Vanguard

Chapter 19

"Drinks and Recovery"

[Coruscant, Sector J-62]

[Two days later]

Cain Komari and his good friend, Lador Mattis, were traveling through the heavily populated concourse of Sector J-62 towards one of their favorite places to visit, a local pub where the two Jedi had gone to before in their younger days, Hazk's Cartel.

Lador asks "Why are we visiting Hazk? There was another bar much closer to the temple than here."

The Cerean replies "Because I believe Hazk can help us with our new problem."

"You mean this 'SPARTAN' you've been talking about? I thought you were hunting a sith?"

"I still am, but recent events made it clear to me that this new threat must be dealt with immediately, and besides I haven't had Hazk's special liquor in ages."

The two already passed through the plaza coming up onto their destination which was a small cantina built into the side of a large housing complex with several civilians standing outside next to their speeders and bikes, some of the people there were armed with blaster pistols, as they watched the two new arrivals head inside through the front door. Once inside, the two Jedi found the place to be packed with varying species commonly seen on Coruscant, they headed for an empty booth located along the right wall and took their seats. Once they sat down it wasn't long before Cain's old friend, and proud owner of the establishment, Hazk arrived and greeted them.

Hazk spoke starting with a light hiss "SsCain Komari . . . it has been a while . . ."

Komari looked back at Hazk "Likewise dear friend."

Hazk was a Trandoshan, a species easily recognized by their lizard like appearance and renowned for their warlike nature and superb regenerative abilities. Standing at six and a half feet tall with brown skin, complemented with green stripes across his body, and red eyes with black horizontal slit pupils, Hazk and Komari were very good acquaintances with one another.

"Sso what brings you back here after so many years?" the bartender asks.

Cain gave his usual charismatic smile of his "Your special and a job opportunity you might want to hear."

Hazk took a brief moment to think before saying "Alright then . . . I'll be back in a moment" and left for the moment.

With Hazk gone Lador glances at Komari and asks "Are you sure he can handle something like this?"

Cain answers "No but I am confident he knows someone that can."

"Bounty hunters? If what you say about this 'Longarm' is true then we need a military force to handle this, perhaps the Republic can –"

"That is out of the question Mattis, yesterday I've received a report from Eva and Agos who was close by in the Null sector and from what I understood, Master Obi-wan Kenobi and Longarm are becoming good acquaintances much like Hazk and I, and he has begun to earn a good reputation for aiding the Republic twice. This has to be done by a neutral party."

"Then why are we trying to get rid of him if he is helping the Republic? Thanks to him we took the shipyard and got Toydaria to join us."

"True . . . but this man wields such a power that should not be wielded at all. He can easily bring ruin to us all without discrimination."

The Trandoshan returns with three mugs, two for the Jedi and one for himself, and hands them out to his friends before sitting down next to Cain and ask "These are on the house, now what about this job?"

Cain took a sip from his mug and answers "There's someone that needs to disappear by any means necessary" he then pulls out his portable holoprojector and sets on the table before it activates showing a hologram of a heavily armored being.

Hazk examined the hologram carefully before stating "Hmm . . . the armor resembles that of a clone's. This shouldn't be too hard."

"If only that were true old friend, this being is affiliated with no one but himself. His name is Longarm, standing at around seven feet tall with heavy platted battle armor fitted with its own personal shielding that far surpasses what you see on the black market."

"Weapons?"

"Mainly slugthrowers but even those are extremely deadly even when compared to military grade blasters, and judging from the weapon I've seen him with it would seem that he is a marksman with extraordinary skills."

"What about training?"

"I can safely assume it's military but one with extreme measures."

"Alright, does he have a ship?"

Cain and Lador looked at each other for the briefest moment before the Cerean presses a button on the projector changing the hologram from a seven foot SPARTAN to a four hundred eighty five meter warship.

Hazk couldn't believe his eyes when he said "H-h-ho I understand your methods and beliefs Komari and I hope you forgive me for saying this but this vessel is a marvel to behold, beautiful design if I do say so myself . . ."

Komari shifted uncomfortably but he could understand the trandoshan's love for weapons, he replies "Tell me what you see Hazk . . ."

The trandoshan bartender looked further and notes "Well . . . I definitely can see several turret emplacements, presumably turbo lasers, a single ventral hangar probably large enough to hold a couple of dropships or a gunship. Missile pods by the look of some of these 'spots' along the hull, heavy armor, and a set of forward mounted dual heavy turbo laser emplacements but I've never seen any of that size."

Cain chuckled "You're wrong on two details, those turret emplacements are not turbo lasers, in fact those are a type of mass drivers that act as the ship's anti-fighter armament. And those two heavy weapon emplacements are what our target calls a magnetic acceleration cannon, powerful enough to destroy a separatist frigate."

"Really? Not to doubt your accusations but I find that to be ludicrous."

The Cerean casually presses another button on the projector which began playing a recording of the skirmish over Saleucami between the destroyer Vanguard and the frigate Justification, lasers were shot and missiles were launched. But what took Hazk by surprise were the two MAC rounds fired from the Vanguard that destroyed the Munificent-class Star Frigate outright.

"What I wouldn't do to have a warship like that" Hazk comments.

"If you did then you know I'll be coming for you" Komari remarks.

"What do you mean? It doesn't look that dangerous, I know some starships that can put it down."

Cain sighs and presses the same button this time showing a more recent recording of the battle in the Null Sector, it was then when the trandoshan witnesses the utter devastation of a massive separatist fleet and the raw power of the SHIVA-class Nuclear Missile launched from the Vanguard.

The recording ends showing nothing but shattered warships and Hazk finally comes down to business "Alright . . . how much are you willing to pay for this guy's head?"

"Hazk, you know better that credits is not an object for me, I'll pay whatever price it takes."

The trandoshan started to rub his scaly chin "Eh of course it isn't . . . you have any clues as to where he is now?"

"This recording was taken two days ago, he could be anywhere in the galaxy by now."

"Ok . . . is there anything you're left out that could help us find him?"

"Nothing to help you find him but only an advisory and a warning."

"Alright let's hear 'em" Hazk asks when he notices an approaching figure, not getting a good look to make out details.

"This fellow, Longarm, is in a league all his own. My best recommendation is that this mission requires team effort, should a man go alone then he faces certain death. The warning is that your target is accompanied by a former Jedi."

"A Jedi huh? Who's the moronic fool of a man to be traveling with someone like this?"

"The man is a woman, a togruta, and her name is Ahsoka Tano. I want her unharmed no matter what, this is a matter she was unfortunately caught up in and I wish to see no harm come to her."

Hazk nodded understanding the situation and said "Alright . . . I'll post the bounty and the details up on the board, but I can't guarantee everything will go like you want it."

Komari placed his hand on his trandoshan friend's shoulder and says "Thank you friend" he then picks up his mug "Now let us drink like the good old days . . ."

Hazk and Lador grabbed their mugs and raised them "To the good old days . . ." clinking the mugs together before drinking.

It was then when Hazk finally gets a look at the approaching figure, a blue female twi'lek with a very attractive body build and face, beautiful blue eyes, and wearing a lightly padded mercenary outfit with her lower waist exposed showing more of her body.

The twi'lek came over and sits down in Lador's lap, crossing her legs, without him expecting it and puts her arm around his broad shoulders asking with a soothing voice "Buy a girl a drink?"

Lador, shocked and somewhat moved by her voice replies "I would love to dear, but unfortunately I left my credits back at the temple . . ."

The girl giggled "Oh a Jedi hmm?" she then ever so gently took his mug out of his hands and took a sip of it before setting it down on the table and ask "What's someone like you doing in a place like this?"

Hazk and Cain watched as they drank while trying not to spurt out the alcohol in their mouths laughing, Mattis's surprised expression was priceless, and Hazk finally says "Ya' know . . . I could show you a good time."

She smiled "Hmm I know you could . . . but you're not my type."

"Ouch . . . for a trandoshan, that stings" Hazk states before taking a big gulp from his mug while Cain let out a good laugh.

Mattis then answers the girl's question "We're here seeing an old friend."

"Hmm . . . care to make some new friends?" she asks as she runs her smooth hands around the back of his head.

"Well . . . I don't know about that . . ." Lador states now feeling a bit nervous.

Cain finally steps in to help his friend out of the 'tight' situation "I'm sorry miss, but Lador here isn't the ladies man if you understand my meaning."

The twi'lek turned her head towards Komari and says "Oh well that's a shame . . . I really wondered what it was like to be with a Jedi . . ."

Cain finishes his drink and says "That is a shame indeed."

It was then when he sets his empty mug on the table before looking up at her in the eyes and noticed something rather unusual and quite disturbing, typically a twi'lek's eyes were of many colors but this one particularly different, her former blue eyes were now a fiery red-rimmed yellow. A telltale sign of the dark side.

Komari quickly stands up reaching for his lightsaber when the woman grabbed Mattis's cup and splashes whatever alcohol left inside into Hazk's sensitive eyes, who then jumped up roaring out in pain, and conks Lador over the head with it before jumping out of the booth and make a break for the front door.

"What the hell!?" Lador cries out rubbing the top of his head with his hand while watching Hazk go into a frenzy trying to get the alcohol out of his eyes while accidently knocking tables and partisans over.

"See to Hazk!" Cain orders before making a dash for the door after the runaway twi'lek.

He bursts through the door and looked out into the bustling crowd in front of him vigilantly searching until he spotted the woman's two blue headtails as she attempts to flee through the crowds, he bolts after her expertly moving through the public with haste pushing some people aside that were in the way. Once he reached the other side of the concourse he sprints after the twi'lek that was not too far ahead of him but once he began to run after her he watches her bust through a pair of troopers of the Coruscant Guard and they too began to give chase.

Several moments of running and he catches up with the two troopers and orders "Set your weapons to stun, I want her alive!"

"Right away Sir!" the trooper to his left as he sets his DC-15A rifle to stun just moments before they entered another plaza, wide and nearly void of pedestrians this time.

The clone then fell into a crouched stance taking aim, once he lined up his rifle he yelled "Taking the shot!" and fired an electric pulse, taking the form of a light blue ring, his accuracy proved true when the shot struck the runaway in the back highlighting her entire body a bright blue before she fell to the ground.

Komari and the troopers soon caught up and began examining the woman for any physical damage other than cuts and bruises when she hit the ground, one of the trooper reports "We'll take it from here Master Komari, thanks for the assist."

"Don't be too hasty just yet . . ." Cain replies as he kneels down and opens the woman's eyelids to find them pure blue once more.

He used the force around him and felt no signs of the darkness within her which was extremely odd but he knew who was capable of doing something like this, a sith that goes by the name of Slavior. Though he doesn't know if Slavior was in league with Dooku but he knew that there was a rising darkness overshadowing the Republic and their darkest days will soon be upon them.

[UNSC Vanguard, Rolion Sector, Fenion System]

On Deck seven, medbay 2-B, Sierra-121 and Ahsoka were waiting for Percival's report from the MRI scanning he performed over the past two days on the SPARTAN's health since this defeat at the hands of Tano's former master, Anakin Skywalker.

Ahsoka was sitting on one of the beds in the bay while Longarm stood several feet away watching out through the viewport as stars twinkled in the distance in silence, she then broke that silence and asks "How much longer Percy?"

"A few more moments, I'm just going over the last few details and crossing them over to see if they fit with UNSC standard requirements . . ."

She looks over to see the towering soldier without his helmet on, she seemed surprised that he wasn't complaining about the same thing but she supposed that's what happens when he fails to do something, in this case besting Skywalker. She looks down beside her to see his MJOLNIR EOD helmet sitting next to her, she picks it up in her hands and examined the features on it from the obvious black finish to the tiniest of details such as carvings and battle damages from earlier battles perhaps dating far back into the war with the Covenant before he arrived in her galaxy. She looks back up to Longarm one last time before the AI finally chimed in and gave his reports.

"Well SPARTAN, your overall body is in good shape as always, nothing's broken or torn and there's no tumors or swellings around the brain that would indicate a concussion or abnormality . . . I say you're cleared for duty once again."

"Good, I'll be down in the gun range if anyone needs me" Longarm replies as he turns away from the viewport window and walked out of the med bay.

Ahsoka stood up from the bed and was about to follow but Percival stopped her asking "Wait a moment Ahsoka, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about."

Tano stopped and soon enough on a pedestal behind a holographic figure constructed itself out of thin air, appearing as a British military officer from the first world war, she turns and literally sees the AI for the first time and states "Huh . . . I didn't know you had a 'body' . . ."

"This is my avatar and there's only a few select places where I can appear to the naked eye, putting that aside I have a favor to ask of you, a great one at that."

"Sure Percy, what is it?"

"I've been currently working on some calculations and running star maps to locate our own galaxy, once I do locate it I'll see if there's a way for us to go home where we belong."

"Ok that's great . . . but what do you need me for?"

"Well . . . there's too many variables involved for intergalactic travel and if our worst fears are confirmed then we need to be there for each other, Longarm most of all. I need you to comfort him and be a friend for him to help soften the blow if the worst happens."

"Haven't I been doing that for some time now?"

"Yes in your point of view, but to Longarm you're currently just a reliable asset in combat."

"Ouch Percy . . . that's kinda low."

"Well it counts for something doesn't it? But trust me if the worst does come he's going to take it pretty hard, you understand that he feels a lot of guilt for not being back home where he belongs fighting the Covenant right?"

"Yeah . . . he seemed distracted whenever he starts to talk or think about it."

"Well he needs someone he can call a friend to rely on if it happens and I can only do so much the way I am, being an artificial intelligence and such."

"Alright . . . yeah no problem I can do that."

"Thank you . . . that's all for now. Carry on" the AI finishes with a dutiful salute before his avatar dissipates from view.

Ahsoka grinned for a moment looking down at the helmet in her hands before walking out of the medbay to find Longarm down in the gun range.

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