Chapter 2

Friends?

Garfield entered into the rec room, irked that he had to enter in the course correction to the place he never wanted to return to. It wasn't that he disliked the individual who owns the space station, they were a good friend of his, though any time he needed a favour from them they would expect one in return. A favour that usually had him doing a job that he wouldn't otherwise do without a sizeable pay, or a blaster to his back.

The rec room was one of his pride and joys within the ship, outfitted with top-of-the-line entertainment equipment and a fully equipped kitchen. Entering through the door, the three sofas surround a large screen embedded into the wall to the left of the door in a rectangle pattern, beyond them lied a decent sized table and a similarly sized kitchen. The bulky silver table had an oval shape with six stools like chairs around it, the kitchen was a similar silver colour with an island inside the cut rectangle design.

A door leads out of the rec room and into the infirmary behind the table, it was slightly hidden as it was further back from where the wall. A second door leads into a well-stocked pantry that is installed with airtight containers, the pantry was built out from the wall and stops short of the door leading into the infirmary.

The four new guests aboard his ship sat on the black sofas, silent as they stared at one another, unsure who was going to speak first. The stranger in beige sat at the far end on the two seated sofa by himself, the cybernetic man to the far end of the three seated sofa opposite the large screen with Kori on the other side. Raven took the last sofa by the door, she sat with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. Garfield would have been annoyed with her having her feet on his sofa, but he noticed she took off her shiny black leather boots and left them beside the sofa.

"We are on course for an old friend of mine, they will help us lay low for a bit, hopeful the Republic would go elsewhere quickly." Garfield stated, passively strolling into the rec room and over to the kitchen. Opening up one of the cupboards, he pulled out five small glasses before diving into another and grabbing an old looking bottle. Placing the glasses onto the small silver table in between the screen and the sofas, he poured out a shot of brown liquid. "Got this when I was last in Republic space, feels fitting to drink it now."

Each of them spied the glasses as Garfield sat down on the spare seat beside Raven, he had picked up a glass for himself and one for Raven who stared at it for a second before accepting it. The others picked up theirs as Garfield took a tentative sip from his, savouring the strong taste burning the back of his throat. They sat there and sipped at their drinks, letting the peace settle in for a few minutes, letting the stress of their escape from the Republic wash from their bones.

"You, buddy. Are going to help me." Garfield motioned towards the beige dressed stranger, confusing him slightly. The others even passed a glance towards the smuggler as they wondered why he would say something like that, noticing their confusion Garfield sighed before having to explain. " My friend works on a favour for favour basis, if I want them to help us, I have to help them. Since I have to go to them because of you, you will help me in whatever favour they have for me."

"Fair." The beige dressed stranger agreed, he didn't want to impose like this but to be able to escape from the Republic by doing this favour worked for him. Taking another sip from his glass, he relaxed for the first time in a long while as he decided to trust the smuggler, a thought did to occur to him. "I don't think we have been formally introduced, I am Richard Grayson."

"Captain Garfield Logan." Garfield replied curtly, relaxing into his chair for second before he flew opened his eyes and stared at the beige dressed man, a whirl wind of thoughts running through his mind. "Richard Grayson? As in the number one most wanted criminal Richard Grayson!"

"Unfortunately, didn't think using a fake name would work as they are broadcasting my face and name all across the media." Richard sighed, taking another sip, hoping this didn't change Garfield's mind about helping him. Raven levelled a gaze at Richard before returning to her glass, uncaring about whoever he was supposed to be. Kori settled a befuddled gaze at Richard, wondering why he was the most wanted when she heard nothing about him.

"Why are you the number one?" Kori asked bluntly, trying to understand what was going on despite being a former jedi. The cybernetic man had been wondering the same though choose not to ask, he hadn't taken much notice of the media as they always blared propaganda for their side.

"He's number one on the most wanted list for killing a Republic ambassador. They take that kind of thing very seriously." Garfield clarified, when he got bored enough he would go through the list of the most wanted on all sides to find who was the most badass person out there. He found it passed the time berating other criminals for failing to pull off the job right.

"I was framed." Richard stated, huffing slightly as he took another sip of his drink. Garfield levelled a stare at the beige dressed man, wondering if he was speaking the truth or trying to get out of the punishment of being caught.

"A guilty man wouldn't run." The cybernetic man didn't seem convinced, opting to scrutinise Richard for anything that may expose his lie.

"A guilty man wouldn't, but when no one believes a word you say and they already set your execution date, it doesn't matter if you are guilty or innocent at that point." Richard retorted, confronting the cybernetic man instead of shying away. The two exchange glares until Garfield decided to interrupt the ordeal before fists were thrown, and his nice glasses got smashed.

"What about you, what's your name?" Garfield looked pointedly at the cybernetic man, hoping to derail the argument before it starts. The cybernetic man took the distraction willingly, deciding that arguing with Richard wouldn't resolve anything.

"Victor Stone, mechanic and traveller." Victor curtly introduced himself, nodding slightly to Garfield and the girls in turn.

"Raven, traveller as well." Raven added to the introductions, she doubted the other two would have been told her name, though she was feeling slightly left out of the conversation.

"I am Kori Anders, a former jedi padawan." Kori cheerfully added to the conversation, smiling broadly as the others stared at her puzzled, staring somewhat at the lightsaber that hung at her waist. Noticing the confused gazes, and the occasionally shifting glance towards her lightsaber, baffled her for a second before she remembered brandishing it earlier. "Oh! This blade once belonged to my enemy, they had no use for it anymore, so I took it."

An unsettling chill shocked through each of them, unsure if she was being serious or if she just muddled her words up, though the bright beaming smile made the question that much harder to decipher. Even Richard shuddered slightly at her words, trying to determine if she was sweet or just determined in her cause of eliminating Sith.

"Just to clarify, I am the one that needs their weapons removed?" Richard rhetorically asked, pointedly staring at Garfield with a slightly worried expression for Kori's stability. Victor and Raven returned to their drinks, trying to avoid participating in the conversation. Garfield tried to snort with a mouth full of the brown liquid, a burning sensation burst through his nose as he coughed harshly.

"No offense but… I trust her more than you." Garfield had managed to clear his throat, recovering from the convicted killer asking if the former padawan was safe to keep her weapon. It wasn't that he actually trusted the padawan, more that the difference between a highly trained soldier and a failed jedi padawan resided in which one had the weapon. He didn't know much about Kori, her carefree attitude and oblivious nature didn't exactly portray her as a threat, he was surprised that she hadn't gotten herself killed publicly displaying her weapon on Tatooine of all places.

"Changing the topic, what kind of favour will your friend ask for?" Raven asked, wondering if she along with Victor and Kori will have to help out in return for their transport off of Tatooine. She didn't wish to get embroiled in with pirates or criminals if she could avoid it, though as she had no credits to her name, she would willingly help out if it meant paying for the free transportation.

"Knowing my friend, it won't be the kind of work I would normally do." Garfield grunted, shuddering at the nightmarish memories from the last time he did a favour for them, a constant reminder that he should only go there if the need is great and there is no other option. "Don't worry too much about though, with soldier boy over there, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"I may be on the run, but that doesn't mean I am going to break my codes of ethics to return a favour." Richard had noticed the shiver that Garfield tried to hide, figuring that whatever the favour was could potentially be going against Republic law, something he vowed he wouldn't do unless it was absolutely necessary.

"That's ironic coming from a guy who killed an ambassador." Garfield retorted, causing Richard's eye to twitch at his words, a slight smirk graced his face as he watched the beige dressed soldier glare at him.

"Framed for the murder." Richard coldly stated, he knew the smuggler was trying to rile him up, and it was working. It was one thing to resort to being on the run for a crime he did not commit, but for it to be rubbed in his face by a smuggler of all people, was salt in the already gaping wound.

"Whatever you say…" Garfield wanted to continue his verbal jabbing when a sudden thought occurred to him, one that he had wondered for a while now. "Hey, they never said who it was you killed."

"Allegedly." Richard grumpily glared at Garfield, annoyed at him dismissing his case once again, though he did have a point. After the ambassador was killed, his name practically disappeared from all records, they said it was for protection of his family from those that wish to get revenge now that he was gone. "It was ambassador Drall Vorric of some weird merchant group I don't recall."

"The Seven Sins Merchant Guild." Garfield coldly supplied, a chill running through his bones as he uttered those words. A dark expression crossed his face as he remembered those particular individuals, wishing he never had to remember their names again.

"Yeah, that's them… wait… you know them?" Richard had had horrible luck in finding anything as to why someone would want Drall dead, he, along with the Seven Sins, had spotless records. It made his search nearly impossible, forcing him to find any and all that wish to see him taken down or dead. However, seeing the dark expression on the smuggler's face after saying the ambassador's name, had him berating himself for giving up the search into Drall too easily.

"Let's just say that there are monster's in this universe that are better off dead… and Drall was one of them." Garfield shuddered as he said that accursed name, grateful the evil thing was dead and gone. "I'm thankful that he is dead… but… you didn't kill him… that's for sure."

The other four shared looks of confusion between, waiting for Garfield to finish pouring himself another, larger, shot of the brown liquid before downing it in one gulp. Despite finally finding someone other than Bruce that believes him, something was off about the way the smuggler stated it that had him thinking that he was involved in something far deeper than what he had originally thought.

"If you had killed Drall, the Seven Sins would have sent the Reapers after you. A group of nasty assassins that anyone who even vaguely knew of them, would cower in fear." Garfield poured yet another glass, downing it once again as memories flashed back into his mind of the time he met those monsters, the fear and dread he felt nearly suffocated him. "Once sent, they would stop at nothing, killing anything and everything in their path to get to their target… and if they fail, they go after their family… let's just say that you would give yourself up in a heartbeat after they are threw torturing them."

A coldness filled the room as his words settled in, each of them staring intently at their glasses before one by one they refiled them, downing them as fast as Garfield had. Raven knew of a monster that would rivel the Reapers, though comparing them just made her feel even worse, knowing one was enough.

"Drall must have annoyed the Seven Sins one too many times for them to allow his execution." Garfield continued, taking a deep breath and settling himself to finish off his story, trying his best not to remember the times he met the foul creature when he hired the Scarlet Reapers. It was a time he wished he could forget, the number of times Drall offered to buy him off of the captain as he had never tasted mirialan flesh before, the look of malice and hunger froze his blood solid. "As for you, that I don't know… its possible you angered a member of the Void Wrangler and they killed two birds with one stone."

"At least I now have a target, I may be able to get my life back." Richard shook off the coldness of Garfield's words, realising that he now had a path before him, a target that was previously invisible to him. A barking laughter erupted from Garfield, a sound nowhere near something fun or comical, a sound that mimicked that of a mad man raving about his evil plan.

"You don't get it do you? The Seven Sins have their claws in everything, secretly toying with the strings of both the Republic and Empire, monsters hidden in plain sight." Garfield roared, a crazed look flashing in his eyes as he recalled Drall's ability to make one simple call and have an Empire ship work for the Scarlet Reapers in seconds. His words shocked all in the room, Kori and Raven thought of their times with their respective force sensitive factions, wondering if any of them worked for this mysterious guild. "From what little I know of them, they are powerful and invisible. I don't know how deep their control of either side is… though what I do know is that Drall could call upon soldiers from both Republic and Empire alike. There is no telling how many there really is."

"So… they could be as powerful as to control the governing leaders on each side, or as to bribe captains' of troopers to fight for them." Victor tried to surmise what Garfield had said, he could see an element of fear in his eyes that twisted his words somewhat as he contradicted himself. Victor didn't like knowing of a faction out there that could control both factions easily, though he found himself doubting the words of the smuggler somewhat.

"I don't know… I only met Drall a few times… and each time they got worse and worse." Garfield curled himself up into a ball on the sofa, trying to clear his mind of the horrible images that had been burned into his mind. "I met the Reapers once… not something I ever want to do again… both were enough to scare me senseless… but… what I do know is that the Seven Sins have connections with the Hutt Cartels and… and I think… I think they have some high ranking Sith on their side."

A niggling doubt crept into Raven's mind, that somehow, she knew of this but choose to forget. Though, hearing about these Seven Sins group, she chalked it up to learning of them at some point but chose to forget as they weren't important… or were they… she shook her head and rid herself of those thoughts. Determined that if she forgot about them then it was for a good reason.

"It doesn't matter who they are, they took my life from me, tarnished my name and forced me to become a criminal on the run." Richard valiantly stated, trying to convince not only the others that this group of villains weren't anything to be afraid of, but himself as well. Facing a Sith is one thing, but going up against a high ranking Sith, or quite possibly a Darth, was another. "I will get my revenge, and I will make them regret they day they crossed paths with me."

"Okay… on a light note, is there anywhere for use to sleep?" Victor decided to change the subject, before soldier decided to start singing the Republic national anthem, or whatever the equivalent was for a soldier. He also didn't like the dark expression on Garfield's face, it spoke of pain that he was familiar with. A pain that he knew personally, a pain that you were helpless to prevent or avoid, though his was physical, Garfield's was mental.

Shaking himself from the dark thoughts flittering around his mind, Garfield took the question to rid himself of any lingering depression in his mind. Sitting up straight and reverting back to his somewhat cold exterior, returning to a semblance of normal that he had mastered to hide his true self.

"Back down the stairs and the first door on your left, there is four rooms downstairs and four upstairs. They are all the same, so pick whichever you want." Garfield stated, pointing towards the wall with the screen embedded into it, debating about going to sleep himself. The others rose from their seats and left their glasses on the table, opting to go find themselves a room and the privacy. Garfield waited until they were gone, pouring himself another drink, he sat there thinking.

Wondering if what Richard had said was something that he should copy, instead of being afraid of the dark, own up his fears and face them head on. There were times during his stint with the Scarlet Reapers that people had hurt him, made him afraid for his life, that he wished he go find them and teach them a lesson. Though, would that make him any better than the monsters he once called his family, would he be any better than they who killed an innocent bystander for just looking at them in a funny way.

Getting to his feet, he shuffled his way down the corridor and into the cargo bay, climbing up the stairs and towards the bridge. There were two doors just before the bridge, they were originally escape pods before he had them converted into living quarters and a bathroom. He wanted to be as close to the bridge as possible encase anything happened while he slept, that way he could react immediately.

Entering into the left door, his room was somewhat small, barely enough space for the junk laying on the floor and the hammock strung up at the far end. He had converted the pod holder into a set of draws for his clothes, a semblance of order in the chaos that was his room. It reminded him of his days in the Scarlet Reapers, resigned to live inside a tiny cupboard with barely any room for him or any of the things he wanted to keep. A reminder of where he came from, of what he escaped, and to remind him that he could only go upwards.

The familiar creak and grown of the hammock stretching to accommodate his weight filled them, he had thought of taking off his clothes and slipping into his fluffy pyjamas that he purposefully bought for his own luxury. Buying such items was against his own code of conduct, he knew that because he was starved of such things when he was younger and suddenly coming into a fortune would push him to buy anything and everything he could, causing his hard-earned credits to disappear quickly.

So, he created a system that for every successful mission he completed without much incident then he could buy himself one item that he had always wanted to have when he was younger. The slew of toys and other junk littering the floor a testament to his skill as a smuggler, and his resolve to ensure he didn't fall prey to spending all of his credits on useless stuff.

Drifting off to sleep, Garfield wondered about the people on board, ones that he wouldn't have otherwise invited. Wondering if he could trust them, or that he could live with them aboard his ship. In any case, he couldn't exactly get rid of them anytime soon.