Roku
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The Viper
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Post by Roku on Aug 4, 2013 22:06:02 GMT -5
It was a fairly classy bar, with live music and some of the best food in town. Which was a good thing, because Savard hadn't eaten all day. After sitting down, he ordered the spitfire burger, which had Metellos' special barbecue sauce and local meat in it. It was served with onion rings and a beer. Savard wasn't on any Jedi business right now, and saw nothing wrong with having a drink on his day off. The burger was godly, and he scarfed it down like a mad man.
A rather dark figure in his mid forties sat down next to him, and gave him a high eyebrow as he looked over at him. "Don't tell me you're my new employer, Master Jedi..."
Savard just about spat out the last of his burger. How did this man know he was a Jedi? He was dressed in casual, middle class attire today and didn't even have his weapon with him.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
Radik looked over at him and gave him a half grin.
"Byss...you were after the boy, were you not? Savard Viper..."
Savard swallowed the last of his food, and took a good long swig of his beer, but his eyes didn't leave the former Guard Commander's. He had a hard time swallowing. It wasn't common to be caught off guard like this, and especially not on his day off.
"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage." he admitted. "Are you a sith?" he asked.
"Markus Radik...and not anymore... Now I'm just looking for a job. Only high profile people hire someone like me...I figure it was you, but I guess not... what a strange coincidence."
"Have you seen him?" Savard asked.
"The Boy?"
"Yeah." Savard nodded.
"I run in to him from time to time...What's it to you?"
"Nothing...I kicked him out of the order..."
With that Radik ordered a beer. There was a pause, and the two men sipped on their beers.
"Hey, Radik." he said.
"What's up?"
"You said you came here for a Job?" he asked.
"Yeah. What of it?"
"That's funny...I received a job offer too. I'm not planning on accepting, but I was curious who would want to hire me, so I came down here. It's gotta be the same person...don't you find that strange?"
"Most definitely..." Radik nodded. "I wonder who it is..."
"It better not be Aura...the little bastard..."
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Gamov
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In umbris potestas est
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Post by Gamov on Aug 6, 2013 20:50:53 GMT -5
"Aura doesn't have the resources needed to get us in the same room together." A woman said from the far end of the bar.
She looked out of place here amid the more refined decor, draped in a shabby light brown cloak that swaddled her figure in heavy folds of woolen fabric. An over sized cowl shadowed her features from all but the faintest glimmer of light, revealing little about her true identity.
The bartender ambled over towards her end of the bar, but was turned away with a simple graceful wave of the stranger's hand. "Whoever sent for us has more deeply rooted connections."
The woman turned in her seat, glancing towards Radik. For a moment, her eyes fluoresced a sickly yellow before flashing back to a dull hazel as the vaguely discernible beginnings of a familiar smile started to crease her features.
"And a more sinister agenda." She held her words momentarily as some patrons stumbled past her seat. "Our being here now is no mere act of coincidence."
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Roku
Neutral
The Viper
Posts: 1,088
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Post by Roku on Aug 6, 2013 21:19:09 GMT -5
Radik's neck hair stood up when he heard the voice, and he had to take the information in before he could turn and look at her. When Nisha smiled, Radik had reason to frown. That had been the basis of their relationship for quite a while. He was relieved then, when Savard started to talk first.
"Indeed..." The grizzled Jedi told her. "Today is going to be one of those days I regret not bringing my lightsaber, isn't it?" He asked.
"Nisha..." Radik finally muttered.
"The Sith?" Savard asked.
"Don't say that in here..." Radik corrected. Even though he wasn't pleased with her presence, it was only courteous not to say something that ballsy on a world with so many dangers.
"Sorry... So...you know my illustrious former Padawan..." he told her, as he calmly munched an onion ring. Savard wasn't judgmental of her presence. Like any fallen soul, he hoped she would find peace.
"I guess you were contacted too then, by the same employer... you know what Markus, I wasn't gonna take this job, but I've reconsidered..." He told him with a nod. "I don't suppose either of you has a spare saber?" he asked.
Radik nodded, and tossed it over to him. He normally fought with one blade anyway, the second one was just for times when the shit hit the fan. And he'd rather have a noble ally like a Jedi wielding it than his left arm. "It's not your color though, Jedi..." he added. Savard shrugged, figuring as much.
"So...Nisha, the years have treated you well..." the former Guard-Commander told her.
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Gamov
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In umbris potestas est
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Post by Gamov on Aug 6, 2013 21:38:58 GMT -5
Moving inconspicuously, Nisha settled into a seat closer to Radik and Savard. When the Jedi commented on her involvement with Aura, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She had noticed that she had developed a few nervous twitches that only seemed to manifest when his name was mentioned. Nothing debilitating or overtly noticeable, but still annoying all the same.
"Yes, unfortunately. He has been annoying me off and on for years now." Nisha muted her next words, saying them more as a private musing than an actual statement. "And he doesn't have the common decency to just die..."
"Nisha, the years have treated you well..."
Her attention turned back to Radik. "Hmph... can't say I can say the same for you." She said, "you're starting to show your age. I just hope your mind hasn't started to slip as well." She spared a passing glance at the bartender as he strolled past them to the other end of the bar.
"Pleasantries aside," Nisha said, speaking softly to avoid drawing any unwanted attention, "do you have any ideas who could benefit from this arrangement? We both have a number of enemies no doubt. Is there anyone who seems overly obvious to you?"
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Roku
Neutral
The Viper
Posts: 1,088
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Post by Roku on Aug 6, 2013 21:48:56 GMT -5
Radik shook his head. Same old Nisha, returns a compliment with a back hand to the face. "Yeah, I'm an old fart...I can still kick your sorry ass though..." he told her with a smirk. Savard raised an eyebrow at the two of them, and was quite pleased when Nisha got to the point. He drew a blank though, at her question.
"Someone who's done their research... " he said, cautiously. "Last I heard from Aura, which was reasonably recently, he put his sister into a coma and was seen with you some time later..." he told her. "Who ever brought us here wants us to think he's either behind it or in danger or something."
"And why would I care about that?" Radik asked.
"Because, even though he's annoying, you like him." Savard suggested. Not really knowing it was true or not.
"Well, I like anyone who can pester Nisha as well as he can..." he admitted.
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Gamov
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In umbris potestas est
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Post by Gamov on Aug 9, 2013 22:07:39 GMT -5
Someone who's done their research. That fact immediately struck Nisha.
Whoever had led them all here must have been a common link. But who? A few names came to mind that could explain Radik - Danzala chief among them. No doubt the former "Dark Lord" had plenty of reasons to hunt them both down. But this Jedi, Savard, was a complete mystery. His only obvious connection was Aura, but Nisha held little confidence that the boy was responsible for this arrangement.
"And how do we know that you haven't led us here, Jedi?" Nisha asked, peering at Savard. "You certainly stand to gain the most from this." Her faith in others had never been that strong to begin with, and her suspicions were only growing.
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Roku
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The Viper
Posts: 1,088
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Post by Roku on Aug 9, 2013 22:16:05 GMT -5
"Actually Nisha, he's already expelled Aura from the order..." Radik told her. "I searched the force, and I know it to be the truth. This guy wouldn't make a very good liar anyway..."
"Hey, I'm alright at it...But you're dead wrong..." Savard snapped. "Listen woman...that boy put my padawan into a fucking coma... She talked with a lisp for two weeks, and she still has hallucinations... If I wasn't already a devout Jedi, I'd have good reason to track the boy down and cut him in half... I consider that girl to be my daughter... so don't tell me I have anything to gain from seeing that little slime ball..." There was a darkness that laced his lips. A venom that was unbecoming, but understandable. "I am a Templar...my career field is to hunt down Jedi who have fallen from their path, and bring them back to the order. That boy has crossed even my lines, and I'm the most forgiving Jedi in the order! I consider you more salvageable than him!"
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Gamov
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In umbris potestas est
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Post by Gamov on Aug 9, 2013 22:46:16 GMT -5
Savard's response let Nisha know that she had touched a nerve. She held back a tiny smirk of pleasure as the Jedi revealed his true emotions. But he was ultimately wrong. Everyone stood to gain from everything. Savard just hadn't yet realized what it was he stood to gain. His comments about being "forgiving" though elicited a derisive huff from Nisha.
"'Forgiving'? This word coming from a man who would, how did you put it, track Aura down and 'cut him in half'?" She scoffed at Savard's pious notion of "devotion" to the Jedi. "The fact that you even acknowledge that the boy's actions condemn him to death proves that you do stand to gain from finding him."
Nisha's expression took on a more grim appearance as she stared deeply into Savard's eyes, gracing his linger thoughts and emotions with the Force to detect what she knew was there all along.
"You want revenge, I can feel it. You have reason, you have purpose. The boy has wounded you in ways that you once thought only your enemies could. You were betrayed." The Sith Lady's expression softened somewhat, "that hatred is your only tool against him now. Use it."
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Roku
Neutral
The Viper
Posts: 1,088
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Post by Roku on Aug 9, 2013 22:56:28 GMT -5
"Isn't he your friend?" Savard sneered. Savard had his lightsaber already in position, so when he ignited the blade it was inches away from her throat. It was Radik's red one, which seemed to suit him at the moment. He had her pinned to her seat, and any sudden movements or continued fucking smiling was going to set him off.
"The order won't miss you..." Was all he said.
Radik stood up and grabbed his hand. "That is NOT why I gave you that." Radik however, was picked up with the force and thrown, tripping over a chair across the bar.
"This isn't who I am..." he told her softly. "...if it was, you'd be dead... the difference between you and me, sith... I know logically that aura deserves death... I know that you deserve death... but I'm strong enough not to serve it to either of you..."
With that, he put the blade away. He sat back down.
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Gamov
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In umbris potestas est
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Post by Gamov on Aug 9, 2013 23:24:17 GMT -5
Savard's display was not at all unexpected, in fact Nisha had hoped to get him to tap into his anger a bit. Surprisingly though, Radik's intervention was easily brushed aside by the aggravated Kiffar as he tossed the former Guard-Commander well clear of the bar into some nearby tables.
Inwardly, Nisha was delighting in Savard's momentary lapse into aggression. It suited him well, even if he tried to deny it. Outwardly though, she wore a fairly stern expression and her posture was remarkably neutral. She had coaxed the Jedi out of his shell, but she knew he wouldn't be bold enough to try anything... at least not yet. In time though, he would be capable of anything.
As he released her and sat back down at the bar, Nisha re positioned herself in her seat, discreetly rubbing her neck where the saber had been held to it. She spared a short glance towards Radik on the far side of the bar.
His unceremonious landing had drawn more than a few patrons to check on him, and indeed, Savard's little outburst had changed the atmosphere of the bar. Now all eyes were on them. Brawls and fights might be common place among the cantinas on worlds in the more lawless regions, but here in the posh upper-class setting of Ektra there were a rarity.
Nisha tried to shrink from the public eye, her eyes darting from one person to the next as more and more people showed up to see what the commotion had been. Attention was never good for her image, now was the time to be scarce. But before she could push herself away from the bar, a voice echoed through the room.
"My my, not the discreet one are we?" The man asked rhetorically. "You know, I wasn't certain I had the right individuals. But now... now I'm positive."
Nisha's eyes shot up to a small metal catwalk spanning over the bar at the opposite end of the room. A tall man clad in a dark robe with red trim wearing a silver-white face mask covered in ornate etchings addressed them from afar. On his flanks were a number of heavily armed mercenaries brandishing weapons in their general direction.
"You have all been exceptionally difficult to track down. But I knew we could find you eventually."
At the appearance of the mercenaries, the bar began to empty as civilians clamored for the exits. No doubt the local authorities would be responding to the disturbance shortly.
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Roku
Neutral
The Viper
Posts: 1,088
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Post by Roku on Aug 10, 2013 19:39:30 GMT -5
Radik was somewhat surprised it how well trained Savard was. He himself would have probably gutted Nisha if she talked to him that way. Although the large Kiffar had tossed him like a rag doll through a public place, he kept tabs on what was happening. Savard not only had the jump on Nisha, he could have killed her. And it would have been something he would have enjoyed to see. That bitch was crazy.
He was somewhat unamused that Savard had thrown him, but he said nothing about it when he returned. Instead, he turned his attention to their apparent employer as he sat down in his chair. Savard could sense the local authorities coming, and he was already trying high powered mind tricks to just make them fuck off so they wouldn't get hurt. They turned around and the place was going to be left alone.
"So, you want us all in the same spot...why?" Savard asked. "You come here to kill us?"
Radik wondered that same thing, and he kept his hand on the hilt of his blade, as he looked over to Nisha to get her attention, and gestured to be ready. The three of them may have to cover each other right now.
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