Lethea Station
The Stumbling Senator Cantina
Third Level
"...and all they found of him was his helmet. Three weeks later, my buddy Joskor swears he sees him up and walking around town at night. So he follows him, you know, to see where he goes. Tails him into a side alley, and he sees this guy holding some beggar up against the wall and these...these tendrils are coming out of his head and he's eating his brains!"
"That's not how that works," the scavenger looked bored, studying his hand before reaching forward with a languid motion and placing his recently drawn card back in the interference field. He could feel his twin smirking from across the table, though he knew, even without looking at her, that her face remained impassive. He and his sister had perfected their Sabacc faces by the time they were six.
The man, a stocky, muscled human by the name of Kaibrek, looked confused and annoyed, his face falling for a moment before he scowled at his crew leader. "What do you mean?" he asked indignantly, as though he couldn't believe the veracity of his story was being questioned. It was preposterous.
The scavenger peered up at his companion from under a raised eyebrow, not tilting his face away from the cards still in his hands. "That's not how that works," he repeated, not varying his tone. His gaze dropped once more, and he shifted slightly, repositioning his crossed legs and rotating his body to lean against the other arm of his chair. His sister was silently laughing.
Kaibrek sputtered, looking disgusted. "What would you know about it?" he demanded. "I know what I heard. I'm not..."
"If those things even exist, they don't turn people into 'monsters'," the scavenger replied calmly. He had no idea if that was true or not, but he was enjoying the increasingly outraged tones Kaibrek spoke in. Not only was making his crewman angry amusing, it had the added benefit of distracting him from the deck his supervisor was assembling. He liked Kaibrek. He'd stick his neck out for him if push came to shove, but he was definitely the gullible younger sibling of their little band of miscreants. There were six of them at the round table, with Kaibrek sitting more or less across from him. Three to the scavenger's left before Kaibrek, and two to his right before the same.
"Don't you think someone would have noticed if an army of brain eating 'things' was roaming around?"
"Someone did notice!" Kaibrek insisted, slamming his fist on the table in his excitement. The glasses nearest him rattled, causing their de facto medic to hiss a curse at him in warning. Interestingly enough, it was in Kaleesh.
"I mean, that can't be good for the monster, if their prey turns into another one of them. Won't they get caught easier that way?" the scavenger continued, pretending to be blissfully unaware of Kaibrek's reaction.
His seatmate to his immediate left, another human, was inexperienced in concealing cards. The scavenger had a clear view of a very bad hand, though maybe that was just his own skill at the deception part of the game.
All the same, it made him smile slightly as he mentally added the numbers to his deck count. Now if only he could get a judge on the player sitting two seats over from him. The Twi'lek was a more experienced player though, keeping her cards hidden from view. He thought he was starting to pick up on one of her tells though. Not as obvious as his medic. He'd worked with the man for years, but the latter had never gotten any better at hiding what he was thinking.
"What happens when their food runs out?" his twin piped up. "I mean, how long before everyone is a monster? Can they eat each other?"
Kaibrek gaped stupidly at her, his mouth opening and closing a few times like a fish. He clearly hadn't considered that point. "There are a lot of people in the galaxy…" he began.
"Final wagers," the scavenger called, cutting off the start of a lively debate. A general shuffling of seats as credit chips were thrown in the pile, and the man distributed the last round of cards after retrieving his own that had been placed in stasis. His face remained blank as he subtly slid a modified Demise card from his sleeve into position on the deck. A Sabaac Shift right at the beginning had lost him the hand pot, but he intended to win the game. A few more of these 'special' cards, hopefully resistant to the Randomizer's tampering, lay hidden within his sleeve. He hoped one would be enough to knock out the competition.
Sounds of drunken laughter mingled with the dull hum of conversation emanating from all around them like the steady drone of bees. A droid passed nearby, balancing curious looking cocktails on a silver platter. The medic waved at the mechanical being, who made a stiff motion of acknowledgement before continuing to its initial destination.
A few other members of his crew sat scattered about this level of the cantina engaged in various pursuits, though most had taken up residence at the bar level two floors down. The holo monitors down there were better for watching the swoop bike races.
Seven stories tall and built into the heart of the station, the Senator's uppermost floors started below command level at the top and formed a sort of hollow core to the structure. Metal railings lined each ring of the cantina in lieu of walls, allowing easy viewing of the over and underlying levels.
The scavenger's bored expression remained in place as he dealt the last hand, taking care to reserve the Demise for the new human seated at his right. A little twitchy and with as many implants as scars littering his face, he'd been doing just a little too well these last few rounds.
"Call them."
"Thirteen," the human to his left murmured quietly, placing the cards back in the energy field and leaning back to watch the rest. "Twenty," the Twi'lek declared proudly. Her gaze flickered to others challengingly, daring them to do better.
Grumbling, the medic spread his hand out in a row for all to see before gathering them up again and tossing them into the middle of the table. "Sixteen," he grunted. Kaibrek glanced up, startled from having resumed his conversation about brain eating monsters in hushed tones. "Twenty-three," he looked surprised, a stupid grin spreading across his face. The Twi'lek cursed, following it up with a disbelieving laugh as she accepted a drink from the serving droid who'd just come around. Her seatmates to the left and right each took one as well.
"Figures," she muttered into the glass, just loud enough to be heard over the din.
"Eighteen," his twin answered, looking disinterested in the proceedings as she turned to resume her conversation with Kaibrek.
Everyone else glanced at the twitchy looking cyborg. His watery green eyes were wide and full of despair. "Minus one," he murmured, irritation flickering in his tone as he slammed the cards down on the table. He'd bet an awful lot in the last round.
"Guess that means I win," Kaibrek chuckled, moving forward to scoop the credit chips into his arms.
"Not so fast, Kai," the scavenger answered easily. He flashed his hand for the table to see. "I've got the Idiot's Array." His face broke into his first true expression of the night, a wide, smirking grin as the others all started cursing at him.
Laughing over their insults, he tapped Kaibrek's hand, still in the way, to get the shocked man to move.
"How?" the cyborg sitting beside him lifted his head from his hands. He glared at the scavenger suspiciously, all trace of despair replaced by paranoia. His spine stiffened as he rose to his full seated height. The scavenger caught movement out of the corner of his eye as his twin shifted in her seat to glance at the accuser. No one else would see the blaster drawn from the holster on her leg and leveled at the cyborg under the table.
"You cheated!"
"Luck of the game, kid," the medic grunted, already starting in on his third glass of whiskey for the night. "Shit happens. Get up and play again, that's life."
"He cheated!" the cyborg insisted, eyes narrowing. He spun his gaze around the circle, looking pleadingly and defiantly in turn at the five others, his eyes coming to rest on the scavenger once more. "You cheated, and you know it. Fess up."
The scavenger held up his hands in a calming gesture. "Take it easy," he said with a good-natured laugh. "I didn't cheat. You can ask the good doctor here," he gestured to the man who'd now lit up a pipe. The older man snorted in amused agreement. "Not a doctor, but probably not if your hands aren't any steadier than that time I had to guide you through patching up that guy on Ieclite."
"Thanks, Doc," the older man rolled his eyes at the misnomer, "But here, let me show you. We'll play again. I'll double the final pot from this round. Winner takes all. And if you win, you can buy me a drink cause I'll be out of credits."
The younger man was still breathing heavily in his heightened state of emotion, chest heaving from the passion of his indignation at believing he'd been swindled. He looked torn between uncertainty and conviction now, however. The general reception of his declaration by the more seasoned members of the crew had left him feeling a little wrong footed and embarrassed. Had he been mistaken?
Desperate not to be the fool though, and still a little mistrustful of his crew leader, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, alright. But I want a new dealer."
The scavenger moved to hand him the cards, but the cyborg waved him off. "Nah, then you'd say I cheated. Let's…let's draw for it. Lowest card deals."
The scavenger considered his proposal for a moment before shrugging. His twin had finally replaced the blaster in its holster, but he could tell by the subtleties of her posture that she was keeping an eye on the cyborg.
"Sounds good to me, friend. Here," he turned to his left, shoving the deck at the human who'd had the second lowest score. "Shuffle that, and deal a card to everyone, please. Let's have a clean game."
The human complied, resorting the deck and dealing each player a card.
"Four," said in a murmur as the card was flipped over and placed towards the middle of table. The light of the overhead lamp reflected off the surface of the tiny screen, the colorful Aurebesh character standing out starkly on the artificial background.
"Eleven," the Twi'lek said, still chuckling at the absurdity of Kaibrek's almost win. She caught the scavenger's eye and raised an eyebrow questioningly, but he just put on an innocent, non-committal expression in response, causing the latter to role her eyes as she returned to her drink.
"Fifteen," the medic replied in crisp, militaristic diction as he held up the card with one hand, setting his glass down with the other. "Got the Ace."
"I got the Idiot," Kaibrek replied with a hearty chuckle. The scavenger resisted the urge to agree verbally.
"Eight," his twin answered before nodding towards the cyborg.
A pause.
"Five," he laid his card on the table, studying it silently for a moment before looking to the scavenger solemnly.
The scavenger glanced down at his hand.
"Ten."
Disappointing, but probably for the best not to rock the boat. Though it would have been fun to win again after his little display. Skill trumps luck and all that, he'd claim. Best not to piss off the newbie too much just yet though. He still needed him to work.
Once everyone had placed their wagers, the human to his left collected the cards once more, shuffling the deck before passing out the first and then the second round of cards. The scavenger paused mid drink as he spotted a confused frown creep across the face of the Twi'lek. She blinked once, shook her head slightly, and peered at her cards once more.
Must be a bad round already.
"Whose turn is it?" the medic spoke, his voice gravelly from years of smoking like a busted engine.
"New guy," the Twi'lek answered. "And eleven, by the way," she laid the cards out for them all to see.
"New guy," the doc grunted at the cyborg. "Tell us something scary. And it better not be about fucking vampires," he ignored Kaibrek's protests and the chuckles that followed them from around the table. His eyes remained focused on his cards.
"I uh..." the man hesitated, looking thoughtful.
"Doesn't have to be something that happened to you. Friend of a friend," the Twi'lek smirked at Kai, "counts too. Just something interesting. Spooky."
"Spooky...right..." he fumbled for a moment, put on the spot. "I'm not sure I..." the blood suddenly drained from his face. His pale skin had gone a shade or two lighter, a sickly, unhealthy looking pallor under the warm yellow lights of the cantina. He swallowed, hands gripping the cards more tightly. "Yeah, I...I got a story actually..." he was staring at his cards, though he didn't seem to actually see them anymore.
"Seven" the doctor spoke over his silence. The man's voice seemed to jar the cyborg back to reality. He started to speak as Kaibrek called out his total.
"I was in the Minos Cluster... doing some contract work when...well, when they came, th...the Empire, I mean," his hands were clammy and his lips were pressed in a firm line as he stared hard at the cards in his hands. The scavenger paused in the middle of reaching for his drink as silence descended over the table and everyone paused to turn and look at the speaker. The dull hum of the cantina, kept at bay by their own conversation, washed over them once more, suddenly too loud and too quiet all at once.
"Imperial bastards," the doctor grunted after a long moment of awkward tension.
The younger man laughed, looking startled and a little shaken. "Imperial bastards," he agreed, smiling weakly.
"Not the first time I've seen someone die, you know," he added hastily. He seemed a little defensive. "Mining is dangerous. So is working on a trade ship. But...the Sith..." he looked like he was trying to laugh it off, but there was terror in his eyes that made the smile a grimace of fear. He shook his head, voice dropping to a whisper as he continued solemnly. "We knew they were there before we saw them. It was...horrible." His hands tightened on his cards. "I felt weird, like I'd never be cheerful again. Like I'd been shot out an airlock and this awful cold was crushing my lungs."
The good mood of the table had thoroughly dissipated by this point. No one really knew what to say to this declaration. The scavenger was tempted to call nerf shit, but he didn't think the man was that good of an actor. Still, he kept hoping the other would suddenly burst out into laughter, maybe lord it over them all as some sort of revenge for being cheated or something, but he just kept staring at the table.
"Six," when it seemed he would not continue, the game commenced instead. The scavenger met his sister's eyes as the two silently communicated. Though neither fully believed the man's claims, neither was willing to directly call him out on it either. It was just a bit too close for comfort.
"You're lucky to be alive," the medic murmured after the man himself had called his hand. "How'd you get away? From what I hear, Sith don't really like leaving prisoners."
"I...I dunno," the cyborg shifted uncomfortably. He risked a glance up at the medic. "I was..." he blushed, but the fear was still high enough in his blood that it didn't stop him from admitting, "I was hiding in a maintenance duct. One of them...he stopped, right outside the grate. Just...look, I don't want to talk about it." His hands had begun trembling again, and he glared at the scarred tabletop.
"Sith aren't that scary, really," the scavenger replied airily. And just like that his caution was gone. He would never have been able to tell you what made him say it, though, if he'd been asked. His blood was rushing in his ears, and the music from the band didn't sound like anything but screeching. "Eighteen. Come on, you lazy sons of Hutts," he grinned, but his face felt numb. Taking a deep breath, he chided himself mentally. He really shouldn't be poking that particular nexxu.
But it had been so many years ago, and really, were they one hundred percent certain that...
"You should be frightened of acklays, or rancors, or..."
"He knew I was there! He knew I was there, and he just stood there! Toying with me!" a fist slammed on the table knocked the scavenger's drink over. "It's like he could fucking smell me."
"He let you go though," Kaibrek looked uncertain as he shifted nervously in his seat.
"Does it matter?" the medic grumbled darkly, unexpectedly providing aid. Or maybe not so unexpected. Looking at his face, the scavenger wondered if the older man had ever met a Sith. "They're psychos, plain and simple. Soulless sons of Hutts. Animals don't destroy a man before they kill him. Sith do. I'd rather deal with a rancor any day. Least what I'm shooting at isn't wearing a person's face."
"That sounds personal, Doc. You need to talk?" as always, the Twi'lek's commentary toed a line between sincere and mocking, a not so gentle ribbing meant to irritate the man enough to draw him out of his funk. He glared at her out of the corner of his eye, but he wasn't having it today. "Let's just finish the round," he mumbled into his glass.
As the human to the scavenger's left shifted slightly, preparing to speak, the Twi'lek suddenly remarked, "But...doesn't the Idiot beat a four?"
The table paused.
"What?" his twin frowned, studying the woman intently. "What are you talking about?"
The scavenger suddenly felt an odd sensation, like ice sliding down the inside of his spinal cord. His stomach stirred uncomfortably, the beginnings of nausea making a cold sweat break out on his face. His head felt heavy, unbalanced, and he wanted suddenly to lean forwards and close his eyes. Somewhere in the distance, the band was playing again, but he kept anticipating the wrong notes and trying to put words to a song without vocals.
"The Idiot...Kaibrek, he drew the Idiot card. That's a zero. We were playing the lowest card for the new dealer, right? So...why are you dealing?" she'd turned to the human seated next to her. "...Who are you?"
The human grinned.
A serving droid chose that moment to stop by their table.
"Seven refills?"
"Six..." the scavenger muttered, staring at the human. "There are only six of us...Me...two to my right before Kaibrek. And three...three to my left..."
And suddenly he realizes, with a horrible lurch in his stomach as if waking from a dream and jumping into a nightmare, that he doesn't recognize this stranger sitting next to him.
...
Pale, luminous eyes are the first things he registers. A hand grips his chin, causing him to look up. His brain can't process what's happened. The others are gone, save for his sister, now seated beside him, and he doesn't remember them leaving.
"Who are you?" he mumbles. "What are you doing?"
"Playing sabaac," the human answers quietly.
The scavenger struggles to put distance between himself and the stranger, but he nearly topples his chair over in the process. "What do you want? Where are my team? What did you..."
His tongue is heavy and fuzzy in his mouth. His head pounds with all the vengeance of the kind of hangover that would have him swear off liquor for at least ...a month or two.
"They're fine," the stranger answers. Easy again, though maybe growing a bit annoyed at his slowness on the uptake. "They're watching the holo races at the bar."
"What do you want?" he asks again, uneasily. Fearful almost of even asking the question or speaking at all.
"Not to kill you," the stranger answers flatly. "There's something I need you to do."
