Blades and Kurt: Mission One

[Revan Jast]

Kurt punched Blades right on the knuckles, then looked at his hand as if it just came from another planet. Did he really just do a fist bump?

"I trust that's good enough for an image? Or do I have more get-in-the-zoning to do?"

Kurt checked his belt as he spoke, making sure he had his knife and pistol secured.

[RobbyL9]

For the longest time, Blades kept a look of feigned surprise. "Not bad." he remarked putting down his hand "Not bad at all. With a little bit of practice, I'm willing to bet I can turn you into a well-oiled bro-force machine. You feelin' it?" Blades nudged at Kurt with his elbow and walked for the door "Yeah I know you feelin' it!"

Blades laughed and strutted over to the door, kicking some wreckage out of the way and looking back. "You comin'? We can practice on the way and I'll show you some tricks. We still have to cover arm bumps, hi fives and gangsta whaps."

[Revan Jast]

"G-gangsta whaps? What the fuck is that? Just where have you been, anyways, to pick up all this shit? Or is it, dare I say, in your... blood?"

Kurt walked beside his temporary partner and tried his best to look casual. "Actually, that's a fucking good idea. We're gonna be knee deep in dead soon, so let's take a moment to learn each other better. Words tell a hell of a lot more about someone than bullets."

[RobbyL9]

Blades continued to walk in a strut down the hall beside his new bud. "Sure. Even though my identity is supposed to be sorta classified by the PMC I work for, I never cared much for rules. Although I can't just say everything because 'BOOM' goes my mystique if I do." he said, trying to think of something interesting to say "Well, how about this? I grew up on a planet in a place that isn't the Core or the Outer Rim. The summers are wet, the women beautiful and the Mon Calamari extra fishy. I joined the Army when I was 18 and no sooner than I did, the drill sergeants were all over me about how good I was. Oh and uh, 'round this corner."

Blades paused momentarily to correct his walking and round the corner toward the freight elevator. He bent over to retie his boots and went on "Anyways, the drill sergeants got me to join the Special Forces. It was fun enough learning to infiltrate and blow shit up. And I'll be honest with you the blowing shit up part was what won me over." He finished tying his left boot "But we never actually got to do that in the galactic conflict, so mostly we just sat on our asses after training and trained some more to stay on our toes. So now here I am."

[Revan Jast]

Interesting, Kurt thought.

"Intriguing," Kurt said. Silence for a few moments, but he knew Blades was waiting for him to speak. Finally, he said: "I've not been a merc for hire for very long. 5 years, give or take a few months... but the business of killing... yes, I've been doing that-

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-for a long time. Do you hear me?! They'll put you away for a VERY long time!"

She was screaming at him, like that'd have a more noticeable effect. He tuned her words out, making them so much useless projectiles bouncing off their intended target. He was still staring down the sights of the pistol, smoke rising from the mouth of the barrel. He wondered, just for a moment, what it was like to be on the other side. To stare into that endless tunnel, that lifeless black eye.

Hands trembling slightly, he lowered the weapon so that it pointed towards the ground, his eyes never wavering from the corpse that now lay before him. The mans eyes were still open, a look of shock frozen on his face. He thought Kurt didn't know what he'd done. But Kurt knew.

"Shut up," the teenager snapped. She shut up. He'd never snapped at his sister this way before, but tonight was different. Tonight he was filled with rage. He wasn't himself. "I just saved your ass."

It was her turn to wear the shocked expression. He was a quiet, nice kid. Nice kids didn't swear. She told him that.

"Nice fathers don't fuck their daughters either," he said, looking at her. His blue eyes seemed to be as dark and stormy as the weather around them. His longish hair was plastered to his head like a helmet, his face stern, his hands still gripping the gun. When he'd first taken it from it's hiding place, it had felt strange. But now it felt just right. He had held it, pulled it's trigger, made it speak in a language that was known to everyone but only truly felt by some. It was a personal relationship now, a man and his weapon.

His last line had made her cry, and she dropped to her knees as the rain continued to pour around them. He had trouble discerning the tears on her face from the raindrops, but her loud sobs were clear enough. She slowly crawled towards the body on her hands and knees.

"Do you like what he did to you?" he asked.

She stopped and looked at him, her eyes now red, her lips trembling. "N-n-no, I d-didn't-"

"Then stay away from him," he snapped, and she stayed there on her knees, her head bowed and her shoulders shaking with each sob. He knelt beside her and put his arms around her, kissing her on the cheek. "It's alright, sis... he can't hurt you anymore."

She pressed her face against his shoulder, still crying. He caressed her hair and realized that he had to go. She was right. If they got him, they'd put him away. The old man had covered well, and they'd see her words as a ruse to keep her brother out of prison.

He pulled away from her, but she gripped his arms and looked him in the eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but he spoke before she could. "You're welcome," he said. "I have to go now."

She understood and let him go. Standing, he turned and ran down the nearest alleyway, splashing through the puddles of water, beer, and piss. Such a shitty place this was... but he called it home.

He suddenly realized he was still carrying the gun and he almost threw it into the nearest gutter, but he held on. He raised the weapon and turned it this way and that, almost admiring it. He would keep it... for now.

His thoughts returned to the moments before he'd pulled the trigger and the moment of his becoming, when he and his weapon became one and spoke as one. A final message for those who had fallen alongside the way and had tuned out everything else, those who had shoved everything that is right and just in this galaxy aside and given into their most carnal desires.

Yes, he would keep it.

Shoving the gun into the waistband of his pants, he started to run again. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that no matter what, he would do his best to survive.

In the pouring rain, under the lights and night of Coruscant, Kurt Jervada began to smile.

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He realized that Blades was waiting for him to say something else besides "I've been killing for a long time". He blinked a few times and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, was woolgathering. I'm not like you though. I don't have that military background. Everything I know and do, I learned myself. Much better that way. When someone else teaches you stuff, you've got invisible goals they set for you. And when you don't reach that goal or whatever, they'll be disappointed. They won't say it, but you'll see it in their eyes. Teach yourself, and the only goals you have to deal with are your own."

He was silent for a moment longer. "As for why I do what I do... well, someone has to fix the people who fuck up and know they're fucking up. The ones who fuck up on purpose, if you know what I mean. People like the man I'm after today."

[RobbyL9]

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean. I mean, you know these rich guys, right?" Blades said shaking his head, thinking about them "They act all superior, they flaunt their riches and according to the public, they're just perfectly legit businessmen, right? Yeah, not the case according to the private military companies they keep hiring. These days a successful business is only as good as the mercs it pays to keep labor and kickbacks in line. Know what I mean?"

For a moment, Blades reflected on the precise meaning of his previous statement. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy getting paid to fight, or that working for rich jerks was beneath him and it certainly wasn't that being a mercenary wasn't his preferred profession. After all, would he have gotten as many girls by being a straight-edge military boy scout back home?

No, Blades definitely enjoyed the fighting, but it had always disappointed him that since the Galactic Civil War ended and the galaxy was in a state of relative stability and unity that the only jobs he ever got hired for were assassinations, labor disputes, spice trade problems (on either side of the law) and so on. As far as actual military service went, Blades had a non-existent rap sheet. Just once. he wished I'd like to do what I trained for. Know what a real conflict feels like.

He turned towards Kurt and grinned "I dunno. I suppose one thing the corporate stone-heads have going for them is they have access to some of the best escort services and ain't picky about sharing." he chuckled "Hell, sometimes they ARE the escort service. Man, that job was the best!"

[Revan Jast]

Kurt smiled a bit. "You'll have to tell me about that one. Blades, let's go through here."

The pair hooked a right down another hallway. Kurt explained as they walked.

"If we come directly from the chaos, they'll be suspicious as to why we didn't radio for help or even better yet, why we're not there finding out what happened."

Kurt said to take a left up ahead and then another left to the main rooms. "Hopefully there will be an access shaft or maybe an elevator to get down below. About that job?"

[RobbyL9]

Blades just nodded and agreed with what Kurt was saying without listening much, his mind focused on recalling the job. It was a year and a few months after he had decided to become a mercenary. He and Sticks had been hanging around the PMC headquarters not really doing much since their previous assignment a few days before. Then as if fate itself spoke, or maybe boredom, their datapads lit up and they were off to Coronet, Corellia.

Blades explained this quickly as they walked along and looked for a shaft. "So anyway, the corporation was called First Impressions but we didn't know what line of business they were in until we got there." he told Kurt while they walked "All the email told us was that they were in need of a couple of trained bodyguards who wouldn't mind attending a social function, right? So we get to the building and what do we see?"

[Revan Jast]

"Let me guess: twi'lek strippers as far as the eye can see." Kurt said, chuckling.

[RobbyL9]

Blades shook his head and snickered "Well, at least now I know which species you like. That'll help if we ever go out on the town. But ironically, no, a fair amount of them were twi'lek but that's it. It was not only a huge building, but also a very diverse crowd." Blades held out his hand and counted off his fingers as he went on "Not just twi'leks, but I'm talking zeltrons, mirialans, zabraks, humans, some mon calamari, a pair of juhani-cathar. And I swear it must have been just a roleplaying act because she saw us so well, but the woman who greeted us and escorted us to the director's office..." he quickly snapped his fingers "Looked like a miraluka."

As the two went on, Blades explained the details of the mission. The director, Ema Kard, needed to attend a madame's version of a world-wide seminar. Basically, a large two-full-day gathering of the various escort services and hers to discuss business of the last financial period, negotiate swappings of labor, relax in a party setting, and even compare fashions in a fashion show.

That wasn't the only thing, however. One of the other companies was thought to be plotting a big insult to the image of First Impressions. This was something of a normal practice, because the gathering was very competitive in nature, but two girls had received obscene letters threatening them with violence if they attended. To keep anything from happening. Blades and Sticks just had to carry pistols and dress nice with a pretty girl on their shoulder.

Right around the time Blades explained that part, they walked by a sign with an arrow pointing towards a freight elevator down the hall ahead of them. "There's where we're going, yeah?"

[Revan Jast]

Kurt nodded. "Looks like they set a watchdog on it. Leave the talking to me."

Kurt approached the guard station and rested one arm on its marble top, drumming his fingers restlessly. "You rang?"

The man behind the desk looked up, a bit wary. "Yes?"

Kurt grinned. "Cheer up, buddy. I'm just heading down with my pal here."

"I see. I'll have to rad-"

"Hey, wanna hear something funny?" Kurt asked, motioning with his other hand for Blades to step on the elevator. "So this friend of mine was fucking a twi'lek chick real good, completely out of his mind. Doggystyle, sixty-nine, little bit of cowgirl in there too. They go at it all night long and they're tired silly by morning."

While Kurt spoke, he walked towards the elevator and turned around to face the desk once he was in front of it. "So anyways, she rolls over and drapes her arm across his body, but he's not really caring cause she has this great pair of tits, right? Well, all of a sudden she goes: 'Hey, you don't have any STD's, do you?' And my friend is like, no. She goes: 'Great! I'd hate to catch another one of those!' "

The guard bursts out laughing and Kurt joined him, stepping backwards into the elevator and hitting the button. "I'll tell the boss that one!"

Before the guard even bothers to think that they're going down below, the doors shut and they're moving.

Kurt smirked. "And that is how you infiltrate a pirate base."

[RobbyL9]

Blades shrugged and smiled, giving Kurt a slap on the shoulder before going on. "So anyways. Sticks and I are just hanging for a few days and getting ready for the event. On the day of the event, we got up and dressed to the nines and went to the building to meet our charges." Blades leaned back against the railing of the elevator.

Thinking about what happened next made him smirk and nod his head. "This is where it gets a little funny, see. Our charges were a mon calamari and a rodian. We didn't even bother playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would get who, we just held out our arms and let them pick. The rodian chick picked me and just as we got out of the speeder taking us there, she kissed me on the cheek with that tube of hers. I ain't gonna lie man, I turned red."

The smile turned into a sheepish one and he started busting out laughing. Blades continued laughing as the elevator neared its destination.

[Revan Jast]

"I'm sorry, Blades, but that just had to suck," Kurt said, then realized the words he picked. "Shit, I'm hoping it didn't!" he covered, grinning. "Please tell me you did NOT bed the rodian or, God forbid, go for a threesome."

Kurt at least preferred his aliens somewhat human-like.

[RobbyL9]

Blades' sheepish smile grew more intense as he looked up nervously and shrugged. "Ehh, well you see I was her date for the night and we did have to look the part and we were being watched pretty consistently for the next day and a half, so... Well, y'know." he paused and shrugged as he looked down guiltily.

Suddenly his expression normalized all at once and he looked back up. "Nah. Nothing happened. I protected her, endured a couple days as her boyfriend and took her back. Easiest couple 'a creds I ever made. I did need to protect her though. It turned out that one of the other girls in a rival company was trying to put poison in her makeup."

Of course Blades knew he was lying. He had gotten used to doing so when it came to this story. What had actually happened when he found out about the attempted poisoning was much different. He had had a little too much spice, just like everyone else at that party, and decided when he caught the girl in the act that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

He threatened to report her to CorSec and have her arrested if she didn't do what he wanted. Reluctantly, she agreed and waited in the room for the rodian to get back. Blades then convinced the rodian (spiced up as well) to sleep with him and have a three-way with the girl who tried to poison her. The rodian spent the rest of her evening unwittingly being pleasured by the girl who tried to disfigure her, while Blades watched from underneath.

As disturbing as it was to think of it in sobriety, Blades had to admit that the tube of a Rodian could do some pretty interesting things when it wanted to. But he'd wait a while before trying it again.

[Revan Jast]

Kurt snorted. "I was expecting something else, since it seemed to be so memorable."

Kurt thought Blades wasn't being entirely truthful, but there was no need to pry. If he wanted to fuck a Rodian, let him fuck it.

"I've had a few interesting jobs. A lot of them blend in because it's usually the same shit, one job after the other. But every once in a while you get a real gem. But enough about alien pussy, because I'm sure we've both had our share of that. Let's talk about blood. Preferably red."

Kurt crossed his arms and grew serious. "Most people don't know my name, and for all you know, I'm not really a Kurt. But we'll go out on a limb and say that I am. But I know you're no Blades."

Kurt smirked. "A man named Blades and I'm the one with the fucking knife. Irony at it's best."