya? You seem to be doing pretty well tonight.”

The man motioned Ethan to sit down, and then shuffled cards out, two to each player. The older man gathered some chips, and the game begun.

[Fromikeable]

Ethan took the bottle with a smile, asking after its origins. Horst grinned at that.

"Spent the day back in my old stompin' grounds. Visited my old corner-store, and cleaned 'em out when I saw those in the coolers." For a minute, Horst wished he'd brought just one more; he could practically live off those sodas, and be extremely happy doing so too.

Horst looked out across the bar when Ethan asked about the kid at the poker table with pointy ears. The Commander scanned the on-going game as a Duros got up to leave, clearly irritated by his bad luck. The pointy-eared kid raked in his haul with a huge smi-

"Hey, that's the kid that cleaned me out too." Horst took a second to connect the dots as Ethan was already departing for the table. Either that kid was extremely lucky, or he was swindling folks out of their credits. In other words, he was being dishonest, and if Horst hated anything, it was dishonesty.

Ethan beat him there, settling in the Duro's old chair. Horst grabbed a seat from the next table and slid it over, coming to rest beside Ethan in a relaxed sitting position. The pointy-eared kid eyed him with a mischievous grin, almost as if to ask if the ex-smuggler was seriously going to try and win his money back. As he started dealing, Horst collected a few chips as well, merely shrugging and responding, "Got to make my credits back somehow, kid." Horst received his cards before throwing a few chips into the pot. He shot a sharp glance at the pointy-eared cheater, watching him from the corners of his eyes.

As soon as he saw it? That kid was gonna' learn a little something about cheating.

[Poludnica]

No, it wouldn't work. Defeated, Yu directed his steps toward the first bar that seemed to have cheap enough beer. And someone to play pazaak with. Kicking few cans along the way, Yu's mood grew darker with every passing moment. He couldn't even tell why, life was gnawing at him, making restless even as the half-Firrereo entered the familiar, smokey air of the bar. The sign could barely stay illuminated, sizzling from electrical current and pulled out wires. That was the shadier part of Corellia for you. Yu didn't mind.

One table was almost clear of players but first things first and the young sniper took a glass of strong, Corellian ale. Few snacks later the drink was ready and Yu prepared his cards, scooping them out from the pocket. The had marks of time on them, used in plenty of places in the Galaxy, from Outer Rim to the Core. Being a sodier had it's perks. And now getting few credits from some poor sods could really make a day.

With a smile, the haf-Firrerreo walked over to the table with only three players there. Corellia was a human world but it wasn't isolating, many species found here their home even if would never be a part of the culture. Trade and docks helped the flow of various citizens from all over the place. Including a Duros that had just left the table Yu was heading to.

Without even looking at the other payers too carefully – they would lose anyway – Sivan sat down. Next to a middle aged man, certainly a Corellian. ”Greetings gentlemen, may I join this party?” He asked with a smile, looking at the strangers...Suddenly Yu frowned with confusion. One of the humans seemed very familiar. Ver, very...The half-Firrerreo put down the glass, slowly, carefully. Quickly in his mind a list of names popped up. Army, certainly but the soldier couldn't really...

”Major Stellar?” Yu almost all of his cards that slipped from his hands and onto the floor. Surprise, borderline shock painted on the young man's features. Crap. Yes, now he remembered, even the bar was similar but one thing Sivan wouldn't forget and that had been the training that left him whimpering on the ground. ”I didn't know...you where here.” Now, that wasn't the smartest thing to say but the half-Firrerreo couldn't think of anything better. How many years it had been? Three? Four? Certainly before his discharge. Yu suddenly paled, not really feeling like spending time around his former CO.

[Ghostie]

Ethan was ready to play some Sabacc one versus one. Then Horst swung a chair around and sat down, grabbing some chips as they were dealt out. Ethan rolled his eyes, the smuggler already lost once to this guy and all he was going to do was loose more credits. Not to mention, Ethan hadn't factored him into playing this game. He was going to worry about watching the kid, making sure he was playing fair.

Now Horst was going to be a wild card in his plan.

Not a moment after Horst sat down, another joined the table. He was young, or looked young at least. Human enough, but with some Firrerreo features. He had his own deck, from the looks of things. A hybrid then, as they were labeled. He asked if he may join, and Ethan nodded his approval, somewhat hesitantly though.

“Know Sabacc, ad'ika? You better put your cards down, House items only.”

Of course, by “put your cards down”, Ethan didn't mean drop all over the floor like the young man proceeded to do. The paper cards scattered, and there was a look of shock on the man's face as he gazed across the table, in Horst's direction.

Major Stellar? Oh no... One of his old squad from the Republic.

The young man recovered well from the initial shock. How long had it been since Horst left the Republic? Should have only been a couple of years at most. Still, when an officer drops out on you in the military, you usually never saw them again.

“Major Stellar, eh? You never told me how far up the line you were, Commander.”

Ethan cocked an eyebrow at Horst, and then turned towards the newcomer. If he knew that Horst was in the military, then he might know that Horst was an outlaw as well. Better play things cool until they knew.

Of course, Horst wasn't likely to play things cool. Ethan had thought of the ex-smuggler as a bit of a hot-head after that fight with the chandelier and a couple of now flat hunters on Coruscant. Whatever happened though, they'd deal with it after the game.

“You better pick up those cards and play, ad'ika.”

[Fromikeable]

Horst jerked his knee in surprise as he heard was called something he hadn't been in years. The knee smacked into the table, sending a small pang of pain through his body as the table shook for a moment, the chips and cards rustling a bit.

Horst looked over, shocked, almost dropping the cards in his own hand. The originator of the words was a younger guy, maybe 30 at max, with sharp teeth, pointy ears, and weird eyes. Somewhere deep down, Horst saw something familiar in him, but at large?

Who the hell is this guy?! Horst presumed that if he was service, he was probably some trainee he'd met a while back, at least in his Spec Ops days (he'd been promoted to Major along with his reassignment to the Rancors). There hadn't been many kids he'd trained in those days, as Command usually had them out on actual exercises, but Horst had honed his tortur- er, training techniques while teaching incoming Spec Ops.

Great. They sent Spec Ops after me. Spec Ops usually wasn't tasked with taking down fugitives, but if they were dangerous enough, known to be in league with a large force, and also elusive of all other means of criminal pursuit, the boys in blue would get sent in to take care of the job.

Horst ran through that check-list real quick; he was former Spec Ops, forming an army on a remote planet, and had eluded the RSF a few times now.

... Frak. He was boned. Ethan's comment didn't help, and Horst shot him a glance like a dagger before addressing the kid, scooting out his chair a little in preparation for fight or flight. Ethan tried to continue the game, and the other pointy-eared kid who Horst thought might be cheating picked up his cards like nothing was happening.

"I didn't know I was here either," Horst responded to the younger guy, exhaling slowly. He'd try and avoid a fight if he could help it. "That said, keep yer' voice down if you're gonna' be slingin' names like that around." He shot the kid a glance with his final words, trying to sum up if his supposition was right or not.

[Poludnica]

((I have no idea why Horst thinks Yu has pointy years, he only has pointy teeth xD but ok ))

The young soldier didn't really think at this moment if he knew sabaac well or if he should only use House stock. He stared at the ghost from the past while clumsily gathering his cards. The other man had largely Corellian accent and certainly looked like one. But that word...Yu frowned, recognizing Mandalor speech with a Corellian cadence. Didn't know what it meant and decided he really wouldn't like to...The half-Firrerreo jerked along with a table, startled by Horst's reaction.

”Uh...” The red headed man words confused the young hybrid. Were...Major Stellar wasn't a Major anymore? Sivan blinked and smiled with unsure, awkward grin. Two elongated canines flashed briefly but the expression faded when Stellar leaned in his chair, somewhat threateningly.

”Something tells me you are not in the army anymore, sir...Commander?” He said and instinctively leaned back from the hulking human. Slowly, he picked up the House deck and waited for the first deal to start. Saabac was a high stake game and it was harder to cheat than pazaak but it was doable. Especially in a Corellian version. ”Is there something wrong with your name...sir?” Yu couldn't help himself, even if Stellar wasn't his CO anymore, old habits died hard. Sivan downed his drink very quickly....