Recalling the Guild: Aurelias

[Darven]

The meeting with Ecks (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18888) was going to be later this night, and he'd arrived on Bespin earlier than expected, so he decided to make good on his intention of asking around for Aurelias Kazaar. Leaving the Sarang locked up in its assigned bay, the Mandalorian made his way through the busy corridors of Cloud City. Outside the transparisteel windows the sky was turning red in the early evening light, and for a moment he thought how nice it actually looked. It had been a while since he bothered to notice the things happening around him.

It was a welcome thought, especially in this city. Something about Cloud City always reminded him of the stilt cities on Kamino, minus the water. And the thunderstorms. Whenever he found himself walking alone around a corner, he half expected one of those long-necked, grey-skinned freaks to show up; it usually didn't do much to improve his mood.

With his thoughts thus occupied, he finally walked into the Cloud 9 bar & grill. It might be good to have something decent to eat every once in a while - and there was always the chance he might bump into someone he knew, who might themselves know the one he was looking for.

He sat down in an empty booth, removed his helmet, and scanned the menu.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"You gotta be frackin' kidding me!" A loud voice came through th'crowd as Darven turned his head towards th'source. Had t'be Kazaar.

He was standin' by th'entrance inna grey coat, tank top, dark pants, and boots, currently glarin' blaster bolts at a protocol droid, who acted as some kinda host. "Last time I was 'ere..." Kazaar blustered. "Ya told me Mu set up a non-smokin' section. Now th'entire bar's non-smoking again? What th'hell is wrong with ya people and where th'frack is Spenny!?! I'm gonna wring that guy's neck!"

"I'm sorry sir but Master Spendrim is currently unavailable." If th'droid had th'ability t'make facial expressions he probably woulda been both annoyed and embarrassed. Not a ton o'people complained 'bout th'non-smokin' rule, but there tended t'be one or two who expressed their...displeasure.

Just happened t'be Aurelias Kazaar, bounty hunter (when he chose t'take 'em) and deep cover Rebel spy, who was expressin' his displeasure. And the droid had been in Cloud 9 the last time (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=220917&postcount=17) Kazaar expressed his 'displeasure'.

"The rules are quite clear, sir. There is to be no smoking in Cloud 9. If you wish to take it up with management, you can leave a comment and I will deliver it to Master Spendrim or Mistress Satach whenever they return. I believe Master Spendrim should be back by the--"

"Yeh yeh." Kazaar gave 'nother dark glare and brushed past th'droid. He wasn't interested in bein' placated right now. And t'think he was in a frackin' good mood before he got there. 'Course it helped he'd gotten t'spend time (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=288039&postcount=66) with a certain Cizerack detective, who was a firecracker in more ways than one. He'd been planning t'hit up Dantooine a couple days later, but gotten delayed 'cause of a busted motivator. 'Least he'd been near Bespin when it happened. Hate t'be stranded anywhere else in th'Noad System without a lifeline.

He sauntered up t'the bar. "Gimme a shot anna brew. And keep 'em comin'. Ya still serve alcohol in this place right? Spenny hasn't made that illegal yet has he?"

[Darven]

'What an odd coincidence,' Darven thought to himself. She would probably have said something about fate, or the Force, and in this instance he might actually have agreed.

Of course, this was making things a lot easier. Now he'd just have to walk over and talk to the man himself.

The Mando bountyhunter didn't get up, yet, however. For a while he was content sitting there and watching the other from his booth. Something of a grin came to him at overhearing Kazaar's annoyance about the non-smoking rules: he well remembered the other hunter's fondness for cigars.

Once Kazaar had found some space to plump himself down at the bar, Darven put his helmet back on, abandoned his own booth and walked over to him. He sat down on the swivelchair next to the sour-looking man, and turned to address him, "Still getting into trouble over a smoke, Kazaar?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"It ain't my frackin' fault th'entire galaxy is up in arms over tobacco." Kazaar knocked back one o'his shots, then took a sip o'beer. "Swear, ya don't see people get all up in arms too much over spice, so why th'hell do they go after what I like? 'Next thing ya know they'll go after alcohol."

Kazaar gave a dirty smirk, took 'nother sip of beer, and turned towards Darven. "How's huntin'?"

[Darven]

"It's called a diversion tactic, Kazaar. Give them something to hate, and they won't be too concerned about what else is happening in the universe."

He wasn't a big fan of smoking, himself, but it'd never bothered him any. Alcohol wasn't his thing, either; like his sarge, he'd taken up chewing ruik root and stuck to it. The only one ever complaining about that had been her, because she said she couldn't take the sound of his incessant chewing.

He wondered if Kazaar had recognised him. It had been years since their last encounter.

"Hunting is as it is. Seen better days. As I'm sure you're aware of."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Look pal." Kazaar gave a sidelong look towards Darven. Somethin' fishy 'bout this guy and not just 'cause Kazaar thought he'd heard th'voice before. "If ya think I gotta 'in' wit' Gorgja 'cause I worked for 'im forra while, ya been hittin' th'spice too frackin' much. Gorgja and I ain't talkin' too much these days an' there're 'nough dikuts who think just 'cause they themselves a set o'Mandalorian frackin' armor they can go start grabbin' a buncha high-end bounties."

Darven started t'wonder if th'smirk Kazaar gave 'im was tattooed on're if he spent hours looking atta mirror practicin'. Probably both. "Ain't how th'universe operates. Go talk t'someone else if ya wanna grab o'bounty."

[Darven]

That answered that question.

His hands going to his helmet, Darven undid the clasps holding it in place and pulled it off his head. The face thus revealed was ashen, almost gray-skinned from lack of direct sunlight; a vivid scar ran vertically down its right side from jaw to forehead, indented where the eye socket was. Deep lines were etched into the forehead, and crow's feet ran from the corner of the eyes towards the hairline. They hadn't been there the last time they'd met - neither had the scar.

Advancing age hadn't been graceful to the former commando; he'd refused the cure that some of his brothers had found to stop the age acceleration. His skin was thin and mottled in places, and if someone had stood him right next to Jango Fett - if the man that had been his genetic template hadn't been dead these 28 years - they would have found little alike. Right now he looked older than Kazaar himself, but he hoped there was still something for the other man to recognise.

His brown eyes bore into Kazaar's with a look that held no mirth. "It's been a while, hasn't it, ori'vod? The universe is getting to be a bit too small for you to go running around insulting dikuts in Mando armor - if you don't watch it, ash'tuur gar ven korshuk lo'shebs'ul narit!"

He wasn't sure how much Kazaar still remembered of that language, but the grin that had appeared on his own face during his last words was enough to take the bite out of it.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Ain't my fault most guys wearin' Mandy armor are frackin' morons." Kazaar smirked again and took a drink. He hadn't spoken Mando'a forra while, outside o'the occasional phrase, but he still remembered th'language. "Me'vaar ti gar, Darven. Ya look like ya been through Hell."

Kazaar motioned to th'serving droid t'get th'Mandalorian a drink. "You onna job're just enjoying th'scenery?"

[Darven]

"Ru haa'tayli jate'shya tuure, ner'vod. And old age doesn't suit me all that well."

Proper Mando conduct demanded to offer condolences to Kazaar about Ashley, his deceased ex-partner; but since loosing his own Darven was a bit hesitant to do that, at least until he'd talked to the man for a while. Kazaar might not appreciate having her name dredged up from the past. So he just stayed silent for a moment and hoped the other wouldn't notice.

Then he nodded a thanks at the other bountyhunter for his drink. "As for your question: neither. I actually came here hoping to find someone who would lead me to you. Didn't expect you to find me first."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Another chuckle. "Ya'd be surprised how much just kinda 'happens' 'round this frackin' galaxy. Didn't expect t'see ya again, m'self. Thought ya were headed t'Mandy space or somethin' like that." He tooka another drink. "So what'cha lookin' for? I figured ya ex-clone commandos were all badasses anyway. Didn't need to much help on jobs."

[Darven]

Darven slowly shook his head. "No use going back to Manda'yaim. Might as well return to the days of the Suprema. Shysa sacrificed himself for nothing."

He hadn't been back there for a long time. Trying not to think of it he took a sip of the black ale the droid had brought him. Netra gal...

It took effort pushing away the thoughts he didn't want to have, and since meeting her again recently, it had only become harder to do so. But now wasn't the time to wallow in his personal tragedy.

"We're reforming the Guild," he finally said, without further ado, and looked at Kazaar, curious for his reaction.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"What th'bounty hunter's guild?" Kazaar raised o'black eyebrow, wishin' he could puff on his cigar. "Ya wouldn't be th'first one. I sent Shavsta some creds back after that damn war they had. Tryin' t'get th'guild up'n running 'gain.

"There're reason ya want that t'happen? Outside o'making it easier f'clients t'get a hold o'us."

[Darven]

"Not so much the clients - but too much riff-raff trying to get a nose into the business. With no guild to hold them to a code, they're bad news for us all."

He hadn't known that Kazaar had tried to help get the old guild operational again before. It was welcome news, for how likely was it that he might be willing to back it this time, too?

"Look, whether you were working for Gorgja or for whomever else lately, it doesn't seem like the situation's affected you, but we've all had to deal with bounties that are worth osik, and clients with no more respect for what we do. Most of the high-paying bounties already aren't taken by us - the Empire's saving credits by sending the Inquisitors after those."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar gave a sideways smile. "Even those spooks can't go everywhere. Hell, I frackin' know they can't."

He snorted. "Ya seriously ain't thinking 'bout goin' through with this are ya? Politics killed th'guild before and Kad knows it's gonna do it 'gain."

[Darven]

At the thought of the inquisitors Darven had to shudder involuntarily. He mumbled, "If you ask me, they're no better than demagolka."

Taking another sip to wash away the feeling of unease, he then replied to Kazaar: "Not just thinking anymore. Ever heard of Ecks, the Falleen bountyhunter who brought in the s'Ilancy woman?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar'd heard o'Ecks. Tough, smart, good with o'blaster. Guy knew his stuff. "Take it you're meetin' with 'im?" He got a nod in return. "Not a bad choice. 'Course, he ain't th'only one who's taken down FUers. They can only do too much." He gave a knowin' smirk.

"How ya gonna set it up? Like it used t'be or gonna do it 'nother way?"

[Darven]

That comment made him pause, the implied meaning not lost on him. Hadn't Kazaar's partner been a FU herself? Like his own partner had been? Nya had told him that she had detected the skill in the other woman, and thought that Ashley had seen the same in her, so... had she told Kazaar?

For that matter, how had Ashley died? He knew of her death, but not the details. Had Kazaar...? The man was a loose cannon, but surely he wouldn't have turned in his own partner... would he? For that matter, what had Kazaar been doing since he'd left Gorgja's employ? Who was to know whether he wasn't a pawn of the Inquisitoriate, or even an inquisitor himself?

At that moment he wished he was wearing his HUD so he could run a quick check on the details of her death. His expression didn't lose any of its friendliness - he was well trained to maintain a facade. Under the surface, however, the implications stirred up thoughts he couldn't stop, and to which he seemed helplessly exposed. Thinking of her, and her safety, had been paramount for almost half of his life, so faced with this possible threat, his paranoia went into overdrive.

Had he done the wrong thing by meeting Kazaar? He'd made the other bountyhunter aware of his existence again today, and that might inevitably lead to him remembering the woman who had been with him at their first meeting. The woman whom his own partner might have outed as a FU.

Making an effort to appear normal, he replied to the other man's question, shrugging at the same time. "That's up to see. I'm meeting Ecks later tonight, I'll discuss the details with him."

After a short pause in which the other didn't say anything, Darven added: "I'm going to ask him to lead it. With me as his second."

He wondered if he shouldn't just come out with it and ask him about Ashley, and see his reaction. But that stood the risk of reminding him of their last meeting, if he hadn't done so yet by himself; and that was a path into danger.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Darven did a helluva good job at pitchin' the idea. 'Course th'problem was it might interfere with Kazaar's Rebel activities. One reason why he was happy t'be 'semi-retired'. Kept people from askin' too many questions 'bout what he was doin' in his spare time. Why being 'th'Kid's' driver worked so well too. No one tended t'ask questions 'bout it. At th'same time, bein' a part o'the guild presented even more opportunities t'keep his cover, 'specially when there was down town between assignments.

Kazaar looked Darven in th'eyes. "Ya want me in? What th'hell, been a while since there was a guild worth it's spit anyway." He smirked and raised a glass o'bourbon (th'first time Darven noticed Kazaar was on his fourth and didn't even seem t'be feelin' it). "Just don't expect me t'bring cookies'n lemonade t'meetings."

[Darven]

Darven watched him down his fourth shot of bourbon, and hesitated.

Did he want Kazaar in the guild?

A few moments earlier it had been the very reason he'd wanted to meet him, so it should have been obvious, but now...? Too many unanswered questions about the man.

Rangir! He couldn't just let the man into the guild without having at least some answers! Maybe he should have stuck to proper Mando rules of conduct after all.

So, instead of giving the other man a straight answer to his question, he said: "I was sorry to hear about Ashley. Losing a partner is a terrible thing."

He stared right back at him, watching every move Kazaar's, searching for something that would tell him more.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Darven didn't need t'see very much. Kazaar's eyes narrowed as he stared into his beer glass. "No dame deserves t'die like that. All strung up'n cut out." His right hand tightened into a fist. "If I ever catch th'frackin' Force-damned bastard who did that, there ain't gonna be 'nough left o'him t'find."

There was silence forra bit. "Thought it was Crei forra while, that Albino bastard's got a helluva lot t'answer for." He didn't bother explaining 'bout Adelaide and Bren. Wasn't th'type t'do that sorta thing. 'Least not t'Darven. Good guy'n all, but not someone Kazaar was gonna share 'is inner feelings with. Darven'd understand. Nothin' personal, just how he was. "But've never proven it. And Crei's th'kinda guy t'let people know when he's done somethin'. Never admitted t'takin' part in 'er death."

Kazaar's look turned even darker. "That wound'll probably never get healed till I find whoever did it. And do t'them what they did t'her."

[Darven]

The emotions Kazaar was expressing looked genuine. At least it looked like that. Actually, Kazaar sounded much like he himself did, sometimes. So maybe he had nothing to do with his partner's death.

Otherwise he really was a consumate actor.

It seemed the other man was feeling chatty. So Darven plowed on: "So what have you been doing with yourself since then?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"What ya want m'fracking life story?" Th'expression Kazaar gave was more smile than smirk. "Drifted 'round from here t'there, takin' bounties where I could. By th'time Gorgja'n I parted ways, I'd saved up some creds. 'Nough t'least keep myself from needin' work.

"What've you been up to, Darven? Where's that sidekick of yours?"

[Darven]

The alarm bells in his head were shrilling. He tried to tell himself that this could, after all, just be idle curiosity on Kazaar's part, but that seemed a little too simple.

But he had chosen to take this path; he could have kept quiet about Ashley, then Kazaar might not have remembered Nya. Now it was too late to undo it: he would have to turn that mistake into something of value. He would have to offer more information and see what he would get in return.

Eyeing the other man's hands he tried to spot signs of his increased alcohol intake. In the time they'd sat there, Kazaar had had quite a few drinks. But the man's hands were steady; gripping a glass, but steady.

Darven wondered how fast he could pull his blaster on Kazaar before the other man had a chance to react.

Trying not to let his voice reflect his thinking, he said in a voice that was nevertheless not as steady as he would have liked it: "She's... out there. We had a fi... a falling-out, I s'pose."

And quite without thinking about it, he raised a hand to his forehead and felt along the thin line of the scar above his right eye; scar to the wound that had been her gift to him, her punishment. His souvenir from the road to haran he'd stepped on 25 years ago, on the night he'd killed her father and his own brothers.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Gotcha." Was all Kazaar responded. What else more was there t'say? Th'emotional holes he had from Ash's death, Adelaide's decision t'leave, and Kazaar's own decision t'not repursue a relationship (plus th'death o'Bren), weren't all healed. Delly'd done a lot t'help before she left and th'Kid was helpin', if she knew it or not, but they weren't healed. And f'all Kazaar knew, they never would.

"Sounds like ya've had a helluva full life, Darvey." He smirked and stuck a cigar in his mouth, just t'have a taste o'tobacco (even unlit). "Ever think ya'd be the one trying t'put th'guild back together?"

[Darven]

It was possible, after all, that Kazaar was simply being polite. 'Gotcha' didn't sound like the sort of thing someone who wanted to pry out information would give as an answer.

The other man's behavior was becoming more erratic, and for a moment he wondered if the bountyhunter was in some way insane. At least he was an alcoholic - that much seemed apparent. Kazaar didn't seem to notice the gaps in the conversation; maybe the alcohol he'd drunk made him lose his sense of time?

Unless it was all for show and Kazaar was trying to put him at ease.

"This sort of life doesn't come with a retirement plan," he said, after some time.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Ain't that th'truth." Kazaar, f'his part, was lettin' th'conversation go where it needed. "I sure as hell didn't expect t'end up babysittin' some broad at Russard Industries." He hated calling 'The Kid' that (since she was more than just a 'broad') but he had too t'keep his cover. "But, guess we go where th'universe wants us to. Whatever keeps us from gettin' stagnant, right?"

[Darven]

At that comment, the former commando's ears pricked up.

Not only that Kazaar was finally talking about his jobs since Gorgja, but also that there was a curious inflection in his words when talking of it. Most people might not have picked up anything amiss, but the clone wasn't most people; life at Kamino had trained them early to be able to distinguish the minutest of gestures and voice patterns. Not only of each other, either.

There had been something in the word 'broad' that hinted at wrongness. Either Kazaar was lying about the entire thing and the Russard job was a smokescreen, or he was lying about his involvement with the 'broad'. But scuttlebut that wasn't Crei's doing had it that Kazaar had been seen working as the Russard girl's bodyguard, so there had to be something true about it; which only left the other option.

Which was an interesting thing to consider. Some kind of love affair maybe?

He decided to goad the other a bit and see where it would lead.

"Must be some dame then, eh? Never seen her. She very ugly? Spoilt? Typical daddy's brat?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"She's a smart one, but idealistic at times. Tough dame though. Ya remember Ghlar Timandar?" Darven gave a nod. "Punk kidnapped 'er, beat her t'hell on Mastala. Russard hired me t'track 'im down, I grabbed th'dame, and got 'er out. Killed Timandar a week later."

He smirked. "Easiest job I ever had. Ain't always tea and cupcakes (like if th'girl decides t'go clubbin' at 4 a.m.), but it beats dealin' with Gorgja. Although that bastard still sends me bounties from time t'time."

[Darven]

Sure he remembered Timandar. His death had been something of a cause for celebrations in some circles; and the exact nature of his death even more so. Now, at least, he knew why the shabuir had died.

That notwithstanding, there was still something off about Kazaar's tale. He couldn't put a finger on it, though, and that annoyed him.

"You sound like you're quite taken by her," he ventured, hoping for some further hint. "Odd for Timandar to kidnap her, though. That wasn't his usual MO. Neither was beating her up. Did you find out why? Or was it purely for the money?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Darvey, ya ever spend time 'round that fracker?" Kazaar snorted, his eyes blazin'. "Guy's worse than scum. Timandar had some sleemo named Zellid workin' for 'im. Bastard wasn't exactly a 'nice guy' when it came t'dames. Gettin' in arguments with 'em is one thing (they ain't exactly easy t'figure out), but beatin' 'em? Those guys deserve th'hell they're in.

"As for why they kidnapped th'Kid, who th'frack knows. I know they asked for a helluva lotta creds t'let 'er go. 'Least that's what Russard says. Why the dame was in th'Food Court when she was taken." Kazaar shrugged, tellin' the truth. "I wasn't 'round so I don't know how th'hell it happened. Guys're dead and I gotta full-time gig makin' sure the girl doesn't get hurt again.

"Why you so interested in this anyway? Ya gonna hire me away from Russard?" He chuckled.

[Darven]

"Idle curiosity, really," he replied promptly. Fascinating how Kazaar seemed to get worked up over this.

Truth to be told, Darven had heard quite a bit about the incident. There had been some rumours floating around about the details of that whole kidnapping affair, and some of them had always sounded a bit ... unlikely... to him. Something about Timandar's gang picking up the Russard girl by mistake, because she'd been on the spot when the'd gone to take out some other gang; and not just on the spot by accident.

"Heard that she was involved with the gang Timandar's crew was having a feud with."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Heard th'same thing." Th'former bounty hunter rolled his cigar from one end o'his mouth to th'other. "'Course Crei was th'one who was spreadin' that rumor 'round. That damn Albino'll say anything t'get people t'believe his frackin' paranoia."

Kazaar leaned forward. "Ya know I saw his kimono-wearin' sorryass on Mastala. Karkin' munkhead'd gotten there before I did an' was helpin' Timandar. Frackin' Albino. I ever get my hands on that's sack o'crap..."

[Darven]

"I would have thought you'd have gotten him before now," Darven said, realising that getting the other man talking about Crei might open interesting other avenues.

"Actually, I had thought you'd got him when Crei disappeared a few weeks ago," he added as an afterthought. He took a casual sip from his bottle, then set it down on the bar. There had to be something in all this that would tell him something about the man's loyalties. Other than to himself, for that was readily apparent. He gave the man a knowing grin. "Don't tell me you didn't have something to do with that!"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"What th'explosion at Crei's little estate?" Kazaar shrugged. "Coulda been anyone." He gave a smirk that pretty much answered Darven's question 'bout his involvement innit. "How 'bout you? Run into any of ya clone brothers out in th'big universe?"

[Darven]

"No."

And even if he had, that was none of Kazaar's business. Kyrimorut was still a well-kept secret, and even if he had no obligation to the small band of renegades holding out there he wasn't going to offer up any info on them - especially not to someone like Kazaar.

He tried to get the conversation back onto the previous topic. "Don't tell me anyone --" -- and with that he returned the smirk-- "would have tried to blow up Crei just because he happened to get in the way. That smacks of either desperation or a deeper hatred, and not just payback for helping Timandar. What did he do to you?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar gave a shrug. He wasn't the kinda guy t'just 'talk' 'bout his past. Hell, he hadn't told th'Kid everything and she knew mosta it. "Lemme put it this way Darvey, without goin' into specifics, if I was th'guy who went after Crei, he frackin' deserved it f'what he did.

"Why ya so curious 'bout this anyway? Thought we were hear t'talk 'bout th'guild not m'personal life."

[Darven]

'Because I think there's something fishy about your story? ... Because I can't be sure you're to be trusted?... because I don't know where your loyalties are lying?'

He wasn't going to tell him that, of course.

So he simply followed the other man's example and shrugged. "I'm curious. I'd been wondering what sort of a man Aurelias Kazaar had turned out to be after all these years. And didn't want to go on whatever rumours Crei put out about you."

He shifted on his seat. It was becoming a little uncomfortable.

"Finding out that you were earning your pay following some high-strung girl around was a surprise."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

What th'frack kinda question was that: 'What kinda man he was'. Kazaar woulda been offended if he didn't think Darvey's mind was churnin' something 'round in his head. "The hell're you worried 'bout Darvey?"

[Darven]

So Kazaar had finally noticed. Darven sighed. There wasn't any good way of saying what he'd hoped he wouldn't have to.

"Times have changed, Aurelias. A man's loyalty is easily swayed and bought, and having known someone in the past doesn't guarantee he can still be trusted."

Stoically he avoided looking at the other man, instead picking up his mug of ale and draining the last few inches before setting it back onto the counter with a loud clang.

"What is to say that you haven't sold out to the Empire? It's hard to believe some of the stories told about you. And even in the most incredible rumours there's always a grain of truth. Trouble with you is to figure out which."

[Captain Monmoo]

"Whaaaaaaaa!" Captain Monmoo loses his balance and rolls down the stairs from the duey level of the bar. Bumpa, bumpa, bumpa!

"Oie boie!" He rolls onto his belly, hailu flopped over his eyes. "Pthlllppbbt!" Monmoo shakes his body all over, getting up to his feet. "Wowsa! Mesa make bombad boopjak, thinkin dis a feetwalkin when dis a upadowna." He thbbpts his tongue one more time, then walks towards the bar, bobbing his head from side to side. Need a ecouch-ee!

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar's laugh sounded like an engine runnin'. "This comin' from a guy who just happened t'show up on Bespin. Just happened t'wander into a bar I was havin' a drink in. And just happened t'be puttin' th'Bounty Hunters Guild back." He laughed again, then let it die down. "Why don't ya look at m'record t'decide who I've been runnin' bounties for.

"And since when did th'guild give a mynock's wing 'bout political opinions anyway. Long as ya didn't kill 'nother hunter while onna job, that was th'first law right?"

[Darven]

"I don't think there ever was a specific order to them..." he muttered, eyeing the other man darkly. His mirth, of all things, came completely unexpected. It didn't sound fake, however; not like the false mask of detachment he'd worn moments earlier when talking about his current job. Or like the completely irrational level of hatred of Crei, who, by Imperial Center standards, was rather small fry and not known for meddling with men like Kazaar. There had to have been something more than just a messy kidnapping job that the girl had even survived, in order to have ticked off Kazaar like this.

Darven made a mental move to do a little independent research on Crei's personal history with Kazaar. But then it occurred to him that perhaps Crei had had something to do with Kazaar's partner's untimely demise - that would certainly have provided a better reason for the man's hatred of the crimelord.

It wasn't something to bring up with Kazaar right there and then, however.

As for that... Either he wasn't expressing himself all too well or the other man was pretending not to understand in order to hide something.

'Or,' he thought to himself as a third possibility occurred to him, 'he's so taken with this Russard girl and getting his revenge on Crei that he's oblivious to all else...'

That, actually, made a lot of sense. Maybe the guy really was what he appeared to be minus the stable frame of mind, and not some potential Inquisitoriate spy.

The bountyhunter almost pitied Kazaar for what this abnormal lust for revenge had done to him. Almost. He didn't think the other man had any use for his pity.

"The Empire - the Inquisitoriate, rather - is doing everything it can to control every aspect of our lives; don't tell of you hadn't noticed that yet! Once the Guild's reformation becomes known, they will want to get their hands on, and in, it, just so they can control it, too. And I do not want the Guild to end up as the slightly more unorthodox branch of the Inquisitoriate one day."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia made her way back to the stranded Jedi separately from Lianna and Daria. The reason was twofold: one - Adia was concerned on showing up on the holonet as a hot bounty, and that would put Lianna and Daria in danger. It wasn't that they had trouble taking care of themselves, it was that they'd have difficulty doing it in a conventional manner. Adia, while Force sensitive, was able to user her extensive physical gifts instead of, say, telekinesis. For some reason, weapons ripped from hands through the air was more surprising than an extremely fit woman throwing someone through a wall. Brute physical force just wasn't as shocking.

The other reason she traveled seperately is that Lianna and Daria needed time alone. Adia was many things, but she wasn't really a Jedi. Lianna probably had questions and things to discuss with Daria that in her presence might otherwise be asked. She knew from their evening on the balcony that there were more than Jedi things they might want to talk over.

Adia left, and let the pair know where they would find information to find wherever the rest of the Jedi were.

She was now on Cloud City. Adia had been here before, but blaster fire had echoed through the streets instead of conversations. She had noted most of the structures in the same places during the flyover. There were certain spots that allowed for a break in the fighting, places that she was able to catch her breath.

She entered Cloud 9. Her eyes studied the differences in floorplan from when it had been pockmarked with blaster scars and broken glass. Adia wasn't normally so obvious when she scanned a room. Darven and Kazaar paused in their conversation, but for different reasons. Darven knew the pattern that she studied the room with. It was the same one he used. That color hair was familiar, but it was too long. Her eyes, too. Kazaar noticed that she was picking out the exits, but also that she had a shock of flame-red hair that rested at her shoulders and a figure that would make some Zeltrons jealous. Well, Kazaar thought, cept her arms 'n legs are bigger than any Zeltron gal's I've seen.

The rest of the details were noted by both: her blaster's holster was worn, and it was dark, matte gray. It put the blaster in a position to easily be drawn by either hand. The gray jacket was durable. The thick collar was a folded hood. Her boots were no-nonsense, medium brown with the shine long-gone. Her blouse was fitted and white, with the top button undone. Black pants. Multi-tool on the belt, opposite the blaster. Vibro-knife sheath near it.

She sat five stools away.

"Whiskey, two cubes." Her accent was proper Coruscanti, her tone firm and professional. Without a word, the bartended obliged. Adia nodded politely, and smiled slightly.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar raised an eyebrow. "So you're worried I'm a Imp plant an' just interested in joinin' up so they can get their grubby little hands into anythin' they want. Real frackin' cute, Darvey. Real frackin' cute." Dammit he wanted o'cigar.

"Ya wanna play 20 questions on what I've been doin'?" He snorted. "I ain't th'kinda guy t'tell tales ya know that. I do m'frackin' job and go home. Maybe I dropped off th'grid forra while 'cause I was tired o'Gorgja. Maybe I dropped off th'grid 'cause Ash's death made me a little hollow. An' maybe I dropped off th'grid 'cause I tired of all th'damn politicians tryin' t'run a guild that didn't need a buncha frackin' rules'n regulations, just a couple suggestions on what not t'do.

"I may not have th'full armor, but I know when a Mandy's got something on his mind. So ya wanna come clean with whatever tying ya damn stomach in knots?"

[Darven]

For a moment longer his gaze lingered on the tall redhead as she took a seat a few ones down from him. She was disturbingly familiar in a way that he knew he had met - even talked to - her before, but somehow he found himself unable to put a name to the face. He didn't possess the perfect recall of an ARC, but the aiwha-bait had not left the commandos lagging far behind it, either. Usually he say his ability to remember every small detail as a curse that never failed to torment him with things he had on wish to be reminded of, but now it seemed it had found a new way of torturing him by providing him with nothing but the bare bones of a memory.

Maybe it was the drugs failing him and the accelerated aging process had finally begun to erode his brain.

With trembling fingers he reached for his mug, realising too late that he'd already emptied it. Wrapping his fingers around the cool glass at least provided then with something to hold on to until the trembling subsided. He realised he was still staring at the redhead, and quickly turned his attention back onto Kazaar.

He didn't know what to say to him. While having had doubts about his allegiance, and rightly so - in light of everything he had learned he now felt certain the other man wasn't on the Empire's bank roll.

Kazaar's reasons for dropping off the grid really weren't so far from what his own had been. Maybe he should just cut him some slack. And perhaps he should simply tell the man why he had mistrusted him in the first place.

But when he opened his mouth to speak he suddenly realised that he didn't remember that either! His mind drew a complete blank, he couldn't piece together a single thing that made sense.

Panic rose in him like sour bile. For a moment he saw his fears come true - his mind failing him like his body had already started to do - then cold logic took hold again. It hit him that he'd fallen victim to his own paranoia once again. He was still seeing shadows where no ones could be anymore. It had been ten years almost since that life had ended, and yet he was still trying to protect her. She could fend for herself, and didn't need him to watch over her.

He looked at Kazaar for a long moment before finally making up his mind what to say.

"I'm a di'kut. Nothing to do with you, sometimes my past comes back to haunt me. Nya left me a souvenir when she took off" - he rubbed along the edge of the scar - "but here I am mistrusting old friends even, out of fear for her safety."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Now you're finally makin' sense." Kazaar had t'be cautious himself, but he knew when t'trust 'is gut. And it wasn't telling him anything at th'moment. "What's up with th'redhead? Someone ya may've run into inna past life?"

Another smirk. "That dame ain't a bad one."

[Adia Issoris]

He was a clone. Adia knew the flicker of recognition when it crossed his eyes, and knew that his mind had started to slip when his hand trembled. Adia took another sip of the whiskey. She set the glass down and swirled the ice with a gentle flick of her wrist. Adia watched the pair through the reflection on the counter.

They were conducting business, and she was not going to interrupt. She would wait for the old clone to make the first move.

[Darven]

Darven released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. That seemed to have closed the matter entirely.

Unfortunately it had opened a whole other can of gihaal for him. For he had realised that another meeting with his former protege was necessary if he didn't want her to end up on the guild's blacklist. He would need to inform her of the events, for he doubted Ecks had heard of her - she had, after all, learned her lesson well about keeping a low profile, even as a bounty hunter using a fake name. No - it would be up to him to do that, and that was a task he truly dreaded as much as he missed her. He'd do it right after the next meeting, and get it over with.

That decision made, he turned his attention back to the question at hand. No more than a few seconds had passed since Kazaar had put it to him, and he slowly turned his head in the direction of the female he'd spoken of, careful to avoid being too obvious.

She still presented an enigma. Why did she seen so familiar? Even as she sat with her back turned to them the curve of her spine, slight inclination of her head, the posture as she sat with her elbow propped up on the bar, hand hidden by a shock of red hair at her temple - it was all too familiar. So why could he not say where he'd seen her before?

"Not sure," he muttered with a deep frown. "I've seen her before, I just don't remember where - or in what circumstance."

He tried to imagine her in different circumstances, in less casual or peaceful a setting. A flash of memory offered itself at that, and he saw her - a much younger version of her but undoubtedly the same person - in mid-stance about to deliver a well-executed roundhouse kick to the side of his head, her young face holding a look of both concentration and triumph as she noticed his inability to ward of the blow.

It was only a sliver of a memory but it was enough. It opened the gates to the rest of them, and his face took on the look of incredulity as he stared at a person he had long since thought dead. They, at least, had all been told she'd been terminated a few months before Geonosis.
"Haar'chak! I know who this is!"

With a grin he turned back to Kazaar, his face for once full of merriment and wonder.

"They created her before us - some kind of super soldier she was supposed to be. Turned out to be a bit of a problem but they kept her around to throw against us in the really nasty scenarios. A couple of months before Geonosis she went MIA and we were told she'd finally been terminated."

He considered walking over and talking to her, but after a moment decided that it mightn't be a good idea as long as he didn't know whether she was here for a specific reason.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Governments and their frackin' secrets." Kazaar smirked. "Gotta love that. 'Course we all have those don't we?"

Darven nodded.

"Ya gonna talk to 'er're not?"

[Darven]

"I might," he said, but eyed her apparent ease with some suspicion. She seemed too relaxed, for some reason. Something about the way she'd scanned the place with her eyes at her arrival - there had been something behind it that spoke of more than just regular habit. Her casual-seeming pose reminded him of one he had sometimes seen her adopt when she was afraid of something.

As much as he was curious to find out what had happened to this woman since her sudden disappearance - there was something about her that told him to stay sharp.

Looking at her as she was drinking the dregs out of her glass, it have him an idea.

He called the barman over, flicked a cred chip at him and gave him instructions. As the man walked off, the bounty hunter leaned back in his chair and mumbled partly to himself, partly to Kazaar, "That should do."

A few minutes later the barman approached the redhead with a tumbler of old Mantellian reserve, the closest thing in taste to the Mandalorian tihaar that he had been able to find over the years. On Kamino, the pungent, secretly smuggled-in alcoholic beverage they had often shared with her whenever the sarge's squads had something to celebrate. The barman nodded into Darven's direction and told the woman: "From the old man over there. He said, for old times sake." his duty done, he left the drink in front of her and hurried off before she could tell him what to do with it.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia raised an eyebrow and took a sip. She remembered the camp at the top of a simulated cliff, half a kilometer up, with 15 commandos to be. They'd all made it up in record time. She'd beaten them all, despite each of them being fully grown and imprinted and her being a teenager in mind and body. She was both an enigma and a challenge. She was barley 1.6 meters, but could hit hard enough to hurt through armor, and her bones, no matter how you threw her, wouldn't break. Adia could run, jump, dodge, fight, shoot and think just as well as any of them, but her weaknesses were obvious to the brothers. An army of Advanced Durable Infantry, if they were like Alpha 15, would be incredibly expensive to feed and impossible to keep in line. She didn't clone well, or so they surmised: none of the other ADIs were around. A15 didn't talk about it, so the ARCs and Commandos didn't ask.

She got up, tumbler in hand.

"What's your game, old man? Her green eyes narrowed with the same fierce defiance they'd display when she received an order she didn't like.

[Darven]

He met her eyes with a friendlier expression, being careful to keep any of the curiosity that he was experiencing about her out of his voice. In this galaxy there was no telling how someone would react to a simple how-do-you-do, and she'd always been a bit of the moody kind who didn't like to be asked personal questions.

"It is good to see you alive and well," he said, and since that didn't provoke any punches from her, he felt safe enough to add, "they told us you had been terminated."

[Adia Issoris]

"They handed me identity papers and clothes. Then they told me I was being recruited to serve the Republic and put me in a Judicial Forces Light Recon unit. So that's what I did." Adia shrugged, not mentioning the pile of medals or her work in the New Order. She took a sip of the liquor.

"I'm terribly sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting." She offered her hand to the other mercenary, "I'm Adia."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Kazaar." He answered givin' th'dame's hand a shake. Not too hard, not too soft either. Best way t'go 'bout it. He had a feelin' the two'd worked together few times, probably durin' th'Republic. Guess everyone knows everyone these days. "Wanna sit? Or ya just passin' through?"

[Darven]

Nodding at her words, he filed the information away for future use. It was a plausible story. He'd verify it later. Not that there was anything in her behavior that indicated it needed verifying - something about it just piqued his curiosity.

If it was that simple and straightforward, then why had they needed to tell everyone she was dead?

He raised a mental eyebrow when she introduced herself to Kazaar. It seemed the years had eroded her wild manners; "Adia" was a model of good behavior now. Getting off his own chair to show her that he was no less polite than she, he gestured at it just as Kazaar was offering her a seat.

"Take mine, I'm better off standing these days," he said, curiously. If she was here for some specific reason she might not accept it.

[Adia Issoris]

Not that Darven would get very far verifying anything. After her record with Judicial Forces, Adia disappeared. She'd been recruited by Imperial Intelligence, and then by the Emperor himself. She'd ended up with enough medals to tie up and drown a man. She thought about using them for target practice once, after the Emperor had died. They were all in a drawer in her flat on Coruscant. For all she cared they could set that place on fire.

She took the seat, and wondered exactly what the old Commando meant.

"Thank you." She looked Darven over. She couldn't remember which Commando he was, exactly. Clones all, well, were clones. Unlike the Jango clones, Adia's aging had slowed. She looked indeterminately in her late 20s. Fully mature, but age had not touched her yet.

"It's been a long time since I've talked to anyone from the war." She took a sip of the drink.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Lotta people said war was hell'n they were pretty right. 'Course, Kazaar was th'kinda guy who felt pretty damn comfy'n battle, but th'down time was even more fun. Kazaar finished off 'is drink. "Way I hear it. Not o'ton o'people like talkin' 'bout th'war at times. Bad mem'ries an' all."

Adia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not my war, 'dia. Was just o'kid on Brentaal when that was goin' on." He pulled a cigar outta his pocket. "Gonna grab o'cigar. Darvey, ya want one?"

[Darven]

Throwing a speculative look at the woman sitting on his chair, he wondered if her statement was an indication that A15 - or Adia, rather - wished to engage him in reminiscences of their shared time on Kamino.

Talking of the war wasn't his thing, no. He'd already spent too much time dissecting it in his head. There were certain memories best left untouched. But he rarely had a chance to talk to anyone about the days before the war, and the thought of that - while painful in some ways - wasn't entirely unpleasant. For a moment he let his memory dredge up scenes from his childhood, his brothers, his training ... his sarge. It had been a simple life: full of purpose and clear lines and the safety of understanding not only himself but also everyone else in his life. It had been pleasant, in that way.

But Kazaar's question brought him back to the present. With a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, he shook his head. "No thanks, no cigars for me."

A look at the chrono on the wall over the bar made him mindful that he needed to leave; his meeting with Ecks was coming up.

Which was perhaps - under the circumstances - regretful. He wouldn't have minded speaking of Kamino with Adia.

"I have to take my leave of you, now, anyway. There are matters that need to be dealt with, concerning the reformation."

[Adia Issoris]

"Reformation of what? The Bounty Hunters Guild." Adia stated. The Bounty Hunters Guild had been defunct for about 10 years now. It was one of those things she used to keep tabs on. Everything had gone to rot after the guild dissolved. Any idiot with a blaster could claim to be a bounty hunter these days, and it gave ones like Kazaar and Darven a preemptive negative sheen.

Adia grinned at Darven. It was a predatory look.

"I may have annoyed a certain Moff. Might want to let people know I'm not worth the trouble." She said, and knocked back the remains of the liquor. She licked the remnants from her lips.

"I should get going as well. Good luck with the Guild." She dropped a chit on the counter for her tip and the liquor.

[Darven]

He raised an eyebrow at that statement. It didn't shock him - annoying people had always been part of her charm. She'd played dangerous games with their Kaminoan masters in their time together. But her words suggested that there might be more to it - a bounty, possibly - and if there was then that put an entirely new angle to this accidental meeting.

Had she known something about the guild reformation? He didn't know how she could; unless she intercepted his communications with Ecks somehow. Which she would certainly be capable of, but he didn't see why she would do such a thing.

Of course, there was a simpler option: that she'd puzzled it all out in a matter of seconds, and decided to put the chance meeting to good use. She'd always been a sharp one.

"I can't guarantee that they'll be impressed by my warning them off you. If there's a bounty out on your head then there's no way I can keep every hothead from coming after you - and it will most certainly only be an incentive for those hunters who are good at what they do." For a moment he entertained the idea of leaving it up to those who didn't want to join the Guild - she might make an excellent way of reducing the ranks of all those rich bratty thrillseekers out there.

But there was another way to go about it. "You might want to think of joining yourself. Become a bounty hunter - the creed will stop the others from going after you then."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Yeh." Kazaar's smirk was more sideways than normal. "More dames we get th'less ovva meat market it is.

"Darvey, I still ain't sure it's a great idea what'cha doin'. But if ya need m'help, lemme know." 'Nother sideways smirk as he tossed th'Mandalorian a data file with his communication frequency on it. "But like I said, I sure as hell ain't gonna bring cupcakes'n lemonade to th'meetings." He stuck a dark cigar in his mouth'n lit it. "See ya 'round Darvey. 'Dia."

He sauntered outta th'bar, givin' th'serving droid who was gettin' ready t'tell 'im he couldn't smoke a very dark look. No frackin' droid was gonna tell him what he could'n couldn't do.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia paused, and watched Aurelias walk away. She leaned back against the bar, one foot on the floor, both elbows propping her up. She pondered the Guild. Being a bounty hunter was well within her skill set. She certainly had access to the equipment, and it would further annoy Miranda. Of course, it wouldn't prevent her from trying other options, such as non bounty hunters.

"I'm interested." She said casually.

[Darven]

"Great," he said in reply, and meant it. A15 - Adia - would be a welcome addition, if she was still as skilled as she'd been back then. Two decades of whatever lifestyle she'd been leading seemed to taken care of the rough edges of her personality, and if she could imagine herself a bountyhunter then he was sure she'd make a good one - whatever she'd done previously.

"Give me a way to contact you and I'll see to it that you get an invite to the meeting," he told her, and picked up his helmet from where it had been sitting on the counter of the bar. It was time to get going.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia produced a small data chit from her front pocket. She had a master elsewhere.

"I'll be able to access any of these drop points." She explained, turning the chit over to Darven. She had dozens of similar places scattered through the galaxy.

"I hope that this venture plays out well."

[Darven]

He took the chip and placed it into one of the compartments on his utility belt.

Then he nodded to her by way of saying farewell. "I'll be in touch."

And sliding his helmet over his head, he waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the changed outlook of 360° vision, then walked over to the door, and out of the bar - towards the meeting with Ecks.