TangentOne: Do you ever get the feeling we're missing something?
TangentTwo: Yes, all the time.
TangentOne: It's quite aggravating, I just have no idea what it could possibly be.
TangentTwo: I know what you mean. *Nods sagely* Though, I have a feeling catgirls could help.
TangentOne: *Blank stare* You're insufferable.
TangentTwo: So I take it you don't want to have fun with catgirls? I finally found the right dimension. *Eye twinkle*
TangentOne: Of course I want to have fun with catgirls! Who in their right mind would say no? *Giggles maniacally as Two claps his hands*
The XS Stock light freighter that Treshaw has dubbed, 'Katarin', begins the landing procedure on the water world of Manaan. A small landing pad barely accommodates the vessel when it touches down, and the ship is immediately is beset upon by a rather formally dressed Selkath. The ramp lowers and Xin steps off to face the man, who he bows slightly too out of respect.
"Apologies for the intrusion. We've traveled here from Coruscant and are just looking to fill up the tank, we'll be out of your way soon." Xin explains once he rights himself.
"No issues at all, sir. I was just on a stroll in this area and decided to greet you. I'll let the mechanics know you need fuel." The Selkath replies with his own slight bow.
The alien takes his leave just before Treshaw disembarks. He strides right next to his new friend confidently.
"Nice people, never had any issues with them. Always willing to talk things through." Treshaw then notices two Mandalorians walking towards them from his periphery. "Them on the other hand, well that's a different story."
Xin's face goes stoic upon seeing them. The one in front has her helmet removed, and her hair flows behind her soft face. The two stop a comfortable distance from the travelers and their silver and black armor glints off the star's rays.
"Finally found you. Could have made it easier you know." The woman groans, looking at Xin
Treshaw shifts uncomfortably while Xin remains stoic. "When you say 'found me', I hope that doesn't include blaster fire." Xin comments loosely, motioning vaguely to the large blasters.
"Not this time, we'd be dead not long after if it did." She informs him, sighing audibly.
"Well, I can't imagine the Council sending Mandalorians after me. That must mean you work with 'Chronos', I'd wager." Xin guesses, much to Treshaws dismay.
"Who the fucks 'Chronos'?" She immediately questions, a confused demeanor taking ahold of her.
"You're not? Oh… I must have been wrong. Who are you working for?" Xin queries, wishing for the comfort of a lightsaber at his belt.
The Mandalorian turns back to her partner. "Didn't she say this guy was meant to be smart?"
Her partner gives a very dramatic shrug and just nods to his gun as if to say 'I only shoot people, not deal with them'.
"Bloody useless git, we're here on the orders of Alyssar. She wants you to know that she's awaiting your presence at the place you realized the truth. Or some shit like that, I don't know, I was only ordered to point you in the right direction." The Mandalorian sighs again, placing her helmet back onto her head and equiping her blaster rifle.
"The place I realized the truth?" Xin wonders aloud as some Selkath mechanics exit the nearest building.
Treshaw continues to eye the Mandalorians carefully while Xin deliberates what she means. A metaphorical light bulb lights in his mind and he looks to Treshaw with a smile. But before he can speak, the female Mandalorian catches his attention.
"So, you going to say anything? We can't leave until you give us something to take back." She explains.
Xin turns to them quizzically before realizing his mistake. "Oh, sorry. Yes, absolutely. Tell your employer I'll be there soon."
The Mandalorians give a nod and walk off. Once out of earshot, Treshaw turns to his new friend with concern.
"What the hell was that about? You didn't tell me Mandalorians were looking for you." He asks forcefully.
"That's because I didn't know they were. Besides, if this 'Alyssar' has the relations I think she does, they would have never hurt us." Xin eases his partner.
"Why are you so certain about that?" Treshaw demands as the Selkath begin to fuel their ship.
"Because they work for a friend. Not all Mandalorians share the same master, as I'm sure you know." Xin lectures as Treshaw gives a sigh.
"One of us needs a weapon. I don't want to be unarmed like that again." He comments as he turns to walk back into the ship all while scratching his head.
"I still can't believe we came here." Treshaw mutters as the party of three exits Katarin.
"You can leave if you wish. You did not have to accompany me." Xin returns to him politely.
"You ain't gettin' rid of me that easy." Treshaw retorts.
Xin shrugs and makes his way to the only cantina he remembers. Both Treshaw and Ronbo follow closely, making sure to keep him in sight always. Especially when they enter the street below them. It's as crowded as Xin remembers, if he didn't know any better he'd say it got worse. The wayward Jedi slides his way through the crowd while pausing to let his two compatriots catch up.
Eventually, and far longer than Xin wanted, they came upon the same cantina as last time. They enter to find relief of the smothering crowds and give a collective sigh of relief.
"That was intense." Treshaw comments.
"That's only the beginning. Next comes the moment of truth." Xin answers as he locks his gaze onto Jaren's form sat at the back of the bar.
Xin takes the initiative and strides over easily, noticing a blue-skinned Twi'lek smothering his friend's right side. Jaren looks up at the presence of Xin and both lock eyes with a stoic gaze. The woman shifts her head from person to person before giving up and relaxing in her original position.
"Took you long enough." Jaren jokes, standing from his seat.
Jaren has removed his armor, wearing black leather boots with black plasteel sat over his shins. A similar shade of loose leggings with their own black plasteel thigh guards adorned his legs. His upper torso was a mottle of grey and black, a black shirt with grey plasteel armor over either breast and each half of his abdomen. A tight high collar form fitted his neck and a sleeveless cloak sat on his shoulders.
"Well, you certainly didn't make it easy." Xin remarks back, extending a hand.
Jaren reaches forward and grabs his friend's hand, and Xin pulls him into a one-armed hug. The two separate and return to the conversation at hand.
"I told Alyssar to make it easy, she must have misheard me." Jaren looks towards his companion with a mocking gaze.
Xin looks over Jaren's shoulder to the Twi'lek now lying stretched out on her back in the booth. She gives a small wave of her hand.
"I suppose it was the best way. The Jedi are watching me." Xin casually informs.
"No one's watching you on Nar Shaddaa unless you count the SIS, Imperial Intelligence, The Hutts and... well me." Jaren looks back at Xin with a grin.
Treshaw takes this time to interject. "You have one fucked up life, Xin." He comments from a few steps back.
Xin shrugs. "Right. Well, all three of us are tired from the journey here, if uneventful. Do you have a more private place we can rest?"
"My residence has more than enough room for you and your party. Zhi, come here." Jaren mentions before calling out an order.
A Mandalorian appears from behind Xin and his companions and stands before Jaren as she takes off her helmet.
"Yes, boss?" Zhi asks looking at the three next to her. "I see you made it safely."
"No one else showed up with guns to stop us." Xin jokes with a smile.
Treshaw and Ronbo take a step away again, Ronbo is beyond curious about the situation, but his father makes sure to keep him safe.
"Even here? You got lucky." Zhi laughs heartily before looking back at her boss.
"Take them to my residence and set them up with any rooms they desire, other than the ones I've set aside." Jaren orders her, before waving her off.
"Come on you three, I don't intend to wait for you to catch up." The Mandalorian barks as she exits the cantina whilst placing her helmet back on.
Xin urges the family of two onward so he can take up the rear, and once they're out of the cantina, Jaren turns to Alyssar and motions for her to sit up so he can return to his seat.
"Do you have to lounge about so much?" Jaren questions rhetorically.
Alyssar gives a sly smile as she moves out of the way. Jaren sits back down in his seat, and just as he does so, she reclines on him again.
"So, who's the craven with your friend?" The Twi'lek inquires, snuggling into him further.
"Your guess is as good as mine, but if he's with Xin he won't be an issue. If he is, I'm sure it'll fix itself." Jaren voices, placing his hand onto her stomach.
"If it doesn't, I don't mind dealing with them." Alyssar mentions, closing her eyes.
"I know, but unless he deserves it, we'll have to deal with it another way as you well know." Jaren states with ease.
"Always so balanced. Sometimes I wish you'd be a little darker, but oh well." Alyssar concedes with a small smile covering her face.
Zhi leaves the lounge room once her tour is over, and the three people go about their own form of relaxation. Xin sits on the couch and pulls his legs under him, Ronbo passes out on the nearest bed and Treshaw stands above Xin with an angered look.
"A Sith. Your 'friend' is a Sith, is that what you meant by being a 'non-traditional Jedi'?" He questions angrily.
"He's not a Sith, though he may look like one. Actually, a little too much like one for his own good… though that isn't the point. Jaren is a good man, I promise. In the same way, he is not a Sith, neither am I. We are exiles from the Order." Xin argues easily, glossing over many facets of their recent life.
Treshaw sits on the couch to his left and rests his elbows on his knees, letting his face fall into his hands. "I meant it when I said you have a fucked up life."
"I don't think I'm in a position to argue that." Xin confirms for his companion.
"No, you're not, and I dragged myself into this mess. I dragged my son into this… oh dear god, what if they never let us back on Coruscant?" He whimpers out.
"You won't have to worry about that. You can still leave, I would wager now is the time to do so. I doubt you'll be given much chance to leave later. Not that we would stop you, but I'm sure you know the dangers better than I do." Xin offers, resting a hand on Treshaw's shoulder.
"I might do that…" Treshaw begins. "But you saved my son's life, and if you trust this 'Jaren' fellow, then I suppose I can at least try to."
"The decision is entirely yours, Treshaw." Xin concludes as he enters a meditative state.
The older man sighs in defeat and plonks onto a bed in a side room to think the day's actions over.
Xin awakes to a silent bedroom and begins his morning routine without sloth. Within a few minutes, he steps out of the side room fully dressed and primed to go, only to see Treshaw sitting on the couch with a despairing look. The man looks up at him and they lock eyes.
"I talked with Ronbo last night, and he believes we should stay with you. I'm inclined to agree, but I need your word that Jaren fellow won't harm us." Treshaw stands as he talks and his gaze hardens.
"I can promise he won't hurt you. If he tries, I won't allow it." Xin promises to the slightly taller man.
Treshaw nods once and a smile adorns his face. "I knew you would say that I just had to hear it for myself."
As the conversation came to an end the doors swiftly open and Jaren comes walking in.
"Now why would I hurt you, Treshaw?" Jaren says quizzically, leaning against the door frame.
"Right then, don't remember telling you my name… and that would be a part of my worries." Treshaw counters.
"It's only a name, I can't do much with that alone." Jaren jokes, straightening himself out and walking deeper into the room.
"Fair enough." Treshaw replies, still on guard.
"Good morning, Jaren. I would appreciate it if you didn't scare my companions, though they only have themselves to blame." Xin pats Treshaw on the shoulder with a smile.
"Noted, but I can't promise anything, especially when it's so easy. Now, to business, I see you're both lacking weapons, I take it you'll want some?" Jaren mentions with a grin.
"That would be a great help." Treshaw answers for himself.
Xin nods in agreement. "That it would, I've been feeling exposed for far too long."
"Follow me then, I'll take you to the armory so you can take whatever you wish." Jaren informs the duo, turning on his heel and leaving the room.
Xin easily falls in step, but Treshaw went to make sure his son was still sleeping before jogging back to the group. Jaren leads the pair through the halls for about a minute before coming to a large door made entirely of blast-resistant materials and locked with the best locks available on Nar Shaddaa. He quickly types in the password and confirms the other methods of authentication. The door makes a large clank then slowly opens to reveal a plethora of energy weapons and a few slugthrowers.
"Hot damn." Treshaw comments as he looks around the room with a glaze in his eyes.
"Take whatever you want, it's easy to replace." Jaren mentions lightly as he turns to Xin. "Now, follow me, your weapon is not here."
Xin acquiesces and leaves Treshaw to gaze at the weapons as if they were the stars themselves. He follows Jaren down a separate set of halls, and deeper into the residence. They pass a few security points, guarded by a few Mandalorians. They come to another large door, near exact to the last but this time with guards flanking the door.
"You certainly have a lot of Mandalorians working for you." Xin comments loosely.
Jaren starts unlocking the door. "Comes with the business, you'll understand in a moment."
A brief moment passes as the door swings open, even slower than the last to reveal a lightsaber forge. It is adorned with the latest technologies for manufacturing the parts required and shaping the crystals.
"I'm beginning to understand." Xin agrees easily, searching the room with his eyes.
Jaren walks leisurely into his forge, only stopping once he reaches a shelf with a silver colored single bladed lightsaber hilt. He reaches and grabs it then turns back to face his friend.
"This is yours." Jaren notifies Xin tossing the hilt to him.
Xin catches it and gives it an experimental movement. "It certainly calls to me the best."
Xin ignites the blade and a purple blade not dissimilar to his last one shoots out. The major difference is the black core of the saber, giving it a far more interesting disposition.
"Try not to lose this one." Jaren sasses his friend while walking back to his side.
"No promises." Xin returns, before shutting the blade off and clipping it to his belt. "Much better than being unarmed, I can tell you that."
"It should be better all around, it's lighter and has a far better crystal." He states with indifference.
"Are you saying my skills at forging a blade are bad?" Xin questions with a stern face.
"In comparison? Yes." Jaren quips lightheartedly.
"Fair enough. How many blades are in here?" Xin chuckles before asking.
"A hundred or so, I stopped counting after a while." Jaren answers with ease.
"That's quite a number." Xin compliments. "But what now? I'm here, you must have some plan or other. You would have let me find you naturally if not."
"We find places that need balance, be it killing those who deserve it or helping those in need. I'd say Tython but we know how that would end." Jaren begins to list their options.
"Tython is not a good idea. I told the Jedi Council I would not go out of my way to find you, and we're together sooner than a month after I left." Xin agrees easily.
"Well, wherever we go it'll attract attention from either the Sith or Jedi." Jaren notes ushering his friend out of the forge.
"Of course. That's unavoidable. I suppose the issue then becomes, where do we start attracting attention?" Xin questions as Jaren locks the forge up.
"Anywhere Sith are would work, dealing with their sadistic ways is a good start." Jaren informs once the forge is sufficiently secure.
"I can agree with that. Luckily for us, Treshaw has a ship." Xin gives a nod of pride.
"The stock freighter he for some reason calls 'Katarin'?" Jaren asks, thinking of a better idea.
"It doesn't look like much, but it's certainly a good ship." Xin affirms.
"We could do that, or we could take a ship Zhi just procured for me." Jaren remarks walking back to the top of the residence.
"'Procured'. Somehow I get the feeling it wasn't entirely legal." Xin despairs as he lowers his head in defeat.
"Well, it was the Empire's, but they were not using it right so I 'liberated' it." Jaren skirts the legality mentioned by Xin.
"Right. Let's see it then." Xin asks
"It's in my hanger, at the Mezenti Spaceport. A 'friend' of mine procured me a hidden hanger." Jaren disclosures as he sees Alysaar at the end of the hall waiting for them.
"There's my favorite word again." Xin notices the same Twi'lek from the night before. "And I assume your favorite alien."
"I'd watch your words around her, she gets a little 'touchy' and not in the way your thinking." Jaren warns as they get closer to her.
"I'll bear that in mind. It seems she's waiting for you." Xin comments.
"So it would seem." Jaren returns, stopping in front of the aforementioned Twi'lek.
The Twi'lek is stood in her usual work attire, a brown crop top with black combat trousers and boots. Her lekku is wrapped in leather bindings which are attached to her headband. On both of her legs are blaster pistols which sit snugly in their holsters. On her back is a rifle which is around four feet long and is equipped with a scope. Her face was very feminine with light blue eyes setting those who see them at ease, and her figure that of the best models in the galaxy and a moderately sized bust.
"We've got an order from the planet 'Ord Mantell', and here's the kicker it's from the Republic government in control of the planet." Alyssar informs her partner while eyeing Xin cautiously.
"Interesting, now why would the Republic order black market weapons? Let me guess, the separatists are finally making a move?" Jaren asses the order quickly.
"They are, backed by the Sith of all people. What do you want to do about it?" She queries taking up her position on Jarens right, hooking his arm.
Jaren contemplates the decision before looking to Xin. "What do you think we should do? You are working with me now after all."
"It certainly promises to be more interesting than sitting down here thinking about it. We may as well go, the business is yours to handle, but it would be prudent to check the balance in the region. Especially if a war is brewing." Xin easily returns, ignoring the random glances from Alyssar.
"That it would, and if there is nothing we can do there, we may as well make some credits." Jaren rationalizes.
Xin nods in agreement as Treshaw appears in the doorway. "Those bloody blasters are amazing! Where'd you get all of them?"
"I 'procured' them from a Hutt, and some I think are the Republics and a few are definitely Imperial." Jaren says bluntly.
Xin gives a mighty sigh as Treshaw shrugs. "Oh, who cares! Blasters!" The oldest man in the group gives a fist to the air and whoops loudly.
"He's a complete man-child." Alyssar comments with slight annoyance.
"Onto the next topic, is the X-70B ready to go, Alyssar?" Jaren questions the now snuggling Twi'lek.
"Yes, It should just be able to carry the cargo, but why do you ask?" Alysaar returns with an answer and another question.
"It's a lot nice than a freighter." Jaren quickly responds leading the group to the port sector.
"It's gotta be one hell of a ship to best mine." Treshaw instantly turns serious with a cold tone to his voice.
