A friend in need

[Soolin Anjhurin]

[A small bar and grill on Tatooine]

:: Soolin sat across from Vishan in a booth that was across from the kitchen, which unfortuantley allowed her to hear the conversations shouted from within. ::

"hey, this isn't rabbit, it's squirrel!!!" cried a waitress.

:: the chef took the plate, chopped of the tail and handed it back to her ::

"Now it's rabbit." he retorted, waving her out of the kitchen.

:: Soolin gave Vishan a dubious look ::

"Are you sure this is where your friend told you to meet him?"

[Vishan Korogoth]

Vishan smiled rather sheepishly at his companion. "Well, yeah. Ah know we're deep out in th' desert, bu' he said it would be safer out 'ere."

Another loud chop was heard, followed by a squeal of something, then a thunk of a meat cleaver being set into a cutting board.

He frowned, disgusted by the death shrill of the dead animal. "Course, Ah'll haveta beat 'em for makin' us come 'ere."

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: She gazed at the orange colored water in her glass without drinking it, then scanned the establishment as a man walked in ::

[Vishan Korogoth]

Vishan followed his Master's gaze and shook his head. It was some middle-aged farmer that walked in, not the guy they were looking for. Boone was a squirrelly sort of man with beady little eyes and poofy blonde hair. No matter how filthy he managed to get or how raggedy his clothes were, Boone somehow always had perfect hair. It was his gift.

"Not him, Soolin." He looked down into his coffee mug and frowned with his nostril flaring out. On a whim, he picked up the mug and tipped it upside down. Nothing came out. He cringed and shivered, appalled at the black sludge. He swore he ordered coffee! "Tha' is ... is so wrong."

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Sorsha waves off the waitress as she approaches and wrinkles her nose at the sludge that finally plops out onto the table ::

"If it moves, shoot it."

[Vishan Korogoth]

He pulled out his blaster as soon as it started wiggling, "Ah wonder if it speaks."

"Hey, hey!" It was Boone. Vishan recognized his grainy, and highly annoying, voice. He sauntered up to the table like he owned the place and leaned over the science experiment that was dancing on the table. "Um, I guess ya learned to not order the coffee around here, eh Vish?"

Boone laughed and slapped Vishan on the shoulder before his eyes took note of Soolin. "Oooo, and what do we have here?" His grin was greasy and full of innuendo. So much so that it infuriated Vishan. Soolin might be his Jedi Master but he was overly protective of her to a fault.

"Shaddup ya idiot," he said while pulling Boone down by the collar.

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Vishan could almost read Soolin's thoughts from the expression on her face. 'No, this can't be who we've been waiting for. It's the farmer. Yes the quiet man over there. Let's help him' ::

[Vishan Korogoth]

He cringed and held up his hands slightly in an apologetic manner with his best innocent Vishan look.

"So," he had to break the silence before Boone said something stupid, "This is Boone. Boone, this is my partner Soolin."

Vishan noticed a smug look growing on Boone's face and slapped him upside his perfect little head. "Dun even t'ink about it."

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: She looks at Boone with cool blue-grey eyes ::

"Vishan tells me you're in some kind of trouble."

[Vishan Korogoth]

Boone glared at Vishan, rubbing at the back of his head, "Yeah. I gots some trouble."

Vishan waved his hand, encouraging Boone to continue.

"Ya see," Boone hunched over the table and whispered, "I know this gonna sound crazy and well, Vish was in the system, why I called and damn, if I knew he had some fine backup I woulda called sooner.."

"Look man," Vishan cut in and tapped Boone's head with the barrel of his pistol, "Ah told ya ta knock it off wit tha'." Then he holstered his weapon with an impatient sigh. "Bad enough ya told us ta come 'ere, bu' dancin' around words ain't helpin'. Git ta th' point."

"Okay, okay," he held out his hands in defense and then lowered his head, still speaking quietly. "I gotta Hutt problem."

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Just by the look of Boone, Soolin knew it had to be something shady, and far bigger than a hang nail. She was right ::

"Does this Hutt have a name?"

[Vishan Korogoth]

"Don't they all?" Came the incredulous response. "Yurga. I kinda owe him money cuz the frelling Imps took my cargo. I'm being the fall guy cuz the smuggler I hired bailed on me."

He sighed and Vishan glared at Boone with a smug look, "We don't 'ave any money ta give ya. Wha's really going on tha' ya called me?"

Vishan had an odd friendship with Boone. Back in the day, when Vishan was still Imperial, he was a valuable source of information. People like Boone were overlooked and heard things, and the information was usually free if ol' Vish would ask. Boone also had a good ear, especially when tragedy struck the Korogoth's. As much as he tried to interfere with Vishan's self destructive behavior, he made sure to get every drug, alcohol and woman himself so that Vishan wouldn't get himself killed.

Didn't change the fact that Boone was still a complete moron with big eyes and a little brain.

"Well, ya see. I gotta a lot of debt." Vishan shook his head. "And well, Yurga don't like the fact I ain't paid anything so." Boone fished into one of his pockets and threw a datapad on the table. There was a mug shot of Boone and 250,000 credit reward for him dead. There was no mention of Yurga wanting him alive.

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: She looks at Boone rather intensley ::

"You don't think you were followed here, were you?"

[Vishan Korogoth]

Boone covered his chest with his hands and looked at Soolin with complete innocence, "You'd honestly think that I'd let myself be followed here?"

He sighed, "I'm hurt. Really. Vishan, C'mon. I told ya to meet me here so there would be no trouble. Right?"

Vishan noticed that both Soolin and Boone were looking at him for an opinion. He held up his hands in defense, "Whoa. Hey ..."

Just over his Master's shoulder he noticed a pair of Tragins enter the tavern and they were intently looking around for someone. "Get down."

"Huh," Boone poked his head up higher to see what the fuss was about.

"Ah said down!" Vishan shoved Boone's head onto the table but it was too late. The two aliens got enough of a glimpse that they were heading towards their table. Not only that, they were pulling weapons out. "Dren!"

He gave Soolin that look he always did when things weren't going to plan and about to head into the insane. Eyebrows raised in apology, he kicked over the table, threw Boone on the floor while pulling out his blaster, "Frelling, idiot." And open fired, causing the aliens to scatter along with the rest of the patrons.

[Tragin Mercenaries]

:: Six Tragins total crashed the bar and grill, snarling as they returned fire on Vishan and swatting patrons aside ::

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Soolin activates her sabre, deflecting pulse blaster bolts to cover Vishan and Boone ::

"GET OUT!!!"

:: She pointed at the kitchen with her free hand, then dodged the increased fire as she rolled to the floor ::

[Vishan Korogoth]

"C'mon!" He grabbed Boone by the collar and half dragged the man across the floor, occasionally shooting behind him to help out Soolin with some cover fire of his own.

He tossed Boone into the kitchen and the scoundrel rolled to a stop near one of the electric ovens. He poked his head over it with a frying pan. "I SWEAR I DIDN'T KNOW!!!"

Vishan was pressed against the wall, looking out for Soolin. He saw his Master crawling along the floor but was being pinned down by the Tragins barrage of blaster fire. He pulled out his other blaster and pointed it at Boone, “Ah don’t care, bu’ cuz of you, Soolin’s in trouble.”

He appeared in the doorway and started firing like a madman at the Tragins. “SOOLIN! C’MON!”

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Soolin leaped upwards, than landed in a perfect roll as she caught up to Vishan and Boone. through the kitchen was the back exit. She hoped it was clear as she pointed in that direction ::

[Tragin Mercenaries]

The enterance to the Kitchen was pretty much single file but the Targins where not stupid they had been at this hunting game for a long time. One of the targins stuck a sticky gernade to the wall next to the door. and tooka twenty foot step and let it fly.

BOOM

The blast knocked dust and smoke all over the kitchen as the six Targins rushed in Blasters ablazing through the dust cloud. The visablity was now severally decreased In the small bar.

[Vishan Korogoth]

Vishan hacked and coughed his way to the back of the kitchen; kicking Boone along the way, "Move faster will ya??? They're gainin' on us!!!"

He really didn't want to find out if the backdoor was locked. Visibility was limited right now, but thankfully he spied the door before the place went to hell. It took three shots to get it right because the cooks were running around in a panic, but the door did give way.

Boone, the coward that he was, dove out first and Vishan waited just inside the kitchen and pulled out his other pistol. "Hurry Soolin!!"

A barrage of suppression fire came to cover his Master escape.

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Soolin makes a dive for the exit, narrowly missing getting the top of her head blown of as the Tragins give hot pursuit ::

[Tragin Mercenaries]

The cover fire came in from Vishan and bounced off of the armor of one the Tragins. He didn't seem to notice as the group began to split into two groups. One was giving the other group its own return cover fire as the other three proceeded forward in Vishans direction. The visibility was low but the goggles they where wearing protected there eyes from the dust.

"Hand over the bounty or your heads will be are property as well."

[Vishan Korogoth]

Everyone was out. Except for Vishan, which suited him just fine. "Get 'em th' hell outta 'ere Soolin! Ah'll keep em busy!"

He slapped another round into his blaster and powered them up as he gave his Master a reassuring wink. "Trust me." Boone was reluctantly dragged off by Soolin and just in time, the Tragin's were ready to rumble.

"Hand over the bounty or your heads will be are property as well."

"Eh?" The Jedi looked at the Tragin baffled and pointed at his chest in disappointment. "Ya mean ya don't want it anyway? Ah'm truly hurt."

Quickly, he opened fired on the ovens and half jumped, half blowned out of the building when the kitchen exploded.

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Soolin looked at Boone quickly as she scanned the surroundings ::

"What exactly haven't you told us, hmmm? Six Tragins for someone like you ..."

:: She pulled him down as a fireburst exploded over their heads. Another ship was in the air, and targeting them ::

[Vishan Korogoth]

"WHAT??!! I TOLDJA ALL I KNOW!! OW!!!" Soolin yanked him so hard onto the ground he could have sworn his arm was dislocated. "What is your damage??"

Then he spied the blastboat looming overhead, "Um. Uh oh."

Under the cover of fire and smoke, Vishan crawled to his feet, hacking up a storm from inhaling his handiwork. His eyes were burning as well and it took a lot for him to spot Soolin in his haze. Boone was with her and his good friend was ghost white and staring up at the sky.

"Aw frell," Even with his hazy vision, he saw the ship and unclipped a grenade. Vishan was glad he trusted his instincts a brought a couple incase of an emergency. Yeah, he assured his Master that there would be no trouble but he just said that to get her to come along willingly.

"HEY SOOLIN!!" He tossed it in her general direction. No way was he going to activate and aim the grenade at the blastboat with his lack of sight. Bad enough his plan got him blown up once; Vishan really didn't want to go for a second time.

[Tragin Mercenaries]

Three of the tragins stood up from the smoking rumble. They didn't even seem to care that there other three companions where dead. One of the three left activated a switch on its arm band which activated there ship. There ship began to fire upon there pray.

The three left heard Vishans voice in front of them and began to take aiming his direction. But one held up his hand for the rest to hold there fire as he took a thermal detonator from his belt. He armed it and tossed it in Vishans direction. It rolled out of the fire and land right in front of vishans feet.

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Soolin catches the grenade and narrows her eyes at Boone before pulling the pin ::

"Do you lie?"

:: She eyes the skipray swooping around for another strafe and utters something in archiac speech before hurling the grenade. At best, it would temporarily blind the pilot ::

[Vishan Korogoth]

"NO!!" Boone slinked away, looking for any means to escape. Only to cower behind Soolin's leg as the grenade went off, "Well, there was a death involved. But I swear it wasn't my fault!!!"

Vishan heard a thud land in front of his feet and then a beeping noise. "Aw, frell."

He was in immediate danger. There was little time to react and recalled the lessons of Soolin.

Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them

By the sounds of the blaster fire, he was able to determine the location of the blast boat and picked up the thermal detonator, screaming, "GET OUTTA 'HERE!!!"

If the Force wasn't with him, Vishan was as sure as dead as he threw the detonator at the ship.

[Tragin Mercenaries]

The first explosion half blinded the pilot of the ship then the second explosion from the thermal made him have to change course. The pilot dang near hit a building in change course but managed to swing around it. He tried to get his wits back before he would attempt another pass.

As for the three soldiers on the ground they heard vish's yell and then heard the explosions near there ship. The three began to open fire and move in vishan's direction. They where thirsty for there marks and nothing short of death would stop them.

[Soolin Anjhurin]

:: Soolin spies a nearby landspeeder and sets in motion with telekineses. It builds up speed, and plows though the advancing Tragins like a missle ::

[Vishan Korogoth]

He heard the explosion and was still alive. That was one thing in his favor. The second thing was his vision was starting to clear up, and in good timing. The speeder that Soolin threw at the Tragin's whizzed past him so fast, and so closely, that it scared the hell out of him.

"GAH!!" He brought his left limbs up in reflex and glared at his Master, "A little closer why dontcha!!!"