Wooo… new chap… lol. Just a bit of a forewarning this chap has a bit o language… but nothing too bad. Still at a PG-13 rating soo… there ya go…

What Came to Pass: Part VIII

The music pounded from inside the club and blinding lights blinked and swayed to the heavy beat. Of course in the shelter of all the dancing beings, drunken gangsters, and ill-tempered bandits was the one place Dev was not.  He leaned up against the wall outside of the popular hang out and felt the bass shake the building.

"What took you so long?" Came a harsh voice from the shadows. "I have been waiting nearly and hour!"

Dev glared at the tall heavyset man walking towards him from the dark depths of the small alleyway. His hair curled up messy and fly away. His dull gray eyes stared out blankly. "I didn't have a choice of being late or not.  The air taxi I happened to get stuck in was a piece of crap." He replied coolly. "Let's just get this over with."

Stepping into the light Daren shot him a menacing look his dirty brown hair blew in the cool breeze. "Not so fast." He said reaching down onto his belt and bringing out a blaster. He looked at it for a moment held it up, then studied it, but then hung it carelessly by his side. "I want to know every detail and where she is now."

"Dead, just as you requested." Dev straightened up and ran his hand through his red hair. "I killed her, I got the crystal, you received the crystal, and now, I get my money."

The tall man laughed. "You are in such a hurry huh."

"I have got better things to do than stand here and 'chat' with you." Starting to get distressed with Daren, the young man began to pace the small alley. "You do not need to know the details anyway. What's it to you?"

"What's it to you that I need to know?" He answered with a question. The plump man looked at the blaster in his hands peculiarly. "I am only giving you fifty percent of our original price." He said taking the weapon and pointing it at Dev. It was obvious he was not in the mood to debate on the issue.

Anger welled up inside the younger man.  He would not get cheated out on this assignment.  "We had a deal!" Dev shouted. "Give me the original amount and I will be out of your way forever."

"And if I don't?"

A laugh escaped Dev. "I am an assassin." He pointed out crossing his arms. " And a pretty damn good one at that."

A snort from the taller man was his answer back.

"We had a deal. Now give me the money." Dev began to walk forward despite the blaster pointed to his chest. One hand at his side in a fist the other slowly going to his belt where he had his own blaster hidden. "I did my job, now you do yours. Pay me. Is it really that hard?"

"Either take my new price," Came a warning through gritted teeth. "And keep on killing. Or be the killed. Right here."

Dev felt a shiver of fear race up his spine.  Now the taller man was beginning to be a threat, he was not fooling around with the blaster in his hand. Not any more at least.

Reaching down he unclipped his own blaster and held it towards Daren. "I am not fooling around either."

"What gave you the thought I was in the first place?" came the icy reply. "Look do we have a deal or can I just decapitate you now and get on with my life?"

"Give me the damn money!" Dev demanded trying not to show the fact that he was quite afraid of Daren now.

Daren's hand tightened around the trigger and the scream of a bolt being fired rang out through the alley.

Dev tensed waiting…

But never receiving the pain he expected. He looked up bewildered at Daren on the ground in front of him.

I thought he was supposed to shoot me… Dev thought backing away in alarm. He dropped his blaster with an echoing clang.

He stepped back slowly staring at the dead assassin.  Shock and befuddlement was all that could be read on his features. "Damn…" he muttered. He stopped on one foot as something rolled from down the alley towards him.

"And you call yourself and assassin." Came a cold voice from the shadows.  "You have got a lot to learn my friend."

"Who…who the hell are you." Dev stuttered at the blood carver walking towards him. "And what do you want?"

"I am the guy that just saved your petrified little ass." The carver said casually. "And I don't want anything from you. I've been waiting for the chance to kill him anyway. He owes me a lot of money."

"That would make two of us." Dev said relaxing a little bit. He looked up at the being in front of him curiously. "He hired you before?"

The alien looked down at the unmoving figure now in front of him. "Once and only once, never paid me my right amount.  Then, I was hired by someone else to kill him." He shrugged. "Revenge and pay in one job, what more could I ask."

Dev laughed. "Sounds perfect to me."

The carver nodded towards the club entrance. "Oh yea my name's Showdow." He said walking towards the loud music.

"Dev."

A smile lit the alien's face. "I like the way you think Dev.  I gather you agree on my belief that revenge is very rewarding."

The red haired young man smiled mischievously. "It's what got me into this business."  He walked into the club and went for the bar.

Taking a seat next to the carver Dev ran his hand through his hair.  He called for two drinks and turned to the fellow assassin.

Showdow looked at him and quirked an eyebrow. "And how did that come around?"

Dev sighed. "Long story…" He said as an excuse. In truth the story was quite short, but he didn't want to remember it.

Just like everyone else, I have something to hide. He thought staring at the drink the bar tender brought him.

The alien gave him a quizzed look. "If I am not mistaken you do not have much to do. After all you aren't exactly hired for a job right now. And I have got all night."

Shaking his head the young man waved a hand in the air. "Really it's not important. Nor all that interesting. We could find other things to talk about."

A laugh blurted out of Showdow. "I knew it. Another who has to hide their past from everyone but themselves. I meet way to many of you in this business.  And all of you are alike, cowards."

"Who the hell are you calling a coward?" Dev asked narrowing his eyes. "And do not tell me you don't have things you want to hide."

The carver laughed again. "I mean all but the obvious.  You couldn't get your money from Daren out there if your life depended on it.  In which case it was." He downed his drink in one gulp and looked at him. "What do you have to hide from someone you cannot get away from?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. And of course I have things to hide, does not mean I hide them from everyone."

Dev sighed in defeat. "Alright. If you have to know that badly. You did just meet me…" He said in one last attempt to get off the subject.

"And yet I like you already. You like revenge, killing is your thing. We could get along very nicely" Showdow shifted in his seat. "And now, as you were going to say…"

Dev sighed. "Alright.  I'm making it short though."

The carver waved through the air for him to continue.

"Well, I used to be a dealer on the black market with information.  And you know how some people get, give me the correct information or someone you are dear to dies." He paused a moment trying to read the expressionless face of the alien. "Well this one thug said he would kill me girlfriend future wife if I didn't tell him what he needed. But unfortunately I couldn't tell him what he needed."

"So you lied?" The carver grunted. "Stupid mistake."

"So I realized!" Dev ran his hand threw his red hair and sighed. "I was planning to leave, but they got her before I got home that night." He downed the rest of his drink and glared at the alien. "You can't tell me you have not lost people you love."

"Sure I have." Showdow shifted again in his chair. "We have both lost people we love. But what does that have to do with you becoming an assassin?"

"Well I obvious got pissed off." Dev said sarcastically. "I killed him.  Hunted him down and killed him. Some one, one of his friends I think, then hired me to kill another thug.  And well it just went on from there."

"So you got revenge for your girlfriend." Showdow smiled. "Isn't that sweet."

Dev glared at him. "And who are you planning to get revenge on? Who did you loose?"

"My entire family died before me. And it was not my fault either." He paused and rage filled his eyes as he clenched his fist. "It was the Jedi's fault."

"Whoa, Jedi?" Dev asked astounded. "Since when have them righteous people let others die."

Weren't they always the ones saving people from death? Not killing them.

"That is not important." The carver looked at Dev with an insane glare. "You interested in another job?"

"Depends…"

"Details?" Showdow nodded answering the unasked question. "It won't actually be happening for a few years. I'm currently working another job keeping two Jedi on a planet. I got off for a bit, but I will be there for a little bit longer."

"Years?" The young assassin laughed. "You expect me to believe that you are going to keep your promise up for that long?"

"It's all about trust my friend." The carver stood up and walked towards the door, Dev next to him. "The girl is about fourteen now so I would say two years, if not I am getting out of the damn job anyway."

The red haired man look at the carver narrowing his eyes. "Why can't you get out of it now?"

"My employer is not one to let me go. She will kill me on spot most likely." He paused and something changed his eyes. There was now compassion. "Plus, I have a promise to live up to for a friend."

"You don't seem the type to have friends."

"I never said that. I have but one."

Dev looked the carver over curiously.  One minute the alien looked as though he would break someone's head off out of anger and then next he looked as though he would cry.

"Umm alright then." Dev sighed. "Two years is till a long time." He added hesitantly. 

"Trust me it's worth the wait."

Dev raised an eyebrow. "What is in it for you and me."  They stepped out into the street and a rush of cold air met them.

A smile. "You get money. A lot of it." He laughed. "And I get my revenge."

"Revenge? On who?" Dev inched back and stared up at the busy Courascant skyline as the insanity grew like a wildfire in Showdow's eyes.

"The people that killed my family of course." Showdow let out a low laugh and stared out towards the Jedi temple. "They have no clue what is to come."

And that's how Showdow and Dev met… ok u knew that huh? Till Later~

Peace Out