The Other Side of the Coin (Character Introduction)

[Ken Jiang]

<FONT SIZE="1">OOC:
This is Gav and I guess you can consider this the debut of my new character whose path I have not yet decided; whether he will in time become a Jedi, Sith, Bounty Hunter, Imperial Officer or even a Smuggler is still very much uncertain. I wanted to give a more real life texture to the roleplaying I wish to do with this guy. I will have this roleplay closed and invite different roleplayers into it as the story progresses. I've no idea how to end this brief OOC prologue so I'll just get on with the roleplay.</FONT>

<HR>

<FONT COLOR="#B0E0E6">Dear Mr and Mrs Jiang,

This is the prescheduled report to which I referred for quite some time now. I must regretfully inform you both that Kens attendance levels are falling increasingly and the occasions on which he does come to school he is either late or leaves early. This an issue of great concern, concern which is not only felt by myself but the rest of the teaching staff. The reason being is that we are all more than aware of your sons remarkable intellect, he has surpassed not only our expectations but his exam results are always of the highest in the school. As a result we, as I am sure yourselves, do not wish to see those astonishingly high standards fall as a result of laziness on your sons behalf.

On a much more personal matter; an observation made by myself and a handful of his fellow students. Ken appears to have, on his arms, legs and face countless cuts, bruises and skin discolorations. We have ruled out the probability of bullying after extensive research and I hope with your help, that we can both discover the cause of such brutal scarring.

My prime concern is the well-being of your son. I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely,
Mr. Lockwood.</FONT>



Elaine's tight grip on Vaugn's warm, moist hand grew stronger as he read the message from the small data-pad. After a brief interval of silence, the tall man with greying her turned to his wife, the light dancing about on the droplets of sweat which had formed on his brow. In an almost synchronised manner, the two sat down, resting uncomfortably on the fine, exotic materials of which the couch was made.

"Vaugn," said Elaine in a shakey voice, "What is he doing?"

Her question was simple, that of a deeply worried mother. The rim of one of her lower eyelids glistened as a tear began to form although she brought her hand up to wipe it away quickly, bringing her husbands hand up also until she reluctantly released her grip. Vaugn gently rested his open hand on her cheek comfortingly.

"I believe he has strayed from the path he once walked. We cannot spy on him," he said, showing a brief smile, then slipped his fingertips under the soft, chestnut waves of her hair, "We would only betray his trust."

He felt her smooth, creamy skin touch his hand gently and she brought his hand back into hers, she was still unsatisfied.

"We can't just let him wander about Coruscant freely, it's a very dangerous planet for a seventeen year old boy. Especially Ken..." she paused as her voice began to shake accompanied by her now trembling hands.

"Elaine..." Vaugn whispered as he brought her closer and embraced her lovingly.

"Vaugn, I'm just so afraid that..." she sobbed, her voice quivering, "...someone will find out, about him!"

Holding her tight, her husband was in deep thought, ignoring his neck now damp from his wife's tears. Their son had been gone without a trace for almost a week now, this has happened before but never any longer than three days. Neither believed in forcing their son to tell them where he'd been and as a result, they never found out and this was a great concern to them because they loved him so much and wanted him back so bad. He knew that if they went to the authorities reporting him missing, they would be risking not only their own lives but the life of Ken.

There the two remained for a while longer, embracing each other for comfort and strength, waiting.


<HR>

"Oi! Tony!"

The deep, raw voice bellowed throughout the garage, although it was muffled under the hissing of high-pressured steam valves and the powerful grinding of the mechanical monsters scattered about the large facility. From under the belly of a bulky, old landspeeder appeared a young man wearing heavy canvas overalls which were, similar to his face and hands, filthy with oil.

"Yeah?" he answered in a hoarse, primitve tone. He wiped his hands down the sides of his overalls, then took a look at them shaking his head.

"Do you have hearin' problems lad?" retorted the stout, bearded individual who pointed at the man, who now wiped his sleeve across his nose with a slurping sniff.

"Huh? Can you speak up a bit please?" he called back, a sly grin appeared on his face as he rolled back and forward on his bed as he liked to call it, although it's real purpose is to allow workers to slide underneath the body of a vehicle to perform maintainence on it's rusty innards.

"Real funny, smartass! Listen, you got an hour to finish workin' on that pile of wookiee @#%$! If it's not done, you're history. Got me?" a tint of crimson crept out from under his bearded cheeks; the colour was flattering, it matched his nose and ears.

The young man brought his hand to his forehead in a salute, gave his superior a wink then rolled back under only to hear the large man storm off muttering countless atrocities. His hands moved nimbly over the different components and occasionally into his toolbox to his side. He had learned to drown out the ambient hustle and bustle of the garage around him, even the dreadful Corellian rock they liked to play no longer irritated him. Now it was just the stifling heat, something to which he had never become accustomed; he spent hours under huge chunks of machinery, endlessly slaving away whilst the sweat patches under his arms and down his back grew darker.

With only three more components to attatch he was almost done, "Damn, I never thought I'd finish screwing with you, ya little bitch!" he said, talking to the engine with a smile. He turned on his side and took hold of a large wrench, then turning on his back he realised the speeder was moving above him, quickly. Then he realised, it wasn't the vehicle moving, it was him beeing pulled out from under it.

Suddenly, he cried out in pain as he felt something solid make overly powerful contact with his groin, he cried out in pain, instinctively sitting up only to hit his head on a large pipe under the vehicle still, there was a clang and that was the last thing he remembered.


<HR>

It's always funny how whenever you fall unconciouss, it always hurts more when you come around. Colours blended incoherently, sounds were muffled then booming and everything spun on a permanently shifting axis. How much have I had to drink this time?

"I wish..." came the groaning words from the man's mouth once his sight was realligning and he saw the same grotesque, bearded face that perpetually haunted him.

Suprisingly, he was hoisted up onto his feet which staggered about in an attempt to stand but to no avail and so the two mamoth's had to continue holding him up. His body was somewhat limp, his neck frequently jerked back up so that he could see the smug looking face of his ex-employer.

"An hour's up and it still wasn't finished?" he shook his head patronisingly, answering his own rhetorical question, "Ah Tony, Tony, Tony...what am I going to do with you? I mean I find you with my daughter on one of my customers speeder bikes and instead of breaking your thumbs, I give you a job!"

Putting his hands behind his back he began pacing back and forth before his capture, "Ok, so it wasn't paid employment but you still had your life!"

[i]"And now?" came another groan at which Pozzo chuckled. There was a strong, chilly breeze and it was dark. The night skyline of Coruscant which was visable from up here was more than panoramic, it looked like reflection of space, the billions of glistening stars against a dark, empty backdrop.

"And now, I'm tired of seeing your face. It's been nice working with you Tony. Adeiu."

Immediatly, he felt the two men lift him over the edge of what he now recognised to be a rooftop and he grinned, "The feelings mutual!"

With that, the two men released him, however he grabbed hold of their wrists and within an instant was propelled up and over them when they suddenly felt a sharp kick each in their spines and losing balance they were the ones who went over the edge. The cries were brief during their descent.

"Now," said Tony, turning to the stout, exasperated face of Pozzo, "Let's talk business!"


<HR>

Back in the garage, Tony took a seat alongside Pozzo in the speeder he'd been working on. He leaned back, stretched and made an exagerated yawn then turning to his ex-employer, he asked, "May I?" gesturing to a handkerchief in his jacket pocket.

Unfortunately, due to the piece of canvas wrapped around his mouth, Pozzo was unable to answer and so Tony took it anyway. He vigorously wiped away the filth from his face and hands whilst carefully checking his capture's restraints are nice and tight. Pozzo's wide eyes now told a different story, he was powerless and alone.

"For the third time, where is the briefcase?" he asked impatiently however the response was a series of muffled words and so with a tut, Tony loosened the canvas strip and allowed it to fall onto Pozzo's chin.

"Third draw down on my desk, the lock number is 05718 and the briefcase number is, 754510. Now let me go, please."

Tying the canvas back around Pozzo's mouth, Tony moves off into the office inside the garage. There was a strong stench inside, worse than him at the moment. He hated that speeder! Surely enough, the briefcase was in the draw as Pozzo had said, the desk was very ill-kept, if his father saw it he'd be appauled.

Soon after, he left the ofice and made his way back over to the speeder and the waiting businessman, his plump face trickled with streams of panic sweat. Tony leaned over the speeder and turned it's engine on, it made at first hummed soothingly then began to choke and even splutter, the hovering vehicle jerked slightly and Pozzo began a muffled chorus of protests.

"Hmmm...really I should turn this engine off, after all, I haven't been able to mend the fuel leak or the turbine stabalizer, that could be very dangerous when the engine is running, just as well it isn't on strong, eh Pozzo?" he said with a sarcastic smile to Pozzo who began screaming out.

Quickly, the canvas band was losened once more so that his words could be heard, now more nervously challenging, "Don't even think about it! You wont get away with it Tony! Not on Coruscant!"

Once again, he was gagged by the young man who said, "Sure thing but if you want to catch me after it, here's a word of advice. My names not Tony. Tell the authories to arrest a guy called Ken."

He winked again, then as he leaned out of the vehicle he knocked a switch a the speeder began shaking and the engines grew louder. The young man walked away from the vehicle to climb onto a speeder bike, then after a moment he sped out of the garage which would moments later erupt into an explosive inferno. The explosion rocked the foundations of neighbouring buildings whilst the garage itself was nothing more than a smoking mountain of fire and rubble.



<HR>

"Mother?" came a polite call, then followed by, "Father? I'm home! I brought you guys some..."

Ken paused as he entered the room to find his parents sitting in a solemn embrace, they looked over startled and their faces beamed when they saw their son standing in the doorway, dressed smartly in his school uniform and a sachell over his shoulder.

Their sons face became more serious, and he simply said, "I'm so sorry to have done this to you!"

To which his parents responded, only by leaping up out of their seats and running over to him to resume their immense embrace but now with a third party. They wished never to be parted again.

[Ken Jiang]

That night Ken was unable to sleep. So many thoughts were racing through his mind as he lay on top of his wealthy bed spread, even the finest materials Coruscant had to offer weren't enough to comfort him despite the smooth softness and rich texture of the sheets. A well-respected judge in the Imperial Courts for a mother and a father whose name was known throughout the Empire. And a son who held no respect for what they stood for or their totalitarian regime. At school, he came from the wealthiest family and most respected and as a result everyone had high expectations of him; perhaps follow in his fathers footsteps and become one of the best Senators on the Imperial Council or perhaps become part of the legal system and enforce the laws of the glorious Empire unto those who are much less fortunate than himself.

"All I want," Ken sighed, taking a quick glance at a framed landscape on his wall "Is some freedom."

He shuffled from his bed and took the picture down from the wall and examined it, sitting down again. The large, framed picture was of an exotic highland with mountains that soared so high they disapeared into the clouds and valleys that swooped low into plains of grass glistening with the early morning dew. He didn't know where this place was but he became absorbed in it the day he saw it in a store in the city. How he longed to be free of obligations and the stresses of his life, to wander almost aimlessly, to see all the wonderful places the galaxy has to offer, to learn of his own accord and to be himself; simple things that most take for granted.

As he placed the picture back on the wall a great swell of sorrow built up inside of him as though he were placing all of his dreams and hopes back on the wall too, just out of reach, framed nicely for display to perpetually taunt him of what could've been. Tomorrow he'll get up and go to school, he'll return home and do his studies, then eat a beautifully prepared meal and find his room spotless and his belongings organised neatly once again by one of the numerous maids that tended the house. Then, for the rest of the day he would sit around, pondering on what to do next. His self-pity made him feel sick to the stomach but what else could he do? He was trapped and alone.

<HR>

Early the next morning, Vaugn woke up, put on his slippers and was washed and dressed ready for work within twenty minutes as usual. When he returned to the bedroom he found Elaine silently looking out of the window, her face was illuminated with a firey red light as the sun rose above the dark horizon of distant skyscrapers. He went to her side to discover what she had been watching. In the garden they saw Ken standing barefooted on the glistening, green grass. This was a daily ritual of theirs as much as it was his. They would silently watch him from their bedroom for some fifteen minutes whilst he would move gracefully and elagently through the various movements he had studied from his book of Tai Chi. They knew little of this ancient art, although they did know that all the slow over-exagerrated gestures and motions made with the arms and legs were somehow relaxing and beneficial for ones physical condition. To them it was old gibberish however Ken was very grateful for any liberation he could have and needless to say, he had a talent for it.

<HR>

Back to school; the same, miserable fiasco. Ken sat toward the back of the room in which the Further Mathematics lesson took place, he wished to just blend into the background, become part of the furniture whilst the rest of the class were oblivious to his presence; however it was never the case. He would always receive some degree of grief from one or two of the more brazen classmates. When he arrived this morning there was a deliberate atmosphere of uneasiness, occassionally he would be the subject of sly remarks from one or two of the students and infrequently a teacher would jump on the bandwagon. There were so many different things to choose from to torment him about; his family and politics, his scars and bruises or his absences and falling academic standards.

"Now I hope all this isn't too much to grasp," said Mrs. Schueeen, their Tweeleck tutor, after explaining the last of the exercises recently covered in class, "Ken? Are you taking all this in?"

It was remarks like these that singled him out, alienated him from everyone else and it was this that made things so much more difficult, however he persisted with patience.

"I...think so..." came the unsure reply.

Mrs. Schueeen sighed, "Here, let me show you. As for the rest of you, carry on with the assigned exercises from yesterday."

As she approached, Ken carefully slid a book over the sheet of paper on which was the same exercise which he had completed successfully twenty minutes earlier. They can see what they want to see, I have nothing to prove.

<HR>

Lessons followed lessons, days followed days, weeks followed weeks; in the same agonising routine. Everything was artificial and lifeless to Ken who could nothing but follow the schedule. His only methods of escapism other than Tai Chi would be circuit training, reading or sleeping. He could even tolerate the persecution from fellow classmates, however finally there came a time when one of the more heated grillings suddenly became violent.

During lunchtime, Ken was sat with his closest friend, Felicity, who came from a similar upbringing, her mother, Governess Dupré lead a very high profile life and as a result, her daughter was dragged into a similar routine like Ken. They were joined by five other guys from the repulsor-ball team, there was certainly no love lost between Ken and these immature primates. They immediatly engaged him in a brutal arguement because their fathers had become employed as a result of one of Senator Jiangs latest decisions concerning employment in the weapons industry to previously convicted criminals. Felicity helped Ken defend his father as well as himself but the heated discussion was continued as they left for a local park where the arguement became violent despite Kens subtle efforts to prevent it.

Three days later, Ken was dismissed from Lotan Hospital with a broken arm and bruised ribs. He decided to clear his mind and respect how fortunate he is by taking a stroll through the shanty towns deep down beneath a kilometer of smog and waste where he would find a nice, cheap bar and drown his sorrows in glasses of dark, mind-numbing drink.

[Sanis Prent]

(The air had a stale smell to it so far below the surface. The subterranean levels were seedy, nefarious, and always dirty. However, they were excellent for those who did not want to be found. And right now, Sanis Prent was in such a situation.

Sitting back and nursing a pint of lukewarm Corellian bourbon, Sanis could only look back on the past few weeks in a blur. The ambush, Dalee's death, and his return to Coruscant. His return to...nothing, really. He was Sasseeri Reeouurra's Coruscant lieutenant...for the time being. He would've taken the Layla out of Coruscant at the drop of a hat if Dalee hadn't died. Now...it seemed he really had nothing to lean on. He was adrift, and stuck on Coruscant. All he could do was drink, and keep replaying the events in his head.)

[Ken Jiang]

Lola's Place.

The bar was located at the junction of three dark, narrow alleys, it's name hoisted above the door in orange neon lights which illuminated the thick, smokey air all around. Outside two men slouched in the doorway, sucking on large cigars and grunting coarse remarks in unison then laughing hysterically.

Once he'd squeezed past the cigar-smoking men, Ken found himself swarmed by men staggering about and scantily clad women who would occasionally brush their fingers over Kens crotch, not that he was complaining. However, the air was thick with the scent of alcohol and a lingering desire to down a bottle of the cheapest liquor suddenly overcome him.

"Can I have a bottle of the cheapest whiskey in the house?" he asked the bulky bartender, whose bald head glittered with sweat.

"A whole bottle?" came the reply from the barman whilst he scratched his bristly chin.

A nod from Ken confirmed his answer and so after paying he moved off into the crowd being cautious so that he wouldn't knock into anyone, he was afraid of damaging his broken left arm which was bandaged up in a sling.

<HR>

Later he collapsed onto a chair, along with a young lady whose arms were draped around his neck. He had not noticed the young man sat at the same table as them, as Mara, the girl he'd met, was sat on his knee and as a result he was oblivious to the bourbon-drinking man opposite.

He leaned around her to place his glass down on the table wincing slightly at his bruised ribs, however his face was beaming and his eyes sparkling. The girl was in a fit of giggles.

"Hi," said Ken, acknowledging the young mans presence. The glass chimed as it was crudely placed on the table top.

"If we are causing you any hassle by being here, then we'll gladly..." he was about to say "leave" however after catching a glance from Mara both burst into laughter once again.

Edit:

Forgot to acknowledge the injuries.

[IG 90]

Amidst the wreck of long forgotten landspeeders and droids, stood a protocol droid. It was deactivated and placed atop a pile of junk and mechanical trash. The droid itself was in perfect condition. This certain droid wasn't among the wreckage until a few hours ago, when it had been placed there. It was bait for any hungry scavenger who would believe they found something that could get them enough credits to purchase another bottle of liquor. Most scavangers were filthy vagabonds, trying to find new ways to make a credit or two.

Coruscant's lower levels were dark, damp and smelled of century old sewage. Vermin commonly inhabited the nooks and crannys of abandoned buildings and trash piles. The planet itself was one big city, built on top of many others. The upper levels were inhabited by the "upper class" such as Imperial Moffs, Generals and wealthy land owners. Never once was the Coruscant sky clear of any ships. For every ship that departed, three more arrived. This was the reason that the Galaxy came to know Coruscant as the capital. It was the most well known planet in the Galaxy. The lower levels were the complete opposite of the upper levels. The lowest of beings inhabited these areas. The solitary confinement, added with time and the environment of the lower levels had caused some creatures to mutate into horrifying predators. These predators were among the lowest levels and only came out at night. Of course in the lowest levels of Coruscant, where sunshine was not allowed, it was night all the time.

<font size=1>Slosh, slosh, slosh.

<font size=2>A granite slug carefully made it's way across the ground in front of the droid's pile. It stopped for a moment, allowing it's small eyes to look around for any danger. Nothing seemed to be coming it's way. The granite slug never even noticed the footstep looming over it, until it was too late. With a squishy sounding crunch, the slug was crushed into oblivion.

"Sithspawn! Look at my boots!"

The disgruntled man that had stepped on the slug, frowned at the goo caught onto his soles. Some had managed to squirt onto his dirty poncho. This man had a scruffy and dirty beard, followed by a ripped and tattered poncho. His hair was long, and it was messily strewn across his shoulders. He wore pants that looked as if they had come straight from a dumpster, and his boots had various holes in them. This man was definately no "upper class citizen".

For a few minutes, the man began to survey the wreckage, wondering if he could find anything. He took out his blaster, expecting to be jumped from some creature in a dark corner. Then a glint of brass caught his left eye. Immediately, he spun to the side, allowing his eyes to absorb the picture before him. A protocol droid was peacefully resting on a pile of junk. The man couldn't believe his luck. He hastily rushed over and began to examine the droid. The smile on his face, indicated it was in perfect condition.

What the man didn't see (or hear for that matter) was a pair of red sensors, shining in the shadows. The droid producing them was hidden behind another pile of mechanical trash. Only it's red optical sensors could be seen as it stared at the man. The droid made a slight whirring sound, but of course the man was too busy with his newfound treasure to notice anything else. That was what had been intended in the first place. If this "hidden" droid wanted to be seen, it would have made it's presence known already.

<font color=lightgreen>Identifying Target.
.
.
<font color=red>INTENDED TARGET_

<font color=white>If the hidden droid could smirk right now, it would have. This droid considered itself superior to other droids, even sentient beings. It had been named IG-90 after it's upgrade. It had quite a history for a droid.

The man was just about to pick up the protocol droid, when something whirred by. He quickly turned around and held his blaster into the air. The man was used to defending himself against predators. Unfortunately for that man, IG-90 was not an average predator. The droid's small repulsorlifts kicked in as it raised over a junk pile. With painful accuracy, the assassin droid planted one blaster bolt in the man's gun wrist. Instantly, the blaster he held dropped to the floor. The man sank to one knee, screaming at the pain that had arisen in his arm. The man screamed even louder when he saw the gaping hole in his own wrist. IG-90 was not worried about the screams. Not many cared what went down in the lower levels.

<font color=lightgreen>The hunter becomes the hunted.<font color=white> The droid raised it's other mechanical arm and pointed another blaster at the man. It pulled the trigger. With a plunk sound, a net was released. It entrapped the man inside. The man began to flail his arms, entangling himself even more.

"What do you want from me?!" The man screamed.

<font color=lightgreen>"Answers."<font color=white> IG-90 finally said in a mechanical voice. <font color=lightgreen>"Do you know anything about this boy?"

<font color=white>The droid held up a copied Identification card which looked something like:

<img src=http://www16.brinkster.com/series101/Ken%20Jiang.JPG width=200 height=270>

The man examined it for a moment, and then shook his head, no. IG-90 pointed his blaster at the man's face. As if reading his mind, the man examined it again.

"I know Vaughn Kiang! He is a wealthy man on the Imperial Senate. I don't know where they live, but it's somewhere in the Upper levels. That is all I know, I swear!" The man shouted.

<font color=lightgreen>"You may leave now."<font color=white> The droid said in an almost calm voice.

The man quickly got up and wrapped his poncho around his wrist wound. He hastily began to walk away. The man stopped walking when he heard a click behind him. He turned around out of curiousity to meet two blaster bolts in the chest. Those blaster bolts were followed by another five, all contacting with essential body areas. The man's eyes were wide with horror, reflecting the figure of the assassin droid.

<font color=lightgreen>Scum.<font color=white> IG-90 walked past the man, paying the dead body no heed. It entered the dark shadows, enhancing it's optical sensors. The droid had a lot of work to do in limited time.

<HR>

<font color=lightgreen>"Have you seen this boy?"<font color=white> Once again, IG-90 held up the copied Identification card. This time, he was showing it to a Twi'lek schoolgirl. The droid's optical sensors determined that this particular Twi'lek was in her late teens.

"Yes I've seen him many times before. He's in my Further Mathematics class." The Twi'lek responded, obviously showing no fear to the 2 meter tall droid.

<font color=lightgreen>"Do you know of his whereabouts?"<font color=white> IG-90 asked.

"I do know where he lives." The girl proceeded to give IG-90, Ken's home address. The droid allowed his auditory sensors to record her words. "Now...may I ask what you want with hi--?" Before she could finish the last word, the droid had disappeared down the street. The female calmly wrapped one of her lekku around her neck, and proceeded to walk away. She couldn't help but wonder what Ken had done this time.

<HR>

The droid stood perfectly still outside of the house. He was in a garden of sorts surrounded by all different kinds of plants. IG-90 was delighted to see that these people must have been even more rich then he had imagined. The droid quietly waited for the boy, or even one of his parents to arrive. IG-90 did not like waiting for others to come to him, but in this case it was necessary.

Smartly, he began to charge all of his weapons and checked if everything was in perfect working condition. The droid was equipped with the proper tools and technology to repair himself if he ever needed too. His weapons were among the newest models, and he took good care of them.

Many often pondered the thought of what assassin droids would do with earned credits. IG-90 referred to them as idiots. A lot of things could be done with earned credits. Only one month ago, IG-90 had his whole body refitted in a thin sheet of cortosis ore. It had cost him 7 bounties to pay for his armor refitting. Cortosis Ore could easily be shattered, but no one had ever gotten that close to the droid.

IG-90 gave the word superior a new meaning.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis smiled in a mock-hedonistic fashion)

Oh I don't mind...if you're privy to a half-drunk onlooker in your midst.

(Tilting back the bottle, Sanis winced, rubbing a hand through his hair)

So...what sad sob tale do you have, being kicked so far down this craphole anyways? This bar has the atmosphere of a backed up septic tank.

[Ken Jiang]

As the bourbon-drinking man spoke, Mara had, with a flick of her head had flung her long, smooth brown hair over her shoulder to take a look at him. Ken saw her measuring him with intrigue, noticing the wandering, exotic eyes of the young lady on his lap and instinctively slapped her hand which rested on her thigh. She turned with a smile and leaned forward and began playfully nibbling on his ear until he pulled away gently to continue talking with the stranger.

"What's my story?" he repeated with a smile, "Well, I just had to get away actually. I wasn't so much kicked down here, but sorta ended up here of my own accord. Believe me it's better than up there!" he said, tilting his head upwards slightly.

In normal circumstances, he wouldn't speak so much and could hold his tongue but the drink had over-lubricated his vocal breaking system and on he continued.

"It's just so difficult when so much is expected from you when your father and mother are so well respected. I can't be myself up there and as a result this happens," he declared, gesturing to his left arm held in a sling.

"I could've knocked crap outta them all over Coruscant!" Kens voice now had a tone of anger and frustration, when he realised he was saying too much and carefully diverted the conversation topic.

"And you, what brings you down here? By the way, what's your name, if you don't mind me asking."

[IG 90]

IG-90 had waited almost a full four hours for someone to arrive at the house. No one, not even a visiting patron stopped by the Jiang residence. The droid really felt no emotions but he was mad to say the least. If it weren't for countless Stormtroopers roaming the upper streets, IG-90 would murder a few people for amusement. He always enjoyed seeing the horrified look on their face before he planted a blaster bolt in their forehead. One month since his upgrade and he had not been caught for murder yet. The droid was very thorough when killing someone. It was in his programming along with a million other things.

As the droid crept across the streets, he tried to hide in the darkness of alleyways and sewer systems. As the droid descended to the lower levels of Coruscant, it pulled up a map of Coruscant. In less then a moment, IG-90 had determined his exact location. The droid was in a sewer system, that eventually led to a less respectable level of the city. IG-90 was looking for exactly that.

<font color=lightgreen>Finding this kid is hopeless and boring. I can make credits other ways. For now I will have to find some foolish smuggler with a ship, and kill them.<font color=white> IG-90 would smile if it had a mouth. <font color=lightgreen>But where?

<font color=white>Once again, the droid accessed the map. This time he searched for all possible bars and overnight facilities in the area. IG-90 studied each and used his probability systems to determine which one would have the most smugglers. One bar stuck out like a sore thumb. It was called Lola's Place.

The droid confirmed his decision and began to do a routine system check. He powered up his weapons and made sure his body had stayed clean of any "internal errors". IG-90 was satisfied when his readout produced only the best results. He raised both weapons and marched through the sewer, hoping to get there soon.

<HR>

The manhole cover made a loud clang when it hit the floor. IG-90 had used it's small blaster to move it. The droid activated its repulsorlifts and raised above the manhole. It softly landed on the street. Focusing its optical sensors, IG-90 noticed many transients staring wide eyed at him. It wasn't everyday that you saw a 2 meter tall droid exiting a manhole and marching across the street. The droid payed them no attention at all. These people were less then the scum he had executed earlier.

A drunken man stumbled up to IG-90 and stared at him, wide eyed in curiosity. The man burped loudly and dropped the bottle he held. The bottle hit the floor, and cracked open.

"What are you?" The inebriated man asked.

<font color=lightgreen>"Your worst nightmare, scum."<font color=white> The droid shot back.

In less then a second, with lightning speed, the droid's arm sprang out and knocked the man in the nose. The human grabbed his nose and began to shout in painful anger. A drop of blood trickled down to his lips. IG-90 didn't stop attacking there. He raised his blaster and shot the man once in each leg. Very painfully, the man fell to the floor, screaming in anguish. Bringing his metallic foot just above the man's throat, IG-90 stamped downward and killed the man with a sickening crush.

IG-90 was mildly irritated now. The now dead drunken man had managed to stain IG-90's metallic coverings with his blood. The droid never liked blood. It was a liquid that most needed to survive. IG-90 looked down upon others because of this. The droid was superior to everything else in every way. He didn't need any food, shelter or emotional comfort to stay alive. IG-90 knew he wasn't immortal, but he believed himself to be close to it.

The droid was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he barely noticed the cheap sign displaying Lola's Place. The droid examined it for a moment and then connected each of his blaster to his magnetic hilt. IG-90 marched forward and opened the door. He made note to act "friendly" to the smuggler whose ship was soon going to belong to him.

[Sanis Prent]

(In the back of his mind, Sanis could only fume at what the younger man had told him.

Damn Silver-spooners, they never know what they have until they don't anymore.

Sanis had grown up in absolute neglect. Nar Shadaa was every slum of Coruscant...magnified. Of course, it didn't help that Sanis' mother was a prostitute and his father was a vagrant alcoholic with a habit of making unpayable debts to Hutts. With a family scene like that, it was inevitable that he would grow up on the streets...learning the con game quite early.

It wasn't by choice at all. Coming from absolutely nothing, Sanis had searched his entire life to "make it big". It was more of a spiritual quest than an overt greed-trip. Sanis needed to feel in control of his destiny, and the best way he had learned to do so was to be the master of his financial existence as well. To hear this kid shrug it all away made Sanis silently fume.)

The name's Prent. Sanis Prent. I'm down here...searching for willing employees, lets say.

(He leaned in close)

Want some advice, kid? Here's a freebie. Take a nose full of this place. Smells like a bantha's rear end, don't it? There's a reason why people aspire for the top of the food chain, you know...to get away from this hellhole.

If you want to get out of trouble by coming down here...that ain't exactly a sound game plan. This place breeds disaster.

(Hearing the door, Sanis' eyes glance to the side, noticing a very strange individual entering the bar)

Hmmm...

(He glanced back to Ken)

I'd wake up if I were you. You never know when you might wind up floating down a sewer here.

As I said...free advice.

[Ken Jiang]

"Hold your breath Sanis" he said, then assuming the man had done so, he added, "Now if you do that for seventeen years, you'll begin to understand why I can't live like this."

Ken had an idea his reasons for being down here would be rejected by him, it was true that Ken wasn't entirely sure what he was letting himself into by being down here however he was almost certain that Sanis here, had no real conception of his predicament. And he wasn't going to go into the details of his illegitimate home, family, identity....life.

Before he continued, Ken asked Mara to pass his glass from which he then downed the contents which tasted like some crude, unrefined fossil fuel rather than liquor. He cringed slightly, closing his eyes whilst his head spun and reopened them to pass the glass back to Mara. Then he remembered something Sanis had said about willing employees.

"My names Tony Burns. So you were saying something about looking for employees? What kind of business are you recruiting employees for?"

[IG 90]

As IG-90 entered the bar, some patrons stopped and stared at him for a few moments. The droid payed them no attention, but he wasn't surprised by their reaction. Most bars did not serve droids, including the one he was in. of course the bartender didn't dare say anything to him. IG-90 was an intimidating figure, even if some considered him a pile of junk. He was able to take on 15 humans at a time, that was excluding Jedi and Sith.

His optical sensors adjusted to the lighting in the room. Like almost every other bar, this place was dark. IG-90 shuffled off to the side of the bar, examining the patrons. He would have to choose the easiest, and most foolish target.

One patron in particular caught the droid's main optical sensor. IG-90 had only seen this person in pictures. The droid searched through it's databank for a matching picture. With an internal beep, he had found something that matched with the image he had just captured. The image inside of his databanks displayed itself in his lower front optical sensor. It looked something like:

<img src=http://www16.brinkster.com/theloungelizard/sanis26.jpg>

The man was definately an infamous mercenary for hire named Sanis Prent. IG-90 saw this as an oppurtunity to steal the man's ship and collect one of the many bounties placed on his head in the Outer Rim. The droid was pleased with its findings in this bar.

A young man sat across from Sanis, near a female woman. IG-90 wondered why such a reputable mischief maker such as Prent would mingle with children. The droid zoomed in on the boy and captured some images of his face. When IG-90 viewed those images, he was surprised to say the least. The boy across the table from Sanis was the one known as Ken Jiang. IG-90 could not believe his success, and good fortune. He would make tons of credits if he properly nabbed those two.

<font color=lightgreen>Prioritizing Targets. Sanis Prent - Target 1. Ken Jiang - Target 2.<font color=lightgreen> IG-90 did a quick system check. <font color=lightgreen>Systems are 100% functional.

<font color=white>IG-90 raised his pulse cannon and sent off a warning shot at the table. The pulse beam struck the table they were sitting at and blew it aside. Every patron turned to see what had caused that. IG-90 had already killed two with an Imperial blaster rifle in his right hand. He proiritized each target as minimal danger and began to work his way to Ken and Prent, killing patrons along the way. IG-90 activated his repulsorjets and headed for the entrance. He stopped in front of it, intending to block it.

As the chaos ensued, blaster shots rang out in every each direction, killing helpless patrons. The bartender blindly shot at IG-90. The droid quickly raised its free hand and deflected the shot with deadly accuracy. It bounced back and struck the bartender in the eye. IG-90 released a salvo of pulse cannons, destroying the last two shrieking transients, leaving only Prent, Ken and the woman he was with.

<font color=lightgreen>19 seconds. A new record.<font color=white> The droid thought to himself.

<font color=lightgreen>"In the lower levels of Coruscant, no one can hear you scream."<font color=white> He cackled. The droid set his rifle to stun and pointed it at Sanis. He released a blue bolt, heading straight for the mercenary.

[Sanis Prent]

Krasst! Get down, kid!

(Sanis brought his hands in front of his face in a defensive posture, unconciously tapping the back of his right glove with his left hand. On cue, the local-area microdeflector in Sanis' glove activated, casting a field of one meter in diameter. The stun bolt deflected across the gauntlet's shield, causing an eerie blue shimmer. Using the time bought by his defense, Sanis sprinted across the bar, making a flying leap over the counter.

Rolling against the wall with a thud, Sanis cursed, reaching to his belt to activate his stronger full-body deflector. The device whirred with a high-pitched whine as Sanis unhinged the breech of his shellgun, sliding a red and a blue shell into the chambers. )

EDIT: TTT

[Ken Jiang]

Throughout the onslaught mara had shrieked and squirmed about in Ken's lap, clinging onto him tightly, burying her head in his shoulder, cringing with fright. The sequence of events since the droid had entered the bar had seemed somewhat a blur until the moment a shout from Sanis brought him back to reality.

"Kid get down!" came the voice above the ambient noise and instinctively Ken threw himself to the floor along with the young lady. The chair crashed to the floor alongside the ruined table whilst Mara fell on top of ken and he winced in pain, due to his broken arm and bruised ribs under the pressure of both the fall and the lady on top of him.

Whilst lying down, Ken noticed that Mara kept a small Syntherope Dispensor tucked into the lace of her stockings and although odd he instinctively pulled it out and in a moment he was crouched behind an upturned table which would provide a moments cover. The high intensity wire was fired upwards and wrapped around a wooden rafter across the ceiling. His arm tight around Maras waist he quickly stood after hearing Sanis dive behind the bar and threw what looked like a large nut at the droid, it struck the floor before it and upon hearing the cracking of the nutshell he turned his face away from the resultant blinding flash of light. In that instant, Ken pulled the wire as taught as possible with his restricted left hand, then holding onto Mara leapt at the wall and pushing on off it, holding onto the wire, was swung around the back of the droid where he landed avoiding the corpses.

What he had thrown, was indeed a device used to momentarily blind an enemy, be they humanoid or droid. Releasing a blinding flash of light which would cause problems for most humanoids and simultaneously releasing enough gmma radiation to distort sensor arrays for a brief moment.

Mara took the opprtunity to run outside whilst Ken ran up a flight of wooden stairs which lead onto the balcony upstairs until he tripped over a fallen stool and crashed to the ground behind another upturned table. Blood was now trickling down his lip and all the while he knew the droid had seen him scaling the staircase. He felt like he couldn't move and ached all over.

[IG 90]

It took the droid a few moments to figure out what had just happened. It began to overturn tables and everything in sight. Slowly, it's optical sensors began to fizzle slightly. IG-90 knew what was going to happen and the droid didn't like it one bit. It would have to switch to other sensors to scout out it's prizes.

<font color=lightgreen>But which prize is more important? Ken Jiang or Sanis Prent?<font color=white> The droid was angered. These humans had purposefully split up to make it's job a lot harder. <font color=lightgreen>Jiang.<font color=white> The droid figured it could go back for Prent afterwards. Besides, it wasn't that big of a galaxy anyway.

<font color=lightgreen>"Sit tight Prent."<font color=white> IG-90 switched to nasal sensors, sniffing out Ken's distinct human odor. It slightly turned on his repulsor jets to help clear the way. Finally, the assassin droid found it's way to the staircase. It quickly marched up it. Setting the rifle to kill, the droid planted five shots in the staircase, causing it to collapse.

IG-90 turned around and faced the bar where he could slightly see Sanis through frelled up optical sensors. The droid began to shoot blindly all around the bar, hoping to score a hit, even if it meant death.

Finally it turned around, adjusting it's optical sensors. IG-90 took out another rifle, now equipped with two guns. It began to look for Ken. That boy was worth a lot of credits to it. IG-90 would not let Jiang escape. Not after all it had been through to find the boy.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis now had time to recognize his attacker. If he didn't know any better...he would have been certain it was IG-88, the old infamous Imperial assassin droid turned bounty hunter. But he knew that it couldn't be. He'd seen the scrap left of the droid when Boba Fett had taken him to the junkyard. Was it possible that there were others in the production line, or perhaps this was the next generation?

Shots peppered the bar overhead, splintering wood and shattering liquor bottles. An everclear pint was lanced, causing it to burst into a mushroom of caustic flame. Rolling away from the flammable liquid, Sanis crawled a distance on his hands and knees, still using the bar as cover. Judging from the shots sound, Sanis guessed the droid had prioritized the kid as its primary target. In a way...it was almost an insult. This kid had better invent the longer lasting lightbulb, or cause galactic peace. Sanis didn't like to be upstaged.

Standing up and leveling his shell gun at the droid, Sanis smirked.)

I'm over here, rust-bucket!

EDIT: TTT

[Ken Jiang]

What the hell am I doing? Ken thought to himself as he huddeled up beind the large upturned table. It was reasonably large and was probably used for sabaac-playing, although the droid wouldn't be able to see him, Ken knew it would be a matter of moments until he was found and so, not wasting anymore time, took a small knife from it's concealed position underneath his trouser leg.

He'd noticed how frail the floorboards were on this balcony and had come to the conclusion that the only way to escape is down - theres no way he could get past that machine!

What does it want with me? he asked himself, pondering on whether or not the Imperials had realised he is an illegal immigrant to Coruscant and is unregistered on any of their records. Fearing the worst, he jammed the blade in between two floor boards and wrenched on it with all his strength - which was difficult enough despite his broken arm. There was a creaking as the blade slowly lifted one end of the floorboard upwards, soon Ken could see the rusted nails emerge from the wooden beam beneath until he finally wrenched it out.

Unfortunately, the gap was far too narrow and he could feel the floor boards on which he sat shake as the droid neared. Against his chest his heart pounded and there was a thumping inside his ears as he began to panic frantically, sweat trickling down his forehead. In desperation, Ken quickly slid his feet into the gap and under another floorboard, then leaning back applied as much upwards force on it. With one last grunt it sprung free and without thinking he lunged forward allowing the rest of his body to follow his feet through the gap.

On his way through, his shoulder was caught on one of the rusty nails in the upturned floorboard and resultantly, tore a reasonably deep gash in his skin. He cried in pain but was too afraid to care greatly about his pain and dropped to his knees underneath the balcony. Without further thought he staggered to his feet knowing that he had to keep moving however, losing sense of reason for a moment he looked at his watch and after a sharp quarter-turn anticlockwise on his chronometer the face came off. Taking it in his right hand he effortlessly attatched it to one of the supporting beams underneath the balcony floor.

Then he ran as fast as he could towards the bar where he knew Sanis was located, at least he'd feel somewhat safer there than alone. He crashed into a display of liquor bottles, toppling them, instantly smashing dousing the floor in the foul-smelling substances. His shoulder was bleeding pretty heavily now accompanied by numerous other small cuts about his body but were unimportant by comparison - for example, the fact that he was sitting in a mass of glass shards didn't occur to him.

He was breathing heavily, almost uncontrollably due to a combination of panic and exhaustion. His chest hurt with every breath, his brain pounded against his skull and the room began to turn. He thought he was losing his mind, then remembered the drink. He was in no state to evade a bounty-hunting droid and so sat with his back against the bar in a futile hope that his hunter would just forget about him. All the while, he'd forgotten about Sanis who was occasionally rallying blaster shot back and forth with the machine.

[IG 90]

<font color=lightgreen>"Rust bucket?"<font color=white> If the droid had a mouth, he would be grinning mischievously right now. Very few humans had dared to insult him and each one ended up dead, one way or another. His optical sensors zoomed in on the gun, such a strange device it was. IG-90 would have to examine it closely, after he captured Sanis Prent.

The droid activated his repulsorjets to full speed, and flew right off the balcony, taking half of a side rail with him. The droid spun around, just in time to receive a mandalorian shell, right in his left hand. At first the droid could not believe what had just happened. It watched as the hand blew off and fell on the ground with a loud clunk.

<font color=lightgreen>"Mr. Prent, you will find that those who harm me, only harm themselves. Tenfold."

<font color=white>IG-90 pointed a blaster at Sanis and began to shoot. The blasterbolts were dead on, although Sanis Prent managed to avoid them. His internal systems worked madly to change Sanis to his first priority. IG-90 knew that this man was more dangerous then the others he had met.

<font color=lightgreen>The boy can wait. I will take pleasure in destroying Sanis Prent and stomping on his brain. The foolish human may have got a lucky shot in, but it will not happen again. I am...SUPERIOR.

<font color=white>IG-90 shot at a rack of bottles above Sanis. The rack toppled over and knocked the man down to the floor. This gave IG-90 time to recharge his weapons. He turned his mechanical head, taking snapshots of the bar. These photos were immediately transferred to his internal optical sensor studies. He spotted the boy, just behind a side of the bar right near Sanis. He began to shoot in that direction, keeping another optical sensor and focused on where Sanis used to stand.

Wood chipped away from the bar counter, as IG-90 repeatedly blasted at it. He hoped that he could start a fire and kill them both. No bounty was worth more then having the pleasure of killing two menaces. IG-90 slowly lowered himself to the ground, but his shooting in Ken's direction finally stopped.

<font color=lightgreen>"Forgive me both of you. I forgot to introduce myself. I am IG-90, an assassin droid programmed to kill. Very few have I spared, and I can assure you both, no one in this bar will be spared. Meet and embrace your inevitable deaths, human beings."

<font color=white>IG-90 began to shoot again in Ken's direction. He did this while walking toward the bar counter, where the boy was hiding.

[Sanis Prent]

(Sanis took a few shots from the assassin droid, which were met in full by his personal shielding, dropping its power down to 61%. Ducking low, Sanis cursed as the droid shot the liquor shelves, causing scores of bottles to come crashing down. The bottles hurt a bit, but not as much as they might if they ignited with the everclear fire, a few meters down the bar. Cautiously....Sanis edged away from the small disaster waiting to happen, closing in on Ken's position.

He heard a series of successive thuds...which must be the droid's footsteps approaching. Gambling that the droid had changed his strategy, Sanis hoped he was closing in on him.

Standing up, Sanis again leveled his shell gun at the assassin.)

Shove off!

(Sanis squeezed the trigger, sending the blue shell hurtling at the droid)

[Ken Jiang]

A bead of sweat trickled into Kens eye as he sat curled up against the bar counter, it stung but it beared no relevance compared to the nearing thuds, there was a crescendo of explosions occuring as the frequency of shots fired increased between Sanis and the approaching droid. Sanis was nearing Ken and the floorboards beneath him trembled as each heavy step grew nearer, time was running short and Ken was in a dreadful state.

He wished he had a blaster or something though but that didn't matter now, they neaded to escape rather than fight, but how?

Then it dawned on him the light from behind the bar caused his watch to shimmer slightly and it caught his eye. He turned quickly to Sanis, getting up unsteadily into a crouching position and scrambled in on his position until he was hunched below the counter next to Sanis.

"Hey," he whispered, he had to, otherwise the droids sensitive sound sensors would pick up what he was saying, luckily the sound of gunfire was enough to drown him out anyway, "Do you think you can somehow get to the exit on the other side of the bar, the on underneath the raised level rather than the one over there? Also, do you think you're able to somehow get the droid to go in your direction?"

Sanis looked doubtful for a moment, possibly unsure at what this kid was getting at, and perhaps a combination of that and Kens slurred speach.

"Look, you can either do it or not. If you can, you gotta be quick, I will take the other way out once the droid is distracted and follows you. I have an idea!"

EDIT: TTT

[IG 90]

The shell that Sanis' blaster had shot packed a whallop. IG-90 learned that the hard way. His arms swung back, giving the bullet a clear path to IG-90's chest. The way he stood implied that he was challenging the shell. Then it hit the lower part of his left shoulder. The shell knocked IG-90 into the wall five feet away from him. His internal computer dictated that his metallic body was pushed back at the speed of 55 miles per hour.

The droid slumped down from the wall and hit the floor, hard. His gun slid out of his raised hand and hit the floor lightly. IG-90 put both stub and hand to the floor and pushed up. The droid managed to raise itself on one knee, giving both Sanis and Ken a good glimpse at what it was holding on to. It was a thermal detonator, set on Dead Man's switch. Were IG-90 to let go of the switch, all three of them would be destroyed in a blast that had the potential to wipe out a few blocks nearby.

<font color=lightgreen>"You...you have won...won...won this...this round Pr-Pr-Prent!"<font color=white> The droid's voice box was damaged. <font color=lightgreen>"I...I...I have a proposition for...for you."

<font color=white>IG-90 began an internal repair program that would have his voice box fixed and cleaned in only nine seconds. In that time, the droid managed to rest it's elbow on a chair arm. It hoisted itself up even more, managing to stand up straight. The droid's systems were <font color=yellow>67%<font color=white> functional. This was not good, hence he resorted to extreme measures.

<font color=lightgreen>"There we go."<font color=white> The droid said clearly.<font color=lightgreen> "My proposition is as followed. You hand over the boy, or none of us survives this confrontation. I am an assassin droid, trained to kill. Destroying myself does not bother me in the least, especially if I take scum like you with me, Prent."

<font color=white>If the droid had human capabilities, it would spit at Prent right now. IG-90 was running an internal system scan in an attempt to correct small internal errors. The only thing that was missing was his left hand. The droid's right-sided optical sensor took snapshot photos of the hand on the floor. If he did survive this ordeal, he would have to retrieve it and mend it.

<font color=lightgreen>"What do you say Prent? Are you feeling lucky?"