The lime green neon lights reflect a bright hue against the grey slabs, illuminating the scene. The doors swing open and shut as patrons bustle through. Loud chattering and drunken brawls fill the air, accompanied by the strong scent of drink. At this time of night, 79's is especially busy as clones are relieved of their shifts and come for an exciting evening. Tonight is the trivia night, which means more clones, and even regulars, come from the nearby areas of Coruscant.
Inside, things were rather peaceful considering the crowd. A handful of officers down shots at the bar itself. Twi'lek dancers surround a few 501st troopers in the centre of the room, eagerly listening as Hardcase tells an exciting story about his recent mission with General Skywalker. Already, some of the drunken clones are sprinting towards the bathrooms, some of which are puking along the way.
A blaring noise sounds through the microphone, interrupting the patrons. The clone continues down the speakers, "Ladies and gents, now it's time for our trivia quiz!"
Annoyed clones complain, disappointed with the announcement. Echo smiles - excited for a chance to use his knowledge from his reg manual.
"I know, I know, it's not as exciting as 'Single's Night,' but what can you do? Tonight's theme – per Echo's request – is on the Republic. This time, we're going to have two teams. I can see a lot of blue troopers – seems like the 501st is paying us a visit tonight!"
The 501st troopers immediately cheer, although no-one else seems to.
"We're rather lucky tonight, ladies and gents, I can see some of the 104th – The Wolfpack - here as well!" The announcer pauses, but the Wolfpack doesn't cheer. "Well, er, let's pit 'em against each other, am I right? The Wolfpack against the 501st!"
"We'll show them!" Hevy shouts confidently, backed up by Denal, Hardcase, Tup and Mixer.
Sinker, Comet, Boost, and a handful of the Wolfpack roll their eyes, taunting the 501st.
The announcer continues, "Each correct answer means another round of drinks for that team. Whatever team loses the game, pays for the other guy's rounds."
Hardcase pumps his fists into the air. "I like the sound of that! Hope you like picking up the tab, Sinker!"
"Whatever you say, Hardcase," Sinker grumbles, unamused.
"Let's start with an easy one - who was the most recent Jedi General to kill a Sith Lord?"
Echo puts up his hand. "Well, that's easy, it was—"
Instantly, Hardcase cuts him off, "General Skywalker, am I right? Best General in the Republic!" He continues by imitating a lightsaber swooshing through the air.
Echo shakes his head. "What? No it was—"
The announcer interrupts him, "Not quite, Hardcase. Over to the Wolfpack, any ideas?"
Sinker barely looks up from his drink. After a few moments, Boost responds, "It was General Kenobi at the Battle of Naboo. Cut the sith in half I heard."
"That's right," the clone announcer states, motioning the bartender for a round of drinks for the Wolfpack.
"I knew that. Next time, let me do the talking." Echo points accusingly at Hardcase.
"Onto the next question – list three Republic ships."
Echo immediately answers, "The Negotiator, The Resolute, and The Endurance!"
"Alright, not bad," the clone nods to the bar again, signalling for a round of drinks for the 501st.
"I knew that," Hardcase claims.
Kix shakes his head and elbows him. "No you didn't."
The questions go on for longer, with both teams answering well. More drinks are passed around, and both teams gradually get more and more drunk as the night goes on. Echo, Hardcase and Tup are the most vocal, but, the more drinks they down, the harder the questions get. Hevy and Denal shake their fists in excitement with every question their team gets right, but only because of the drinks that come after. Sinker and Kix lighten up a bit after they get some spirits down them, even attempting to answer a few questions themselves.
The announcer soon reaches the final question as both teams are neck and neck, "Alright, last question – what Jedi General was called, 'The best Republic tactician in the Galaxy' by 'The Coruscant Rotational' news station?"
"Plo...Kooooon!" Boost grumbles.
Hardcase shoves his chair behind him. "No! It's...it's General Skywalker!"
The announcer continues, "The, uh, answer was...General Skywalker."
"No, that's n-not right - Plo's the best Jedi, ever," Sinker retorts.
The announcer shrugs his shoulders. "It's just an article-"
Jesse flails his arms into the air. "Everyone knows that Skywalker is the best General, no question!"
"Yeah," Hevy adds. "The best General, for the best troopers!"
The Wolfpack instantly shoot up from their seats. Sinker shakes his fists at the 501st. "Best troopers, eh? Prove it!"
"Relax, everyone, there's no need-" Tup soon is interrupted by shouts and grunts from his fellow troopers.
"Bring it on!" Denal roars, smashing his drink against the table.
Denal charges towards Sinker, followed by Hardcase and Hevy. Sinker tosses his drink to the side, waiting for them to come closer. Chaos ensues as Hevy swings his right arm towards Sinker, but his lack of vision from the drink causes him to miss and loose his balance, nearly toppling over.
Boost lands a blow on Denal, knocking him back into the rest of the 501st. Kix checks on him, dragging Denal back to their table; Denal protests, but it too drunk to stand up and get back into the fight. Some of the Wolfpack begin wrestling the 501st in a drunken brawl. Hevy and Hardcase push through the crowd, punching and fighting the 104th.
Sinker swings a chair over Dogma's head, knocking him unconscious. Dropping the chair, he lunges towards Hardcase, swiping at him. Hardcase dodges and dives at Sinker's waist, pushing him through the throng of clones.
An influx of shock troopers pour in through the entrance, setting their blasters to stun. The clone officers get out of the way, followed by the Twi'lek dancers and other patrons. Oblivious to their surroundings, the clones continue fighting.
"Break it up!" a shock trooper shouts. After a few moments, he shoots at Hardcase, stunning him. The other shock troopers do the same - stunning the other troopers as they punch at each other.
The shock troopers move closer, cuffing the conscious clones such as Hevy, Sinker, Hardcase, Comet and Tup. The clones protest, but are no match for the shock troopers, who so happen to be sober.
The shock troopers begin dragging the drunken clones out of the establishment. "Maybe a night in the detention centre will sort you troopers out," one of them states, "You better hope your commanding officers are more forgiving than we are."
Kix attends to the remaining clones inside 79s - mainly bringing them water and a bucket. Dogma eventually comes around, still unsure what exactly is going on. The bartender shakes his head, sighing as he begins tidying up the bar.
Back at the detention centre, the clones lie in a cell, guarded by shock troopers and a ray shield. Hevy is curled over the vacc tube, heaving down the lavatory. Hardcase rubs his head in a poor attempt to cure his headache and Tup stares out the ray shield, contemplating how he ended up here. Sinker lies vertically on the bunk, resting after the long night, and Comet paces nervously up and down the room.
"Look, someone's coming!" Comet states, pointing at the ray shield.
"About time," Sinker comments.
"Ah, great," Hardcase retorts sarcastically, "I'll never hear the end of this."
Two shock troopers escort Commander Wolffe and Captain Rex towards the cell. Wolffe's lip curls in destain as they approach the cell, his eye staring in at them. A shock trooper turns of the shield.
Wolffe motions for the troopers to follow him, but does not say a word. Comet and Sinker wander out of the cell after him. Wolffe continues towards the exit; his scolding of his troopers can be heard even from the cell.
"Captain," Tup says almost like a question.
"This is unacceptable behaviour, for all of you!" Rex states firmly. "Us clones are made to follow the rules, not break them, and for what? A drunken brawl against the 104th?"
"Yes, sir," Hevy replies, swiftly followed by him retching down the vacc tube, "Sorry, Captain, it won't happen again."
"You're right," Rex continues, "It won't happen again."
As Captain Rex goes to leave, he turns his head back. In a softer tone, he continues, "Did you win?"
"Yes, sir!" Hardcase chirps in enthusiastically.
A small smile seems to appear on Rex's face for a quick moment, before being swiftly whisked away. "Let's get you boys back for next rotation. We got some clankers to kill."