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Dec 23, 2008 1:03:38 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 23, 2008 1:03:38 GMT -5
"Areana? Areana... Araena!"
With a start, Araena Hokan was abruptly brought out of her thoughts by a curt finger jab to the side. Instantly alert, she sweeped the entire crowded room with her eyes, seeking out any danger.There was none, only half drunk, fully drunk, or soon to be hald drunk or fully drunk bar roaches. But not the kind that you'd expect to see in a seedy bar situated in the Couracanti slums such as this. Nearly all the attendants at this particular bar, Heedo's, was a warrior in their own right. Mercenaries, smugglers, soldiers, police officers, undercover police officers. The important people, the big cheeses the leaders of the various factions of the Galaxy tended to meet in nicer places: Operas, fancy restaurants, office buildings and stripper joints. But it was at places like Greedo's Bar and Grill that the many groups did business on a more.... "Meat and Potatoes" level. Greedo's was one of many bars that acted as trade-hubs and recruitment centers for fresh blood. Some people came for information, some came to start new lives and some came to forget old ones. Araena came for a mixture of the last two.
As she scanned the room around her Araena's eyes rested on her true attacker, her long-time squad mate Melelaika.
"What?", Araena would snap, tossing a glare at the Bothan and taking a sip from her beer. Melelaika looked at her with a concern, his fur's colors rippling with his emotions.
"Are you alright?" He asked simply. "You looked like your mind was in another quadrant." Araena sigheed, but forced a weak smile.
"I'm fine," she lied, "I'm just thinking about this place. This is the neighborhood I grew up in."
"Ah." He said, and nodded understandingly. "Got a lot of history and memories huh?" Araena suppressed a grimace and a shudder at the thought of those "memories"; an abusive father, a suicidal mother, gang wars, her first murder. Memories indeed.
"I guess you can say that."
Despite being calm and seemingly empathetic, Melelaika had known his CO long enough to know when she lying, she was a terrible liar, and that something was bothering her. Experience had also taught him that sometimes it was better to not pry to much into the life of Araena Hokan. So instead, he ordered another drink.
"Well feel free to tell me if anything's bothering you." Melelaika said, and left it at that, content to drink heavily from his beer glass and turn to the other three Republic soldiers that surrounded the small table.
Araena nodded and stared through the gold-orange liquid that was still occupied more than half the space in her glass, lost in deep thought once again. Melelaika knew just as well as she did that Araena wasn't going to tell him anything, he figured that it had something to do with her coming back home, and while that did play a small part in her current mood, it wasn't the truth. The truth, was that Araena did not intend on being a member of the Republic Army any longer. In fact, she intended on joining up with the Mandalorians as soon as possible. The Republic wasn't inherently wrong... but the strict codes and self-righteousness and hypocrisy of it all bored her... as a fighter with little to no morals, Araena felt that she was on the wrong side.
As she sat back and sipped on her warm beer she thought of the best way to shake her crew and dissapear.
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
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Dec 23, 2008 4:48:53 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 23, 2008 4:48:53 GMT -5
"I was under the impression that the only reason the boss keeps an ugly schizo cyborg like you around was that you were good at getting jobs done."
"Your point?" Zarene growled, glaring at the bug-eyed Rodian who had spoken. As the ranking executive of the local Exchange cell, the fellow seemed to think himself above her. For a moment she imagined her mechanical hand crushing his windpipe, but dismissed the thought quickly.
"Dalt's not dead yet. That's the point, Yin."
Zarene angrily poked him in the chest with a metal finger, causing him to stumble backwards a few steps. "Why don't you try facing down a dozen guardsman and a rouge Mandalorian, and let's see how you do. I found out where he's headed. I'll be on the next shuttle out of here. I'll find him and finish the job." She stormed outside the Exchange compound, slamming the door behind her. The next shuttle wouldn't come for another hour, and she needed some fresh air.
She was eager to leave the planet, and not just to get away from that annoying executive. Being on Couriscant always made her feel uneasy. There was always a strong Jedi presence on the planet. Even here, in the dark undercity, she could feel them. Ever since she had left the Jedi Order, she had actively tried to avoid any contact with any Jedi.
Still can't face the past? You can't run forever, you know, a little voice said. She often wondered if her late master was really talking to her through the Force, or if it was all apart of her imagination. Shut up, she said back. This wasn't something she wanted to think about right now. Besides, I'm good at running.
One day, you'll have to stop.
I'll figure that out when the times comes. Now go away. She stopped in front of one of the local bars, looked up to see the name, Greedo's. It was a seedy-looking place, like everything else that was in this district. I could use a drink, she thought to herself. Adjusting the hood of her cloak, she walked in.
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Dec 23, 2008 19:16:01 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 23, 2008 19:16:01 GMT -5
As time went on more and more alcohol was ingested. For the group of four, minus Araena, time slowed down as the subtle feeling of intoxication grew into a roaring drunkenness. In a time span of twenty minutes, the three men were transformed from civilized, professional soldiers on shore leave, to a bunch of raving dumb asses. Thank the force for beer. "I think I'm gonna go ask the bartender to get us some more powerful stuff. Maybe some nachos." Melelaika said, his voice heavily slurred. "Anyone want anything in particu- icular?" After hearing what they all wanted (Araena just asked for another glass), he, with great effort, climbed out of his chair and stumbled through the crowd toward the bar counter. Nearly oblivious to the action going on around her, Araena thought about how best to slip away from her group and thus the Republic. The truth was, she couldn't think of a single way to do it secretly. So that being the case... she would do it forcefully. It was Araena's idea to come to Heedo's. It's location was perfect for an AWOL soldier to hide out, and her squad-mate's judgment and fighting skills were poorer when they were drunk. As long as she stayed clear headed she could take out all three of them without ease. I won't kill them though...No, they had been good to her, had risked their lives for her in a fight many times. She would aim for non-lethal spots; shoulders and such. Places where they could heal from. That would be best. Araena decided to wait for the, get a little bit more shit-faced before moving on with the next phase of her plan. ---- Melelaika smiled a cheesy, drunken grin at the cute Twi-Lek bartender and gave her a tip, then stumbled back to the table. Along the way, Melelaika would lose control of the plate he was carrying and would attempt to regain his balance. In this mad flurry he'd bump into an Epicanthix (you), and drop the plate and the drinks onto the floor. Melelaika would stare down at the floor and blink, then look up at the Epicanthix and glare at her. "What the hell is your problem?!" Melelaika would yell, his voice incredibly slurred.
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 23, 2008 21:43:55 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 23, 2008 21:43:55 GMT -5
Zarene got a puzzled look from the bartender when she order a non-alcoholic drink. She had never had a very good tolerance for strong drink, and ever since she had had a good deal of flesh replaced with machinery, that situation had not improved at all.
She looked around the bar, which judging from the number of customers, seemed to be doing very good business at the moment. There was fortunately an empty table in the corner, where she would be able to sit alone and enjoy her beverage in peace.
"What the hell is your problem?" she heard the Bothan yell at her as the two accidentally collided, the large tray of drinks and food that he was carrying splattering on the floor. She had spilled her own drink as well, though fortunately not on her cloak. "Serves you right, you drunk fuzzball," she muttered.
Suddenly she realized that half the room seemed to be staring at her, and not just because of the accident and spilled food. As he fell, the Bothan's flailing arms had somehow managed to grab ahold of her veil, ripping off the garment, exposing the burnt half of her face. "What are you all staring at?" she growled angrily. This was exactly the kind of attention she hated the most.
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Dec 23, 2008 23:22:27 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 23, 2008 23:22:27 GMT -5
Araena looked at the scene of commotion and rolled her eyes. Melelaika was in general a very smart, mild mannered man. But the poor guy just couldn't hold his alcohol. "Should we go help him?" Rayner, by far the tallest of the four squad members, asked. "No," She answered. "I think he'll be alright. You know how Melelaika is... when he's drunk he can't think for frak. I guess if things get violent we'll jump in though. "Rayner nodded and leaned back to enjoy the show. Subconsciously, his hand drifted to his blaster. Araena's followed suit. ---- Any chance of Melelaika calming down had been terminated. "What'd you call me!?" He demanded, his the color of his fur changing to a bright red. "Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Republic Military (Araena scowled and put her face in her palm. Heedo's was not the place to say such things.)! I can haul you off right now!" He looked her up and down. "Freak!"
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 24, 2008 0:12:37 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 24, 2008 0:12:37 GMT -5
Zarene raised an amused eyebrow. "Are you trying to intimidate me? It's not going to work, shorty." Part of her was angry at the insult, but she had been called much worse before. This wasn't worth starting a fight over, not when she was scheduled to leave the planet soon. Tossing the empty cup to the bartender, she started to move towards the exit. There were better places where she could be spending her time right now. "I'm done here."
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Dec 24, 2008 0:45:29 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 24, 2008 0:45:29 GMT -5
Melelaika's face was in the form of a full blown Bothan snarl, and was bright red.
"Listen you, I'm not done talking to you yet!" He growled, and roughly grasped the Epicanthix's shoulder, trying to spin her around.
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 24, 2008 1:24:24 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 24, 2008 1:24:24 GMT -5
"Don't. Touch. Me!" The anger flared up inside her. She spun around quickly, her cybernetic hand lashing out, grabbing the Bothan by the neck and pushing him against the wall hard. "Listen, you're done talking to me. Now leave. Me. Alone."
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Dec 24, 2008 2:12:57 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 24, 2008 2:12:57 GMT -5
"Tch. Time to go. " Rayner stood up to his full height if 6'6 and drew his blaster pistol. The second squad member, a Deveronian, drew his and stood up as well. Finally, with reluctance Araena set her drink on the table and with an exasperated sigh stood up and drew her pistol. She hadn't intended on getting in any bar fights, but in the end Melelaika was her friend. ---- Melelaika frantically grasped the anesthetic hand gripping his neck, trying to free himself. He had underestimated the woman's speed and had definitely underestimated her strength. He rasped for breath, his face and fur turning purple. Araena, backed by her two squad mates, pushed their way through the crowd until they were directly behind Belelaika's assailant. Araena would step forward and place her blaster less than a foot away from the back of her skull. "'ey ey ey, Epicanthix." She'd say. "No offense, but I'm giving you five seconds to let the Bothan go, or else you're about to have a real bad day, ey? I don't think you want any trouble, hm?"
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 24, 2008 5:39:57 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 24, 2008 5:39:57 GMT -5
Strange. The Epicanthix were not a common species, with most never leaving the Pacanth Reach. Generally very few were able to differentiate them with baseline humans at a casual glance. The woman pointing the blaster at her apparently was one of those few. She obviously was well-traveled, not someone to be underestimated.
The bartender had ducked behind the bar for safety. Several of the other patrons started shuffling towards the door, trying their best to leave unnoticed. The ones left had all gravitated to the other sides of the room, leaving a large empty space around Zarene and the four soldiers.
The blaster was less than a foot from her head. She needed to react fast. "Fine," she said, without turning around, "Have your friend back."
The Force flowed through her body, giving her strength and speed as she ducked and spun around, tossing the Bothan towards the tall man. As she released her grip on the man, she pushed outwards through the Force, hoping to knock down her attackers or at the very least distract them for a moment as she reached for her own blasters.
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Dec 24, 2008 11:07:44 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 24, 2008 11:07:44 GMT -5
"Nuts."
Araena noticed the shift in the women's weight and jumped back, firing her pistol in the process, but despite not being physically touched she felt her hand get knocked back and she stumbled, her shot going wide.
Did I trip or something
Rayner stepped back and dropped his in order to keep Melelaika from knocking them both over while the Deveronian, who had been standing closest to Araena, was also recovering from the force push. As the adrenaline pumped through Araena's veins her combat awareness increased and she noticed her reaching for something...
"She's got a weapon!" Araena would yell, and vault over an overturned table. With her back to the table Araena would reach for her second pistol and smile grimly. This wasn't how she had hoped her night would go, but it looked like it could be fun.
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 25, 2008 2:24:09 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 25, 2008 2:24:09 GMT -5
The first shot fired from the woman with the tattooed arms convinced the patrons that had stayed behind to watch the fight to change their minds. As the last of them rushed out of the bar, Zarene made her move.
When outnumbered three to one, Zarene knew that the best thing for her to do was to keep moving, never giving her opponents a chance at a clear shot. As the other woman reached for her second pistol, she cartwheeled to the side, firing two quick shots at the Deveronian while in midair, aiming for his feet. She landed behind a table, which went flying at the tall man with a quick push with the Force. The tattooed woman's obviously the leader. Let's try to take out the other two quickly first...
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Dec 26, 2008 2:02:03 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 26, 2008 2:02:03 GMT -5
The Deveronian soldier howled as one of the two blaster bolts sizzled deep into his left ankle. He went down. By this time Rayner had managed to set Melelaika down and retireve his pistol, only to drop it again as the edge of the table hit him square in the chest, knocking him on his back. An audible "oomph" noise could be heard as he was knocked back, the air forced out of his lungs.
"She's a force user!" Melelaika yelled, and raised his blaster bolt, firing repeatedly. Unfortunately for him, the alcohol had taken it's toll, and his aim was nearly non-existent. Araena's reason for taking her squadmates to a bar had been a valid one, but it was benefiting the wrong person!
With her second blaster drawn and her mind completely focused and not tainted by drinking, Araena quickly stood up to her full height in a position so that she could move quickly, and quickly let off a salvo of four expertly aimed shots. Araena noted in her peripheral vision that in the less than ten seconds since the conflict had erupted, half her squad had been downed. Whoever this force user was, she was skilled. All the more reason to aim for the chest, Ararna would think with amusement.
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 26, 2008 4:00:20 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 26, 2008 4:00:20 GMT -5
The woman raised her blasters and fired from across the room. She was a good shot, and was aiming to kill. Using the Force, Zarene quickly seized one of the chairs that lay in front of her, yanking it upwards to intercept the shots.
That proved to not be the brightest idea. The chair exploded in a shower of wooden splinters as it was struck by the first blaster bolt. She raised her metal arm to protect her face, and was barely able to get out of the way of the following shots, the last burning a shallow though still painful wound on her upper left arm.
She had been angry before, but compared to now, that had only been minor irritation. She had wanted to relax for a bit before leaving the planet, not be pulled into some fire fight. And she had drawn upon the Force. Surely some Jedi in the upper city would have sensed that. She needed to end this fight, and end it soon.
Forcing herself to ignore the sharp pain in her arm and muttering a few choice curses under her breath, she raised both her pistols, pulled one trigger and then the other.
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Dec 29, 2008 6:07:06 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 29, 2008 6:07:06 GMT -5
))So Sorry I haven't posted in here, I'm helping my ad move across the state, so I haven't been able to get online. It's 3 AM here and I'm exhausted, so maybe I'll get time to post tomorrow. Again, I'm so, so sorry to keep you waiting.((
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 29, 2008 18:49:51 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 29, 2008 18:49:51 GMT -5
)) No problem. Do what what you gotta do.
I wasn't even home yesterday. ((
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Dec 31, 2008 0:23:09 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Dec 31, 2008 0:23:09 GMT -5
))Right on. Thanks for waiting.((
The exploding chair gave Araena an idea for later, if the fight lasted that long.
As the Epicanthix moved to the side, avoiding the remaining two bolts, Araena tracked with her pistols, getting ready to fire again. She was forced to duck, however, when the jedi squeezed off two shots of her own.
Damn, she moves fast.
Araena waits a few seconds behind the quickly deteriorating cover of the table before springing her to her full height and dashing out of her cover and across the room, running horizantally to the Epicanthix, firing blindly. As Araena attempts to keep the Epicanthix's attention, Rayner slowly gets to his feet...
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Dec 31, 2008 12:33:15 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Dec 31, 2008 12:33:15 GMT -5
All this aggression over some spilled nachos... If it weren't for all the potentially lethal blaster bolts streaking through the air at the moment, Zarene might have been amused.
Her opponent was moving fast, filling the room with a spray of blaster fire. She was good with those guns, Zarene had to admit. As good as me,... maybe better... Squeezing off two more shots as she ducked behind a counter, she paused to ponder her next move. She could continue with this pistol duel, and maybe she could come through with a victory. But it was just as likely to go the other way. Zarene hated fighting with even odds.
Kicking the counter, she sent it sliding across the floor towards her opponent's legs, as she drew upon the Force once more. It won't matter how good you are with those guns... if they're not in your hands.
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Jan 2, 2009 22:51:08 GMT -5
Post by seraphimxix on Jan 2, 2009 22:51:08 GMT -5
Instinctively, Araena vaulted over the sliding counter, noticing it's line of movement, eventually seeing it coming. What she didn't see coming, was her two blasters suddenly being wrenched out of her hands by an invisible entity. That damned force! Uttering a loud string of graphic curses, Araena dived to the left and, upon hitting the ground, slid and crawled the remaining few feet behind a standing table. As she crouched behind it she reached around her back and grabbed the edge, turning it over so that the table top was facing outwards, acting as a sort of large circular shield. "I've got to think of a way to get my guns back. Jedi are such troublesome people to fight..." ***** With the firefight continuing on the other side of the bar, Rayner had managed to stand up to his feet and retrieve his gun. With a quick this way that way glance he took in the entire room. Melelaika was standing and had his gun raised, but he was so drunk that he was nearly a non-factor in the brawl. He couldn't hit a Krayt Dragon in his current state. Maxi, their Deveronian comrade, was laying on the floor nursing his ankle. Araena was the only one besides him able to fight, but her guns had been taken, meaning it was up to him to stall the girl until his partner could retrieve her guns. "Hey, bantha spawn!" He yelled at her, raising his blaster. "Don't forget there's more of us!" ***** In this distance, wailing police sirens could be heard.
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sparrow
The Night is Dark and Full of Onions
2,999 posts
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last online Dec 26, 2019 3:11:06 GMT -5
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Jan 3, 2009 5:10:25 GMT -5
Post by sparrow on Jan 3, 2009 5:10:25 GMT -5
Upon hearing the man's voice, Zarene kept one blaster pointed in the general direction of the woman, while swinging the second one around to aim at the new threat. "You soldiers just don't know when to give up, do you?" she growled.
In distance, the sound of sirens could be heard. I have to get out of here soon. This fight's gone on for too long... The man did not seem to be nearly as much of a threat as the woman had been, but all he would need to do was distract her long enough for the woman to sneak around her to retrieve her pistols, and then they'd be back to square one.
Quickly, she pointed her blasters at a new pair of targets: the drunk Bothan and the wounded Deveronian. "You guys can either drop the blasters and leave now," she said slowly, make sure that both the woman and tall man would hear her nice and clearly, "Or your two friends become smears against the wall. Your choice."
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