Survival, Dark Times 3

[Rain]

Memah

I laughed. "It's funny you should mention those two. Theya re actually downstairs at the bar." I got up and began to leave the room, "Things just seem to be clicking into place for you today, huh?"

Winter

Dead... they killed her! That son of a bitch actually killed her!

"Oh, that's not good..." I said calmly, even though inside I was screaming in anger anf frustration, "I'm actually on my way back to HQ as we speak. I'll get to it right away."

I abruptly ended the conversation by turning off my comlink. So... the great Sora Trok was now a murderer. He left two kids without their mother. He truly had fallen...

I left my appartment and made my wya to HQ, but I had arranged to meet up with Xandyr Foxx on the way.

"You called me?" He queried as he approached me, once again with his map.

"Yes." I replied, still seething, "I have arranged for Alsia Fel to travel to Coruscant and look into your case. I know you have met he rbefore, and she's more than capable."

"Yeah, she's smart and tough. Hey, thanks again, you didn't have to do this."

I looked at him and paused. "Well... In my opinion I did. I'm serving a monster Xandyr, and although I'm undercover I still feel a moral obligation to stop him, just as I feel morally obligedt o help you and Mara. This is harder than I expected..."

"I know its easy for me to say, but try to stick it out. The others need you." He smiled, "Listen I better get back, but thanks again."

"No problem. And give Mara my congratulations!"

[hk47fan]

Alsia

I smiled lightly, even though I was going back into the thick of danger to confront something I never thought I'd have to face again. Things were clicking into place, though. Maybe I was meant to do it. Meant to say goodbye to Takk once and for all.

I just hope it's as easy as it sounds.

With that, I hurried around. I took a shower, packed a small assortment of clothes, and was ready to go. Now, I just needed to convince Dawn and Dusk to travel to Coruscant with me, and I didn't know them too well. I wasn't sure if it'd be easy or difficult.

I left my room and walked down into the cantina, and Memah was back down there, along with Miss H, Dusk, and Dawn. Miss H was sitting at a table, drinking coffee and looking as lively as ever.

I wish I could handle things as well as these four do. Dawn and Dusk lose a close friend, Miss H loses the biggest job in the Galaxy, and Memah loses her entire bar. Yet they don't go around having nightmares and moping.

"Morning, Alsia," Miss Haltzilakas said kindly.

"Good morning," I told her, turning and walking over to the bar. "Hey, Dawn, Dusk. I know this is sudden, but I kinda need to speak to you two."

Sora

I sighed, knowing that Winter was probabaly displeased with what had just happened, and to an extent, I understood. However, it happened, and that was that. We had to move past it and figure out how to deal with all of this, especially now that our one source of possible info was gone.

I walked to the exit of HQ, but stopped when I saw Solon enter. He didn't look happy, either.

"Sora!" he snapped, approaching me. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I know, I know. I didn't want her to die either." I replied softly, closing my eyes for a moment.

"Who the hell cares about her? Do you know how this will make me look? What will happen to my career?!" Solon asked, scowling. "I just got appointed to the Chief-of-State position and this happens. You need to think more before you act."

Solon, it is pretty obvious you don't have the best image right now.

"Solon, I think we have bigger things to attend to," I told him.

"Yes, you're right, like making ourselves look better to the public. We can't let the people and the Senate think that we're bad leaders, or else we'll all be done for. Your involvement in this will likely get out, so you need to put on a better public image. You may be a known hero, but you know how flaky civillians can be. One wrong move and no one likes you," Solon whispered, scratching his chin in thought. "You need an edge after this. More than anyone, you need something that makes you look decent and good-hearted to the people we lead."

"And how might I get that?" I inquired, not quite following him.

Solon took a deep breath, and finally spoke again after a moment. "You need a family."

[Revan Jast]

Dawn turned as Alsia approached them. "Sorry, I don't think we've gotten the first shipment of drinks yet," Dawn said in a monotone, thus rendering any discernible emotion in his voice completely null. He crossed his arms and looked down at the human female. "Unless you're not here for drinks?"

----------

Kurt shook his head. "Never met him. I was hired directly by a man named Xizor. The kind of guy you don't fuck with. Except for me, that is. I fuck with anyone. The pay was good, but it's not about the pay. it's about the hunt. The thrill of the kill, as they say. You do it for money? A shame."

Kurt didn't mind the downpour one bit. In fact, it helped by masking their scent and hid them behind a sheet of water. "I got tired of money a good while back. We both know this job can get you rich quick if you've got the skills. Money is ok, but there's more to life than money. Women are great, money will get you any woman you want. Money will get you a mansion. Money will get you sex. Money will get you just about anything except for two things: true love and the thrill of the hunt. Those things only come to those who seek them."

[RobbyL9]

Xizor. Xizor. The name rang in Blades' head, but he couldn't remember the exact origin of it. All he could remember was that it was important. "No shit? I hear he's a pretty big name. But in my opinion any rich guy is only as good as the mercs he hired to get there."

He continued to listen to Kurt's wisdom-laced words about the hunt. But as much as he enjoyed shooting things, there was more to being a merc than "work, work, work all the time" in his opinion.

"You're right about money buying all that. If I didn't have money, I couldn't have payed for my ink, my guns or my *ahem* health insurance..." he pointed to several capsules of liquid in his vest next to an auto injector. "But that's the thing, doing what I do best is what got me here. And trust me man, you don't need money to get girls. Of ANY species! I can't count on four hands how many different types of humanoids have kept me company."

Blades chuckled briefly at the many private memories, then cleared his throat and went on.

"I guess the point I'm trying to make is, we mercs have a real tiresome job. We get 'the hunt' all the time, we can't be workaholics. We just gotta relax and let loose. Money's what matters cause it gives a good time. And true love, bro, is an illusion of a lurid mind. Learned that long ago."

[Revan Jast]

Kurt nodded. "I see your point. My idea of a good time, though... would be something like shooting those two guards up there on that wall," he said, pointing to the stronghold, where the two (lightly) armed men were pacing back and forth. "They're patrolling right now. Watch them and wait... when there's a lull in their activity, we'll strike."

Kurt dropped to a crouch and raised his rifle, ready to fire. "The one on the left is mine. He strikes me as bored. He wants to go inside, get some dinner, chat it up with the guys. Last thing he'll eat is this bullet. Sucks to be him."

[RobbyL9]

Blades smiled and flipped down his mask "I got the one on the right. But I don't have a fancy theatrical speech to describe him, sadly." He let his assault rifle hang from the strap in front of him and retrieved Rose from his back. The image of the half-naked Mirialan woman on the rifle's stock made him chuckle ever so slightly as he remembered the girl it was based on.

He adjusted the scope to 10x to get a good view of the other guy's head. The two guards walked the walls as normal, Blades all the while keeping the white dot firmly fixed on the brain base of his target. Just as predicted, the two guards stopped momentarily at a patrol point to talk. Perfect chance.

Breathe in, breathe out. "On my count. Three. Two..." Blades tensed his finger and exhaled "One."

[Revan Jast]

The two fired as one, no rehearsal was needed. The guards themselves never uttered a sound as their heads exploded; they just dropped like a sack of kinrath eggs.

"Well done," Kurt said, grinning. He put the rifle on his back and stood. "I may have mistook your skills as less than I expected. Consider me impressed to be working with you, at least temporarily."

[hk47fan]

Alsia

"Dawn, don't be so blunt," Dusk said with a chuckle. She looked back to me. "What do you need, Alsia?"

"Uh, well, I know that you guys just finished saving us from the desert of Tattooine, but you two are some of the best, and anyone else around here I'd be hesitant to ask this favor," I began slowly. "I was wondering if you could come back to Coruscant with me."

Dusk's jaw dropped. "Go back to Coruscant? Why?"

Miss H looked at me from her table curiously as well.

"I got a call from Winter," I explained to the three. "Someone needs some help back on Coruscant: Xandyrr Foxx, an ex-Jedi. He's in trouble, but Winter is so swamped right now that she can't handle it herself, and she doesn't want CoruSec to get involved. So she wanted me to help him, and I took the job."

"Alsia, that's noble, but are you really sure that's the best idea?" Miss Haltzilakas asked. "It's very dangerous to go back to Coruscant."

"I know, Miss H, I know," I answered. "However, I have to go back there. To help him, and also, I..."

I paused, feeling practically embarrassed to say it outloud.

"What is it?" Dusk asked.

"I need to get closure on Takk's death. All of you knew him, and probably remember his death quite well. I thought I was over it, but I'm having all these dreams lately, and I think I just need to put it behind me once and for all. Helping with this case will let me re-visit his death site, and close that chapter of my life once and for all," I continued. "It sounds corny, but its true."

Miss H nodded. "You should do what you think is right. If that will help you, then do it," she encouraged gently.

"Thanks," I said.

"And as for us," Dusk said, motioning to Dawn. "I don't see why we couldn't. We did just get back from a mission, but we're cyborgs. We aren't built to get tired. What do you say, Dawn?"

[RobbyL9]

Blades let down his rifle and pumped his fist. "Yes!" he whispered sharply. On pure instinct he reached over and slapped Kurt on the butt like a teammate on his high school team. "Hah! Oop, sorry. Great shot, bro!" he laughed heartily and held out his hand for a gangsta whap "C'mon, gimme some some. Perfectly synced shots, now that deserves some dap."

He looked at Kurt and stayed in that same bromance-ready position waiting for some kind of response.

[Revan Jast]

Kurt looked over at him and narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what the hell you're on, but the only good thing you got out of it was some decent aim. Just don't overdose on it."

Kurt trotted to the edge of the stronghold and began to follow the wall towards to nearest door. "I trust you came equipped with your own satchel charges?"

--------

Dawn shrugged a bit. "I'm up for it. When do we leave?"

[RobbyL9]

Unbelievable. A mercenary who didn't know how to give dap! This guy must have actually meant all that crap he said about the thrill of the hunt. Blades reached into a pack on his cargo pants and a bag strapped to his left leg "Hell yeah. Pyromaniac's best friend." Blades said retrieving the necessary parts "Of course we may be able to use these for an even bigger bang later."

He knelt down and wired the door with a directional charge. On purpose, he placed just a little bit more plastic than was necessary. Blades signaled to Kurt and retreated to the side of the door, his finger ready to press the button.

[Revan Jast]

Kurt took his spot and got his rifle ready, switching to fully auto. he checked the mag one last time to make sure it was full, then nodded.

"Their world doesn't end with a whimper, my friend. It goes with a-"

[hk47fan]

Alsia

"Not sure, but Winter's going to get back to me, and she'll send a ship to pick us up and get us in to Coruscant undetected. Then we'll just go from there, I guess, and try to help this guy," I told the pair.

"Good luck," Miss H told us.

I nodded in gratitude.

"Well, things just never stop, do they?" Dusk commented with a snort.

"Yeah, they really don't," I answered, shaking my head.

[RobbyL9]

BANG! The door flew off its hinges into the room, hitting the only poor bastard unlucky enough to be present and crushing his chest. The actual explosive force knocked the table in the room into the wall and smashed it into a million pieces. Blades poked his rifle in the door and followed it in.

Just as he entered, the door to his left flew open "What in the hell is goi- OH F-!" the pirate yelled before being pumped full of bolts. "Room's clear! In!" Blades yelled, suddenly aware of the plan he and Sticks had set. Two pings, huh? Well, one explosion and a round of gunfire, close enough.

[Revan Jast]

Kurt rounded the corner and trotted in after Blades, watching as he swiftly cut down the unfortunate guard. "Good work," Kurt said. He suddenly aimed behind and above him and pulled the trigger twice, firing two short bursts. The man on the balcony above crashed to the floor.

"Keep eyes in the back of your head," Kurt said, looking at the dead body. "I'm surprised there's no more than two guards here." He looked at the remains of the door. "Or rather... three guards."