Blades and Kurt: Back On the Blood Trail

[RobbyL9]

Blades took Kurt's snarky comment to heart and raised his t-shirt over his mouth and nose before poking his head out for a look-see. It had been a while since he had come to this part of the Lower City and with all that had been happening it only looked partially familiar. The smell of swoop exhaust, blaster resin and something permeated the filter of Blades' shirt and burnt his nostrils.

Blades cleared his throat and reported his initial observation "Two-way intersection. Looks like a pretty straight shot either way. There's also a door just opposite of us, looks like it's to an apartment complex."

Looking around some more Blades noticed that the floor was littered with metal sheets, pieces of pipe and other clutter which appeared to have been ripped off of the walls. The area was dimly lit, the light fixtures buzzing and flickering.

"Let's scope out the area a little bit, see what goes where."

[Revan Jast]

Kurt inserted a high-tech nose filter into his nostrils and followed Blades to the intersection. "Road curves south just past the west entrance. I'll head that way, since the east entrance leads to a visible dead end. Well, I think that's a dead end..." he said, glancing towards that direction. "Either way, I'm taking the curvy path. Mmmm, curvy path..." he muttered as he wandered off.

Speaking of curves, we might have a few curve-possessing twi'leks down this way. I smell smoke and hear faint music, so I'm counting on a cantina or two at the end of the smoggy rainbow, Kurt thought to himself as he walked.

[RobbyL9]

"You go on ahead and stay in contact. I'm gonna stay behind just a second." Blades said into his comm "If I'm not done in five minutes... wait longer." He walked into the apartment complex and was not surprised to find it in similar disarray. But that didn't matter for what he had in mind.

All the excitement of running around and being chased and shot at by cops and almost killed by a hovercraft had had quite an effect on the mercenary and he had to piss something awful. With what the Lower City normally smelled like, he reasoned, a little urine wouldn't be anything. Finding the nearest pile of rubble, Blades unzipped his fly and just let the relief flow through and out him.

He finished up and re-zipped his pants, leaning forward against the wall. When he rolled onto his back against the wall and looked the other direction Blades nearly jumped out of his skin to see he was being observed. His mood changed from freaked out to high alert when the figure reached for its hip.

"HEY!" he quickly screamed, pulling out his pistol and firing a warning shot "DROP IT! DROP IT AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP, DAMN IT!" The figure did so and stepped forward slowly on Blades' silent request.

It was a young man, looked to be no older than 20 or so. He was wearing normal civilian clothes and had darkened skin, his brown hair was cut very short.

"Woah, no need to do that kind of stuff." the man said, obviously very nervous.

"It's nothing." Blades responded in a serious tone, taking a cautious step forward "I do this to all armed perverts who sneak up on me."

"I'm not a pervert. And I was just scared."

"What the hell are you thinking pulling a gun on me like that?" Blades demanded, pulling out his other pistol.

"Mercenaries attacked this complex a while ago, so I got my blaster to protect myself in case they came back. Are you not one of them?" the man lowered his hands slightly when he asked this, but quickly re-raised them at the two pistols' urging.

Blades' eyes narrowed angrily "Now that ain't none of your business, you punk ass." Just then he heard something approaching and quickly turned in enough time to see a woman leveling a pistol at his head.

"HEY!" she screamed, just as she came into full view under one of the dim lights. Blades was too surprised at what he saw to react. What the-?

He knew that face, those eyes. That familiar long ponytail which flew across her back like a cape as she ran. Those toned, slender arms and that mocha-colored skin, prominent even in the dim light.

Blades just couldn't help but drop his guard. "Illy?" he said, flipping his mask up and turning toward her.

When she saw Blades' face, Illandere Maeyen's expression changed just as quickly as his had. It had been over a decade and she still recognized him. Her gaze softened and her mouth opened ever so slightly.

"Py-"

WHUMP! "OOF!" She was cut off by the man she had rushed to protect seizing the opportunity and tackling Blades to the ground. One of his pistols flew out of his hand and the other was easily loosened by a jagged piece of permacrete hitting his hand when they landed.

Illy rushed to their side and quickly worked to put herself between them. "No, no. Mani, let go of him." she cried out, grabbing his fists "Let go! He's a friend."

[Revan Jast]

Kurt strolled past the broken down speeders by the walls and under rusty pipes hanging from the ceiling, seeming almost casual to the untrained eye. But Kurt was a man that was always on the end, even during the calm times, and this was no exception. The streets of the Lower City were eerily empty, as if some curfew had been set and everyone had to stay inside. Never the less, the sounds and smells from up ahead told Kurt that business was taking place somewhere.

He quickly radioed to Blades, but got no response. The man was likely busy doing God knows what. Shrugging it off, Kurt walked through the nearest set of doors into a bar. The lights in here were low and the air filled with even more muck and smoke. Good thing he had these nose filters.

There were plenty of people in here, and he wasn't wrong about the twi'lek dancers. He had no interest in them, however. Taking up a secluded, dark corner in the bar, he pulled out a flask and took a sip from it. Now to patiently wait for Blades.

[RobbyL9]

After a couple of awkward seconds of that punk ass lying on top of him, Blades was let go. His hand hurt like hell and he had gotten the wind knocked out of him by the tackle so when Mani reached out his hand to help him up, he just ignored it.

"No thanks." he coughed as he got up "You've helped enough for one day."

Once he was back on his feet, Blades just stood and enjoyed the nice trip through time afforded to him. He still couldn't believe who was standing in front of him. Blades found himself struggling for words.

"Hello Illy." he managed with a grin.

"Hello..." she said nonchalantly, spotting the old worn out spray paint on his vest of his PMC's logo "Blades."

"Are you serious?" he laughed "All this time and that's all you can say?!" he laughed some more and stepped forward with his arms open. Blades wrapped his arms around her and was surprised when she didn't hug back. Letting go, he stepped back and looked at her face, puzzled.

Her expression was largely neutral, but Illy didn't seem surprised or even happy to see him. Her arms just remained crossed, her pistol still in her hand.

"How can you act so happy?" she spat "I mean, we're holed up in this apartment because of private soldiers and all of a sudden you show up still wearing that vest and that ridiculous mask. Just how do you think this looks?"

Blades took a slightly offended tone "Me? What about you? One second you're pulling this meathead off of me and acting all concerned, the next you got my nuts in a vice. Chill the hell out."

"Not until you tell me what your angle here is. You'll notice my blaster isn't pointed, but it's still out. And considering your line of work, I'm not inclined to soon put it away."

Blades threw up his arms. Well that was disappointing as hell! He had expected a "Hey, how are you?" a big hug and maybe even a kiss on the cheek if she chose to overlook how many species he had slept around with following their last meeting. Not too much to ask for a woman he had trained with and shed blood with back on his home planet. But noooooo! Instead she's gotta come out with the attitude.

Blades shook his head "Fine." he said "I'm not working for those spirit-damned stormtroopers. Shit, they put the Imperial ones to shame."

Illy seemed to tense up for a second as he said this, but then calmed and stared at him intently for a moment. She seemed to study him, her gaze tracing him up and down. Then she stuck her pistol back in the waistband of her cargo pants. Out of nowhere, her mood changed.

"Mani." she said, her expression softened considerably "Go back to the apartment, tell the others I'm going out for a drink."

"What?" Mani exclaimed.

"Yeah, what?" Blades added, now utterly confused "Seriously, that was all it took? And we're going out for drinks in the middle of... this?" He pointed around at all the rubble.

"Yes and yes." Illy answered plainly with a shrug "It's been 17 years after all. We need to catch up. And the cantina's actually the safest place to be." she turned to Mani "Just tell the others not to worry. I'll be back soon."

What happened next made Blades' eyes widen. Just before she left, Illy pulled Mani in and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips collided in a passionate kiss which lasted for a couple seconds. Then as if nothing had happened, Illy started for the exit.

"Shall we?" she asked, failing to respond to the bemused expression on his face.

"Y-yeeeah. We shall."

The two of them walked the short distance to the Lower City cantina, Blades wondering the entire trip over there just what the fuck was in the water down here. He found Kurt and quickly sat down while Illy ordered them a couple of beers.

[Revan Jast]

The battle hardened merc put up his shields as soon as the tough looking woman walked through the door. She was quickly followed by Blades, and Kurt deduced enough from their body language that they were together, so that meant she was somewhat alright. He softened up a tiny as his gun-toting friend wandered over.

"Well, look what the cat brought in," Kurt said, smirking. "How many different fucking drugs did you put her on to get her to walk through those doors with you?"

Kurt sat his flask down and tapped his fingers on the table. "Actually, it looked like you came in here with her, if you get that angle. Which means you're being fucking submissive. I smell some history and a lesson coming right up, cause it looks like she has you by the balls. Just sayin'."

Kurt was slightly and ever so briefly amused by the fact that Blades would be standing down to a woman. Yeah, something was going on. Her posture and gait as she walked had a military look about it, so that meant she was a no-nonsense lady. "Doesn't take much shit from anyone, does she?" he asked aloud to pretty much no one.

[RobbyL9]

"For once Kurt, I think you might actually be onto something." Blades said, taking off his mask "Only I'm pretty sure I'm not the one who gave her the drugs." Blades sighed and laid his face on the table. After a couple seconds, he sat up again and looked offended "And where the fuck you get off calling me a submissive?!"

Clink! Illy set down the foamy, overflowing glasses of beer on the table and pulled up a chair. Blades cautiously pulled his glass towards himself, not taking his eyes off her as she sat down. She sipped some of the head off of her beer and looked at Kurt.

"Oh I'm sorry." she said politely "Blades, aren't you gonna introduce us?"

"Kurt, Illy. Illy, Kurt." Blades responded in a mutter, his look of confusion quickly turning to one of utter frustration "She's my old... friend. Who for the moment is switching moods like a fucking totem pole."

[Revan Jast]

Kurt looked the woman over quickly, then smiled. She didn't seem half bad at first glance, but it'd be better to be safe than sorry. No way was he going to get all warm and cuddly with her.

"Old friend, eh? I saw you walk in," he said to Illy. "You're ex-military, no doubt. And I say ex because of the garb you got on. You still walk like a soldier, though. Anyways, what's the story here, and why the hell did you walk in here with this guy trailing behind you?"

[RobbyL9]

Illy smiled in a very particular way when she heard Kurt's appraisal of her. Good-natured, but with just a hint of deviousness. Blades knew it well.

"First let me explain the situation to you two." she said with a quick sip "As you're no doubt wondering, Blades, I'm here because I signed up for work order."

Illy went on to relay the whole story to the two of them. The work order she signed up for entailed finding technology (droid parts, ship metal, etc.) and acquiring it for transport. However, that plan fell through when Taris degenerated into civil uprising and she and the rest of her team were forced to duck into their apartment and wait things out. Even that didn't work and soon the mercenaries were fighting the swoop gangs just outside their door.

"Therefore, I propose... a little alliance of sorts." she finished "If the two of you aren't working for the government, and yet are decked out to the nines down here, chances are we should be working together if you know what I mean."

Blades finally took a sip of his beer and leaned in. "Just what makes you think you have anything we want? I mean, you're ex-army. I know that personally. But something tells me your present company won't exactly be able to help us out with what we need. I mean, no offense."

The smile re-appeared and she shrugged "Maybe not. But the gang of swoopers I paid protection to can. All this situation requires is the right diversion at the right time and we can all get out of this slum alive."

"All right, then just let me be bold a second here." Blades added quickly "What makes you think we even need your help to get out of here?"

Illy laughed and crossed her arms. "You haven't seen the other side of the door further down, have you? It's a wall of cops. The only way to get out is with my help. Ain't no other way, sweetheart."

Illy quickly swigged down the rest of her beer. She set the empty glass aside and pointed at his still full one "You gonna drink that by the way?"

[Revan Jast]

Kurt shrugged. "Stealth is a specialty of mine... but I don't smell a ruse. Maybe that's just me being blind because you know her, Blades, but her body language suggests she's being honest. What the fuck, let's bite the bait and see what happens."

Pulling his pistol out, he laid it on the table and quietly disassembled it, making sure that the weapon was in perfect order. The clip needed refilling after their fight on the rooftops, so he dipped into his dwindling supply of bullets. "Pow," he whispered, pointing the barrel of the gun at the tabletop. Reassembling the weapon and re-holstering it, he folded his hands and stared at the duo across from him.

"Well then, shall we get it on, as they say?"

[RobbyL9]

Blades rolled his eyes and sucked down as much beer as one mouthful could hold. "Yeah, what the fuck?" he sighed, following a large gulp "I know you well enough to know you'd never personally jerk me around, Illy, so I'm counting on you get these swoopers to come through."

"Just leave that to me." she responded slyly, raising her eyebrows.

They got up from the table and exited the bar. On the way back to the apartment complex, Blades stopped and looked down the street at the door they were told about. It didn't appear to have any kind of armed security or reinforcement to keep the cops from getting through.

"I can hear you thinking, mercenary man." he heard Illy call behind him.

"Oh, sorry. Just wondering why things are so calm inside of this neighborhood if the cops don't seem to have anything stopping them."

"They have plenty blocking them. Or so they think." she explained "That blast door is electronically sealed and locked out from their side. But it's also got a thin welding job to hold it, a head-high row of metal crates serving as a blockade and a garrison of swoopers just as big as the cops have."

Hearing all of this just made Blades shake his head. How stupid could an entire police force get duped into believing that a swoop bike club was capable of organizing all that? Either they had the dumbest ranking officer on scene, or someone was feeding them false information like a pro. It was obvious to Blades which one was true based on his experiences since arriving.

They arrived back at the apartment where Illy was staying. She knocked on the door three times and whispered something in Mon Cal, causing the door to open. They stepped inside and were greeted by several well-built gentlemen holding guns.

One of them had curly black hair and a trimmed beard, another slightly skinnier one was bald and clean shaven. But the third made Blades look up in awe. The man was a veritable Endorian redwood of muscle.

Blades laughed nervously "Hey there. How you, uh, doin' up th- UH, how ya doin'?" He just received a growl in return as the man turned around and walked through the entryway and sat at a couch on the far end of the room.

"That's Marty." Illy explained, looking surprised as though Blade's nose should have been punched into his throat for his little slip-up "The bald one is Zag, the one with the beard is Byte..."

"Short for Terra-byte!" Byte added from across the room with a smile, sitting next to Marty.

"And I believe you've already met this studly thing over here." Illy finished, pointing at Mani and introducing him.

The two of them then shared a lurid look and Illy said she had to make a call and left for the other room, taking Mani by the hand with her. Blades looked disgusted and shut his eyes, turning over toward Kurt and groaning.

"Hey Kurt? You think they're a couple?" he whispered sarcastically "How did I ever end up here? I'm stuck in a shithole of a hovel, unable to advance my position." He sighed "I've never told you about Illy, have I?"

[Revan Jast]

"No, you haven't, but even from silence springs forth waterfalls of words," Kurt said. He made a disgusted face and groaned. "Now I sound like a fucking philosopher. Blow my brains out, please."

He crossed his arms and narrowing his eyes, staring down the armored men across the room. "Don't feel too bad about being stuck in this shithole. After all, I'm stuck down here with you, dealing with some strange fucking swoopers, a punk ass girly man, and the woman who apparently loves him and has a history with with you. Let's start with the history."

Kurt lit a smoke and leaned against the wall, his 'don't fuck with me' scowl up for everyone to see.

[RobbyL9]

Blades leaned next to Kurt on the wall and did his own version of that scowl, looking over at the other men and flipping his mask down. "Right, where do I start?" he muttered. His mind flashed back to almost two decades ago. Basic training at Fort Dunsmere.

"I first met her when I was in Basic. The fort I had been sent to was notorious for housing the worst of the worst. There were rivalries and gambling in the melee combat pit, open displays of fraternization." Blades couldn't help but laugh at how shitty that camp was "Basically, it was my kind of place."

He continued, talking low so that his words could only be picked up by his mask comm and thus heard by Kurt. "Anyways, she arrives along with the rest of us. Only instead of being another abysmal failure, she's following orders and shit. Always up on time, always early to exercises. She made the rest of us look bad."

Blades would have looked particularly amused by what he was about to say if his face wasn't covered. "So I tried workin' my charm, just a few choice words when we were fighting hand to hand. Y'know 'Hey.' 'What's your name?' 'You go all the way?'. Stuff like that. And you know what happened?"

[Revan Jast]

Kurt inhaled deep, smelling and tasting the smoke as he listened to Blades' tale. But as the words reached his ears, the dirt and grime of the Lower City almost shifted the look of this place into some shithole barracks in the bowels of a military fortress. Some wise ass soldiers who thought they knew fuck all about combat and war were across the room, cleaning their weapons. The chatter of the men and women around him was soothing, like the babbling of a brook.

But that wasn't what was important. What was, however, had just walked into the room for her morning spar. Kurt smiled as he imagined what the young Blades had been thinking, or what he had been feeling. It wasn't hard for Kurt to do; he once had felt the same thing about a woman, during a time that seemed so long ago.

"Oh, let me guess. She captivated you and your tough as nails heart, ain't that right?" Kurt finally replied, exhaling the smoke and the illusion with it. "Stole it like a thief in the night."

[RobbyL9]

Blades turned and looked at Kurt, his eyes wide for a second. In no time, his head was knocked back and he was laughing. "Well actually, she kind of kicked my ass." he said after a few seconds "After she embarrassed me in front of my platoon, I had it in for her. And she me, cause I wouldn't stop challenging her in the ring. And whenever I did fight her, it was only to grope her tits and whisper dirty things in her ear before she head-butted me in the teeth."

Blades looked back on those days with a mixture of fondness and sheer and utter pain. Seriously, how could he have been so STUPID as to keep challenging Illy in that pit? Though in retrospect, maybe it was the only way he would have found out what he did.

"Anyway, one day after a big fight in the pit, I went to my barracks bathroom to wash the blood off my face..." Blades stepped away from the wall and set up, motioning with his hands "Turns out I went into the wrong bathroom, but who should I find in there but Illy? She's written the names of every one of the new recruits on a chart in the mirrors with a marker. There's only one thing that could mean..."

Blades shook his head, laughed and sighed "She was a drill sergeant-in-training. I had been groping a woman who was technically my superior."

The door to the other room started opening. "Tell you the rest later." he whispered quickly, flipping the mask up.

Illy stepped out and faced Kurt, crossing her arms. "Tell me Kurt, are you good at hauling stuff around?" she asked him, eying Blades from the corner of her gaze in an almost vaguely suspicious way.