Kaden landed his ship on the outskirts of a small city, the lights from the worn buildings and sparse streetlamps being the brightest thing as far as the eye can see in this dark and rainy night. It wasn't a downpour by any means, but it was enough to get decently soaked if he was going to be walking around for more than five minutes. He was thankful for it, however, because it gave him a good excuse to wear his hood without anybody questioning him for why he was trying to hide his face.
Not that anyone would, honestly, seeing how nearly everybody on Maluma was a criminal in some capacity. Everyone had something to hide, so no one was going to be asking questions, which works out very fine for Kaden, who didn't exactly want to advertise his presence while he was here, for obvious reasons. It wouldn't look great if a Councilmember was spotted associating himself with the kind of people who frequent his place.
He glanced to the nearby buildings marking the edge of the city, and then to a small piece of paper in his hand where he jotted down a name and a place:
L at the Bottled Blarg Bar on Meluma
He glanced back up at the buildings. They were all bars, alright; the Drunken Drophyd Drinking Hole, the Guzzling Grungarian Saloon, the Tipsy Terachnoid Tavern, and at least a dozen others with similar naming conventions, but no Bottled Blarg.
Great. Considering that the Blizar Prime miner he managed to get in contact with didn't mention a specific address, he was going to have to wander out in the rain looking for the place.
He gives a small groan as he puts the paper down and checks the other items he brought: a small, easy-to-conceal blaster for in case things go south, and a credit chip loaded with 50,000 bolts. He had to admit that it hurt watching that drain from his bank account, but he just had to tell himself that it was a small price to pay to have his son back in his life again. He's probably going to have to ask Mags for rides to work and include more microwave dinners in his diet for a little bit, but at least Kieran's going to be right there with him.
He holsters the blaster onto his side and takes the hand holding the credit chip into his pocket, keeping it in his fist to avoid losing it to a possible pickpocket. He then steps out of the ship, and after triple-checking that it was locked with the anti-theft countermeasures active, he starts walking into the city of Maluma.
He keeps his head low, not trying to make eye contact with the sparse few people walking out in the streets, only bringing his head up to scan the buildings he passes for the Bottled Blarg. After a few minutes of walking, he still couldn't find it, but he was amazed to find that he was still walking past bars. Just how many did a single city need? And why so close to each other, too? And why were they all named after drunken species?
Curious, he takes a moment to pause and glance into the window of a bar called the Smashed Agorian Pub to look inside. And to his surprise, it isn't just Agorians. It's filled with Markazians, Blargs, Tyhrranoids, and several other species not represented by the name of the place. If this place didn't care about what species you were, then what the hell was even the point of all these stupid names?!
He shakes his head and continues walking further into the city, still looking for his specific bar. But as he does, he notices more people out in the streets, but not many, which was a given with the current weather.
He could see that most of them were drunk, stumbling their way either to their homes, their ships, or to another one of the wide multitude of bars along this street. Some of them were alone, but many others were with friends who leaned onto each other for support as they walked. And as Kaden passed by a duo of Grungarians, he could catch their conversation.
"Woo! Can't believe how much we got cleaning out that Cazar's ship after we ambushed him!" One of them says with a noticeably slurred voice.
"I *hic* know, right? And remember how funny it was when he begged us not to take his stuff?" The other agrees, clearly a little more tipsy with the way he stumbled around.
The other laughs. "Oh yeah! 'Please don't, I need to deliver this cargo to feed my family!' Well, we needed that cargo so we can get wasted at happy hour!"
"Hell yeah!" His friend says as he shoots a fist up into the air, before subsequently faceplanting into the mud, while his friend laughs.
Kaden turns his head away and starts to walk a little bit faster. He really didn't want to stay here any longer than he needed to. And as if to punctuate that point, a laser from a blaster suddenly shoots out of the window of a bar he just passed, shortly before an Agorian is thrown through it entirely. Without skipping a beat, however, he picks himself up off the ground with a growl, and leaps right back through the broken window and into the fight that Kaden could hear spilling out from it.
Fortunately, Kaden finally manages to find the Bottled Blarg, and quickly ducks inside to escape the rain and any other possible bar fights that may try to claim him as collateral damage. He shuts the door behind him, and looks up to the rest of the bar, and thankfully, it seems that no one cared about his presence here, only getting a few quick glances from some patrons just to see who came through the door before returning to whatever conversations they were having.
He scans across all the people in the bar (who, yes, consisted of more than just Blargs), but then realizes that he has no idea what this 'L' even looks like. Just how was he supposed to find this guy? Or girl? Or whatever they are, since he wasn't given a face or even a description, only a name, a place, and a price. And it doesn't help that the 'name' was just an initial, as well. He bet there were at least three people in this bar right now who had that initial, too.
"Lookin' for someone, pal?" A gruff voice suddenly cuts through his thoughts.
Kaden looks over and sees the bartender giving him a raised eyebrow as he casually cleans a glass with a rag. Even though he was at least twice his height and looked strong enough to take anyone in the bar if they dare start anything, Kaden doesn't let the intimidation show on his face as he coolly walks up to the bar.
"Yeah, actually." He tells the bartender. "Someone by the name of—"
He gets cut off as the bartender clears his throat and points to a sign above the shelf of drinks behind him, saying "Illicit meeting information for paying customers only."
"Oh, um… alright." Kaden says with minor confusion as he takes a seat on the empty stool in front of him, next to a Blarg. "Gimme your cheapest drink, then."
The bartender gives a nod and turns around, and in a series of deft movements, turns right back around only a few seconds later with a small glass of brown liquid before placing it down onto the bar in front of him.
Kaden picks it up and takes a swig of it, and as the strong taste of the alcohol washes down his throat, his face puckers slightly as he clenches his fist. He was never a big drinker in the first place, much less used to strong liquor like what he just drank, whatever it was.
"Phew, strong stuff." Kaden comments as he puts the empty glass down. "Now, about that person I was—"
The bartender once again clears his throat, this time using a finger to underline the already underlined word of paying customers only.
Kaden looks between the sign and the bartender with a squint. "Okay…" He says slowly. "How much do I owe you, then?"
"Thirty bolts."
"Wait, what?!" Kaden says in surprise. There was no way in hell that concoction he just downed was worth even half that price! "I told you to give me the cheapest drink!"
"That was the cheapest drink, buddy." The bartender responds with a frown. "And you're lucky I didn't decide to swindle ya with the top shelf stuff."
"Are you telling me that's not what you just did? Because how in the hell is thirty bolts your cheapest price?!"
He gestures an arm towards the door. "You saw how much competition I got out there, and I've gotta run a business here. Hell, you should be grateful, if you'da gone down to the Terachnoid, you'd be payin' double right now."
"Grateful? For a thirty bolt shot of five bolt liquor?" Kaden argues. "There's no way I'm paying for that!"
The bartender props himself up on the bar as he leans forward towards him. "I also accept teeth as payment, you know. One fer every ten bolts on your tab." He tells Kaden in a stern tone. "So, unless you wanna be eatin' your next meal through a straw, I suggest you just pay me the thirty-five bolts."
"Why is it thirty-five now?" Kaden returns, admittedly a little intimidated by his threat.
"It's the 'bein' a little whiny bitch' fee, and I'll keep tackin' it on if you keep arguin' with me, so you better shut up and give me the money before I make it four teeth." He answers.
Kaden looks at him in disbelief, and in seeing the impatience on the bartender's face, concedes with a groan as he fishes into his pocket for the payment. He anticipated the possibility of getting robbed when he came to Maluma of course, but not like this! He would have loved to argue more to try and at least lower the price if it wasn't for this guy's stupid 'fee'.
Well, that, but also because he could tell he wasn't bluffing about the teeth thing, judging by the various dents and chips on the edge of the bar in front of him from getting their head slammed to collect 'payment'.
"Here's your bolts." Kaden says as he begrudgingly hands them over to the bartender. "Now can I ask for the person I'm looking for?" Kaden asks tiredly as he raises an eyebrow.
"Sure thing. Who is it?" The bartender asks as he returns to cleaning cups.
"Someone by the name of L."
"Ah, so you're K, then?" The Blarg next to Kaden asks, who has been silently sipping from a glass the entire time.
Kaden turns to him in surprise. "Wha—Are you L?"
"Indeed I am." He says with a small nod.
"Well, glad I could help." The bartender says to Kaden. "Pleasure doin' business with ya, buddy."
Kaden watches in irritation as the bartender simply walks away from them to serve the patrons on the opposite end of the bar. But then he just gives another groan as he rubs his eyes.
"Why didn't you say anything as I was getting robbed by that guy's ridiculous prices?" Kaden asks L.
"How was I supposed to know you were K?" He answers back casually as he takes a sip of his drink. "It's not like you told my contact what you look like or anything. Why, you just gave him an initial. Am I supposed to ask everyone who comes through that door if their name starts with K?"
"I…" Kaden sighs. Irony was a bitch sometimes. "Well, now that we're here, you've got what I need?" He asks in a low voice.
"That depends. Do you have what I need?"
Kaden gives a nod as he subtly pulls out the credit chip from his pocket, just enough for him to see. "50,000 bolts, right?"
"Indeed it is." The Blarg replies with a small smirk.
"Alright, so do we trade it off now, or what?" Kaden asks.
"Not here, I'm afraid. I have the stuff locked away securely in my ship, so you'll have to come with me to pick up your goodies."
Kaden gives a small frown. "Why didn't you just bring it with you?"
"Because, as you may have guessed, it's a little… unsafe to be passing such sums of money around in an environment such as this." L replies as he gestures his hand to the people around them. "I'd rather not get mugged after I'm finished enjoying my drink, thank you very much."
"Well, I can't help but think it a little suspicious that you want me to follow you to your ship. And let me guess, it's in a secluded spot where no one can watch us?" He asks with a raised eyebrow. "Seems like an awfully convenient place where you can mug me."
"Oh please, that's nonsense." The Blarg says with a wave of his hand. "I may be a smuggler, but I'm a man of my word, first and foremost. And to prove it to you, I made sure to take this with me."
Before Kaden could ask what exactly he means by that, the man fishes something out of his pocket and places it on the bar front of Kaden, making him take pause. It was a tiny piece of Phase Quartz, small enough to be held comfortably in between his thumb and finger. And as Kaden picked it up, he could instantly tell this wasn't just some random shiny rock L found to trick him, because he could feel the tiny bit of energy within it that allowed it to glow and pulse with a soft, steady rhythm. The exact kind of thing he needs to power the Dimensionator.
"I'm sure you're asking for something bigger with the bolts you brought, correct?" L says, breaking Kaden out of his thoughts. "So, unless you're willing to pay for that little pebble right here and now, I suggest you follow me back to my ship to get more where that came from."
He finishes the rest of his drink, then hops down from the stool and starts walking towards the door, before stopping and looking back to Kaden, who wears a conflicted look on his face. "Well?" He asks.
Kaden looks at him, and back to the Phase Quartz in between his fingers. He got a bad feeling about this, somehow. Maybe it was just Mags' irrational fears about getting his organs stolen floating through his subconscious, or the way this guy seemed friendly for a shady black market dealer, or just the fact that Maluma was a dangerous place period, but his gut was telling him that there was something off about this guy.
Should he just call off this deal, and find another way to get Phase Quartz?
He gives a small sigh. As tempting as the thought was, the little purple crystal in his hand was telling him to follow the Blarg. There's a reason he had to resort to these measures, after all. Where else was he supposed to get Phase Quartz? It took him nearly two entire weeks to get in contact with one of the miners so he could find this guy, and his research into the Praetorian Guards' presence on Blizar Prime in the meantime confirmed that it was going to be practically impossible to steal some himself, quietly or otherwise.
And was he just going to abandon Kieran all because of some silly gut feeling? Let him grow up all alone with no family because something's a little fishy? Hell no.
And besides, what did Kaden have to be so worried about, anyways? He was a General of the Praetorians, he managed to stand his own against Tachyon in a fight. And if he was able to go toe-to-toe with a monster like that and live, then what did he have to fear from some Blarg? If he was walking into some sort of trap, then it shouldn't be anything Kaden should have trouble escaping.
Kaden takes the Phase Quartz in his palm, and places it into his pocket before giving L a curt nod as he hops down from his own stool. "Let's go."
He smiles. "Excellent. And like I said, you have nothing to fear, I assure you."
"Trust me, if anything goes wrong, I'm not going to be the one who will have something to fear." Kaden replies stiffly as they walk out into the rain together.
"Duly noted." L replies, unfazed. "You know, I'm curious, however. What do you need Phase Quartz for?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've never had to smuggle this stuff before you came asking for it, and I was quite surprised in just how restricted this stuff is for a shiny rock." He explains nonchalantly. "So, what exactly do you use it for? Is it a source of fuel?"
"…Sort of." Kaden replies. "I just need it for a project of mine."
"And what sort of project is it?"
Kaden raises an eyebrow. "Are smugglers supposed to be this nosy with their customers?"
LP raises a finger as they walk, now passing by the bar where the Agorian was thrown through the window earlier, which was currently being boarded up by a grumbling bartender.
"I'm not being nosy; I'm looking out for my business." L corrects him. "If someone uses materials supplied by my services to build a weapon of mass destruction, I want to make sure to prepare myself beforehand to absolve myself of any involvement in whatever disaster results from it."
"I'm doing anything that's going to get that kind of attention." Kaden tells him. "In fact, if everything goes well, nobody's going to know what I did."
"And what would that be? A robbery of some sort?"
"No, nothing like that." Kaden assures him. "I'm building a device that's going to save my son. That's all you need to know."
He sees his eyes widen slightly. "Oh. Well, at least you have better intentions than half my customers. I'm glad I won't have to worry about you putting me in jeopardy."
"Would you have canceled the deal if I said I was planning on committing genocide with it or something?" Kaden asks.
"I can't say I would." He replies with a shrug. "A deal is a deal, after all, and we all have bills to pay. I'd probably just make sure you wouldn't start with me, at least, and get my affairs settled so I could skip this galaxy, if need be."
"I… see." Kaden responds, more than a little uneased by this guy's apparent lack of morals. But like he said, it's not like he had any other options.
They walk in silence together, save for the rain beating down on the ground around them. As they make their way down the same street that Kaden came down on his way to the bar, he sees that there are still drunks wandering out and about, but this time, Kaden feels a little safer, in a kind of backwards way.
Sure, the guy he's walking next to might just be waiting to murder him as soon as they reach his ship, but it made them look like less of a target if they were walking together as a group. Safety in numbers, after all.
Eventually, they reach the edge of the city where the majority of the ships are parked, along with Kaden's as well. And as they start walking amongst them, Kaden spots his own ship, and breathes a small sigh of relief at seeing that no one appeared to have tried breaking into it.
But he doesn't rest easy, however, as he is also keeping his eyes peeled around them for anything off that might tell him that he's walking into an ambush of some sort. He doesn't see anything, but it does nothing to dissipate the feeling in his gut warning him of something.
"Ah, and here we are." L says as they stop next to a large, shuttle-like ship. "Wait here a moment, and I'll get you your Phase Quartz."
"Sure." Kaden replies, trying not to let the unease show in his face or voice.
And as L walks up to his ship, Kaden takes the opportunity to quickly look behind himself, then to the other ships all around him, just waiting for some goons to jump him, but he sees no such thing. Nonetheless, he makes sure to cross his arms in an effort to conceal the fact that he's keeping a hand on the handle of his holstered blaster.
He watches as L presses a button on the exterior of his ship, and the back end opens, the door lowering down onto the ground to act as a ramp which he uses to enter it. From his position at the side of the ship, Kaden can't see what he's doing inside, but he can hear the sound of some things being moved around as he tries to find whatever it is, be it the Phase Quartz or a gun. After only a few seconds, the rummaging stops, shortly followed by an 'A-Ha!' before Kaden hears the sound of him walking back out.
Kaden tightens his grip on his blaster, ready to make the first shot if it comes down to it. He watches as his feet step out of the ship before the rest of his body comes into view. But as he exits the ship, Kaden lets go of the blaster as he sees what he's holding.
In his hand, Kaden could see a fist-sized piece of Phase Quartz, glowing and pulsing with that same light and energy as the little piece he had in his pocket right now. It was the perfect size for the Dimensionator. And since he and Mags finished it up weeks ago, this was the very last thing he needed before he could see Kieran again.
"Is this enough for your son?" L asks as he walks towards Kaden.
Kaden nods his head, unable to suppress the smile on his face. "More than enough."
He reaches his hand out for it, but L quickly pulls it away while raising a finger. "Woah there, aren't you forgetting a little something?"
"Huh? Oh, right!" Kaden says as he suddenly digs into his pocket for the credit chip. He quickly produces it and holds it towards L, who gladly takes it. And as he reads the balance listed on the mini-holodisplay on the card, he too begins to smile before turning to Kaden.
"Well, it looks like I got what I need. And it looks like you, K, are the proud new owner of a chunk of Phase Quartz." He declares.
And as he holds it up to him, Kaden could feel his heart start to race as the reality of taking that glowing rock starts to sink in.
As soon as he grabs it, he'll get to see his son again after an agonizing, excruciating year of living without him.
Maluma was a half-hour flight from Fastoon, twenty at the most if Kaden ignores speeding regulations, which he most definitely will. And once he's there, it'll only take him five more minutes to finalize the Dimensionator and open a portal to the Kyzil Plateau on Veldin, at the orphanage where Kieran was waiting for him.
To think that in just thirty minutes, he'll be able to see Kieran again. To hold him again. To finally be home, safe and sound, living with his family, and out of the clutches of the monster that killed his mother. In just thirty minutes, Kaden will be a father again.
Kaden reaches out, and takes the Phase Quartz into his hand, feeling that same pulsing energy once more.
His ticket to see his son again, finally in his hands.
Despite everything the Council has done to stop this from happening, he won. Kaden finally won. After fighting tooth and nail for his family, he finally won against those pompous bastards. He was going to get his son back, and there was nothing they could do about it, not a single goddamn—
He suddenly hears a click that snaps him out of his thoughts. He looks down onto his wrist holding the Phase Quartz only to find a cuff around it.
He looks back up to L in shock, and before he could ask what the hell he was doing, he sees him hold up a peculiar device in the hand not holding the other end of his cuff, and it takes Kaden only a moment to recognize it as a hologuise.
With the press of a button, the Blarg before him fizzles away to instead reveal a Lombax with gray fur before him. And as Kaden's racing mind starts to register what is happening, three more Lombaxes pour out of the ship behind him, all carrying blasters and wearing very familiar uniforms that made his gut absolutely drop.
"By order of the Lombax Praetorian Guard, you are under arrest for the illicit acquisition of a controlled substance and conspiracy to construct a Dimensionator." L says as he takes the Phase Quartz out of Kaden's hand before tossing it to one of the other Guards. "I didn't think it'd be the Keeper himself that'd show up when we got a call saying someone fell for our sting, but I guess life's funny like that."
He then starts informing Kaden of his rights while taking his arms behind his back to cuff them together, but he doesn't hear it. He doesn't hear anything. Not even the rain pouring down around them, now soaking through his hood. Instead, he only hears his own thoughts as he watches the guard with the Phase Quartz walk away to put it back into the ship.
It was in his hand.
For a few beautiful, hopeful, exhilarating moments, it was in his hand.
The one thing that he needed to see his son again was in his hand, and now it was gone.
He wanted to scream and yell at them to give it back. He wanted to just break out of these cuffs and take out these bastards to get it back. He wanted to run away from them so he could get another chance to get it back. He wanted to do anything to get it back.
But instead, he simply stood there and offered no resistance as the cuffs tightened around his wrists, staring at the ship that the Guard and the Phase Quartz disappeared into, along with any chance of seeing his son again.
And as L was asking him if he understood and agreed to the rights he was just told, Kaden was once again thankful for the rain, just like he was when he first landed on this planet.
But this time, it wasn't because it let him wear a stupid hood without looking like the criminal he now was.
It was because it did an excellent job at hiding the tears running down his face.
Okay, I swear to God that there's just one more chapter left, then I'll get back to work on my main fic for those of you waiting for that.
I just didn't anticipate this oneshot to be this long until I started actually writing it down and putting the meat on the skeleton that was the idea for this little romp. But then, lo and behold, this little two-parter accidentally ends up being four chapters and thrice as long as I originally thought it was going to be.
You'd think I'd learn, seeing that's how almost literally everything I write ends up doing, but apparently not. I guess I should be thankful that I accidentally put in more instead of less for my stories, at least.
See you soon!