Quick Stop

[The Emperors Hand]

She tugged her gloves off and threw them on the table. The smuggler was tired. Four stops and a month alone in hyperspace with nothing to do but listen to music and make money wasn't the bad part. Getting fresh food and drink were and it was about time that she edulged herself.

The last time that Mara was here, nothing too interesting had happened. She liked it that way. Hopefully it would remain as such. Coming here wasn't her first choice but there wasn't anything really that closer in this part of the outer rim that seemed ideal. Alot of being pass through here and maybe she could make some money before heading off.

Emerald eyes stayed alert incase Skywalker was around. Their meeting on Dagobah didn't go as expected and now her focused path had strayed. Was everything that the Emperor sent to her in a hellish nightmare a lie?

The redhead still had no answers and the nightmares continued. Finally she settled in her chair and ordered an ale ... her eyes and ears were opened, always alert and always cautious.

[tracesha]

:: He had stopped her on a recent trip from Munto Codru to Ord Mantell. The hyperspace travel was long and tedious and required several exits from the confines of the high-speed conduits for reacquisition of destination. There was no simple single jump path from his point of origin to his point of destination.

A stopover was a good change from the doldrums of being aboard the ship for such a long period of time. Food and drink were plentiful here as was the possibility of running into an interesting personality or two.

Thus far the evening in the establishment had been rather uneventful, but something had just occurred that caught his attention. A human looking woman had just entered the bar, looking much as he thought he himself did when he first arrived, tired and space travel burnt.

The thing that caught his attention first and foremost was the color of her hair. It was red, and Trace had a little of a thing for redheaded women, though recently some things had come up that gave him cause to settle in his womanizing ways and be content with the red headed Sith whom had only recently returned to him.

At first glance he thought this woman might be her, but that thought quickly faded once he was able to see her weary and hungry looking face. It wasn’t Arriana, and that fact left him somewhat disappointed, but nonetheless, he was interested in knowing more about this woman. Being a womanizer isn’t something that one gets out of their blood and habits so quickly.

She looked like a woman who could handle herself in the most notorious of bars in the universe, she had a ragged and wise aura and in the way she carried herself. Would she even speak to him he wondered?

He made his way to the bar where she had just placed her order and tossed some credits at the barkeep. ::

“Hers is on me.”

[The Emperors Hand]

There was one person that seemingly was interested in her. His emotions fluctuated from surprise to disappointment quickly. She was not the person that this pale human was looking for which releaved her somewhat. After that small shootout at a Bestine tavern, Mara had enough excitement for a week covering her tracks up so the Meris that tried to swindle her was eating spacedust.

With his perceptions not met, Mara was hoping that would be the end of it but no ...

She watched the coins hit the counter. The barkeep looked at her with a raised brow, wondering the same thing this human was. Would the redhead accept the offered drink?

Mara could say no and be done with it, not having to worry about unwarrented questions or assumptions. Or, she could get a few free drinks and keep some credits in her pocket.

A tickle in the back of her mind screamed that this guy was Sith and to be wary. Her instincts told her nothing would happen and perhaps she could get some information out of him. He didn't look stupid by his dress and manner and Mara still had her true identity a secret.

Two fingers plucked a credit from the table as she inspected it. She took note it was originated from Ord Mantell.

"To what do I owe the honor?"

[tracesha]

:: Before he could answer her, a pair of Gamorreans walked by, both whispering to each other and one of them brave enough to slap a grubby hand across the woman’s backside. Apparently they had been daring each other or something of the sort, and the one who had just done the deed was now being handed something by the other.

It infuriated Trace that anyone could be so rude as they just had, and this was compounded by the fact that he was rather drawn to this woman and her hair color. He was known for being quite the ladies man and knew that the one he had been seeing recently, if she were to find out about him flirting with another woman would have something quite sinister in store for him. Because that was what he was doing, even without really realizing it…flirting in his own way.

The fury at what had just occurred built up quickly, before the woman could do much of anything but spin around, the pair of Gammoreans were sailing out of the bar, tossed by an unseen force, the credits they were exchanging being dropped just as they were lifted.

It wasn’t that Trace didn’t think she couldn’t take care of herself, he was just disgusted and it exploded into reaction, though almost all present would have no clue what had been the cause of the pair’s sudden flight that ended in a loud thud as they struck the doorway headfirst and then rolled out into the street unconscious.

Trace chuckled slightly at what had just transpired and turned to the bartender ordering another round of drinks for the pair of them, then he turned to the woman. ::

“It is only that I am honored by your presence, Miss.”

[Morgan Evanar]

Normally, a Jedi would have interefered. But while what most would consider overreacting, it wasn't without reason. Morgan sipped his coca and continued by the table, only glancing at Trace momentairly.

It was damn good coca.

[The Emperors Hand]

With her tongue in her cheek, Mara chuckled a little and looked at Trace.

"Honored? Like those Gamorreans were honored and with sincere intent whisked them away because of that?"

There was a disturbance within the Dark Folds of the Force when Trace drew upon its power. Considering then skill and power that was used, this Sith was one with great power. Mara was sure of it before but now it was confirmed.

"Chivarly isn't dead I see because by the look in your eye, you knew that I could handle that."

She picked up her free glass of Ale and saluted him.

"To what do I owe the honor of a Sith helping me?"

[tracesha]

:: He shuddered briefly at what she said. She was much more insightful than he had first believed her to be, but then he was allowing his libido to guide him and not his mind. Had he used his mind, he would have ascertained that she too was a force user, but he didn’t bother with it now either, she had made that plain and there was no real reason to be intrusive at this point.

He had shuddered at what she called him though, and he would explain, but….he looked from side to side and could sense the presence of many lightside users in the establishment, though none seemed to be paying a great deal of attention to himself and the woman, so he decided to answer, but in hushed tones. ::

“Please, I do not like the barbaric labeling of Sith, I was one at one time, but I have become much less single minded in my beliefs and actions than to be simply classified so, as for my helping, lets just say that instinct took over. A woman should never be treated such as you just were.”

:: He lowered his chin to his chest, after he finished speaking, what he had just said did drip of his being egotistical and quite confident with himself and what he was about to say may be a good explanation to some as to why he was that way. His voice remained subdued and somewhat quiet. ::

“I am Prince Trace Sha, heir to the throne of Ord Mantell. It is good to make your acquaintance.”

:: As he finished speaking he raised his head and looked her in the eye expectantly. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

She peered at Trace and then was lost in her thoughts, trying to put pieces together. Mara was dead on about Ord Mantell but a Prince? The use of language and mannerisms suggested a well to do background but even one as herself could not have figured that out. Although... the pale skin and distinguished features that were seemingly familiar ... it was a line that she had heard of but never met.

"A Sha. Now I'm impressed. Your family is entirely made up of Sith's yet you claim not to be. I had heard about Dark Jedi rising on Vjun..."

Looking down at her glass, she half-grinned.

"Of course I don't want to go there and find out if that was right."

[tracesha]

:: She was full of guesses and her guesses were certainly close, but not quite on the mark. Trace wasn’t at the point where he considered himself a Dark Jedi either, but he was leaning in the direction of exploring their order and investigating if it were the right choice for him. He did however still think himself far above the simple and barbaric moniker of Sith, but he had no need to explain this all to her.

His head nodded as she spoke of Vjun. He himself had a personal means of not being harmed by the harsh climate there and had visited the place on several occasions, but again that wasn’t something he needed to explain. ::

“Vjun is a very uninviting place with a history that touches many.”

:: Came his reply, trying in his own way to feel out the emotion he could hear in her voice as she mentioned it. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

Neither a yes or a no from this Trace Sha. Mara wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Either he was a Dark Jedi and didn't wish to give himself away completey or he had yet to come to full terms with his beliefs.

Mara Jade was an odd Force user. She could tap into the Light and the Dark while she served her Master. It was because she obeyed and fulfilled the desires of the Emperor and putting what she wanted aside. The Hand was an invisible being that reached where the Emperor's influence could not.

At least Trace was on his way in finding his beliefs where Mara was still trying to find something to believe in herself...

But Vjun ... it was a place that she had visited herself. A horrible planet to reside in but a great many lessons to be had there. The Emperor had trained her there later in life.
Showing her the power that the Dark Side of the Force had to offer. How she could become as invisible as the shadows themselves and how to block the endless songs of the ghostly inhabitants that dwelled in Bast Castle.

It was there she was shown how fear could be used as a weapon against your opponent ....

She didn't realize that she was grinding her teeth in memory of that painful lesson and blocked it out quickly.

"Really? I wouldn't know..."

The redhead turned and half-smiled at him.

"... do you?"

[tracesha]

:: The look in her eyes after he made his statement about Vjun told tales far above and beyond her few words. It seemed that she may indeed have some history with the foreboding world, where in times past Vader and his Master had been in at least part time residence, but she was not telling the tale her eyes betrayed.

It seemed that neither of them was too willing to share much of themselves with the other. Not really surprising considering they were strangers who had just et in a strange place. Such things probably wouldn’t change anytime soon.

Yes, Vjun did have significance to him as well. It had been the place where he had done battle with his brother for the first and probably last time. A battle which left Trace changed for the rest of his life.

The bartender brought them each fresh drinks and Trace paid once again, using the credits collected from the two haggling and snickering Gammoreans, when they were so suddenly whisked away.

Instead of reaching for his glass with his hand, he unconsciously reached out and drew it from the couple of feet away on the table, to his hand, via use of the TK field that had been a result of his experience with his brother on Vjun. It was a subconscious use of the ability spurred by the thoughts of the past and its origin. It had always been within him, but his brother’s final attack had brought it out and imprinted the spirit of his cursed saber in his brain, making the TK ability more pronounced and powerful than it should have been at first use.

He sipped from his drink and avoided her question, mush like she had avoided his. ::

“Care for something to eat?”

[The Emperors Hand]

She laughed inwardly because this conversation was too amusing. Both of them had a gift for avoiding each other's questions yet knew more about each other then would let on. Mara was definitely enjoying herself and spending more time with the enigmatic Trace sounded like an excellent plan.

"Yes, thank you. I've been living on rations for a week now. One does get sick of space jerky."

[tracesha]

:: A rare sight was then seen upon his pale face. The king to be of Ord Mantell smiled, then raised a hand to summon the bartender. ::

“Bring us copies of your menus.”

:: He requested, before turning back to the woman with whom he had been playing this little game of dance around the issues. ::

“Sounds like your ship’s supplies are not what I would consider adequate?”

:: He said with a questioning tone.”

[The Emperors Hand]

She shrugged.

"I've been out doing business for some time now. Supplies get run down and then jerky it is."

The bartender slipped two menus before the two of them and Mara picked one up. Her emerald eyes sighed on their own just by looking at what she had been missing on, which was confirmed by her stomach.

Her eyes shifted to Trace's as they peered over the menu.

"See?"

[tracesha]

:: Once again a smile worked its way onto his countenance. This was rare indeed, but it didn’t surprise him. Women had a way of making Trace forget his troubles and actually enjoy himself, especially those of red laden hair. ::

“Order whatever you wish milady, I will pick up the tab.”

:: He said with a nod, not placing his own order until after she had done so herself. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

Trace was warming up to her but it wasn't unexpected. Mara had many facets to her personality that was required for her duty. Some which were quite pleasing to the male gender...

Her eyes scanned the menu briefly.

"This Jedi stew is suppose to be good. That and a side of bread. Oh ... and another Ale since he's buying."

She smirked at Trace before folding the menu and giving it to the bartender.

[tracesha]

:: The bartender looked at Trace questioningly and Trace nodded, handing the man his menu. ::

“I’ll have the same except for the ale. Make my drink Vodka neat.”

:: He dismissed the bartender and looked back to Mara with a grin. She knew his name but he did not know hers. It wasn’t really much of a surprise with how secretive she had acted during this entire encounter, but it was a disadvantage he was at, but he had done well enough in his efforts with her, not to cause her to leave, so he was pleased. ::

“Been to this place before have you?”

:: He posed to her, wondering how she came by the information that the stew was good. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

"Hmm ... vodka man."

She leaned towards him and chuckled lightly.

"Defiantly a man of sophistication not wanting to drink the choice of scoundrels."

Mara had a gleam in her eye as she said that, resting an elbow on the table.

"And yes ... I've been here before. It's a nice stop from where you were to where you're going."

[tracesha]

:: His deep brown eyes caught hers and seemed to light up at her mention of sophistication. He smiled and nodded in response to that. ::

“It is my first time stopping here. Our ship needed some slight repairs while en route to my Castle.”

[The Emperors Hand]

That sentence carried more then he was letting on in this entire conversation.

Mara simply quirked a brow and asked.

"We?"

[tracesha]

"Referring to nothing more than the servent that I brought along with me."

:: He neglected to mention the nature of this servant. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

"Of course, how silly of me. That makes sense."

But her instincts told her otherwise. She had felt that Trace was looking for someone when Mara had entered the room, and then that feeling sharply changed into disappointment. That someone on the ship most likely meant more to Trace then he was letting on.

A pleasant smell filled her senses and looked down to see the bartender put two steaming bowls of stew in front of them, along with a fresh Ale for Mara and vodka for Trace.

"Well, it looks edible."

[tracesha]

:: For a few fleeting moments after he had answered her, he could see the figurative wheels turning in her head through her eyes. He was quite curious to know more about this woman himself, but had already gathered that she was a very secretive one. She appeared to be very elusive when it came to speaking much in detail about herself, even in vague detail.

He shrugged it off in his mind without any body language to convey it and reached for the glass of Vodka, lifting the container of clear sharp liquid to his lips and taking a healthy drink of it. It wasn’t quite as good as Mantell Vodka but it was decent enough. ::

“Their drinks aren’t too bad either he said.” :: As he picked up his cutlery. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

She stabbed at chunks of various edibles and ate slowly. Mara wanted to savor this food because it would probably be the last good meal she had before going back to Mrykr ... unless something else came up.

Checking her chronometer, she had about another hour before her ship would be finished loaded with fresh supplies. Her face scrunched up when she was trying to chew on a tough piece of meat. When she finally was able to swallow, it took a few swings of Ale to get the sucker down. A most unpleasant feeling it is having a big ball of food slowly go down your throat.

"Ale's good ... food tough."

She said in a raspy breath.

[Garik Loran]

Eying the two young travellers from a table within earshot, Garik took notice of the attractive redheaded smuggler. More so however, she took notice of the man her converstaion was intended for. The swirling of emotions emanating from him was a maelstrom of pain and woe. These were the emotions of the Dark Side.

"I shall have to get used to taking my meals in the proximity of my enemy in this place it seems. Odd indeed, but not unpleasant."

Garik forked another bite of Sluissi pie into his mouth and sat thoughtfully.

[tracesha]

:: Her comment made him linger with his cutlery a little longer, somewhat dreading the fact that the food he would be eating wasn’t up to excellent standards. He was rather picky about what he ate on most occasions, but he would bear this somewhat substandard meal to be polite to the hosts and his present company. The last thing he wanted to do was draw undue attention to either himself or the woman. ::

“Wonderful…”

:: He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, just before his spoon clinked against the bowl and he began to eat. She was right, the meat was tough, but the vegetables were well blended and the broth tasted good. All in all it wasn’t so bad.

He washed down what he had eaten with another swig of his vodka and ordered them another round of drinks. ::

“Where might you be heading?”

:: He asked curiously, expecting to either not get an answer at all, or one so vague it wouldn’t be considered an answer either. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

The smile on her face was wide as she looked at Trace, pointing the fork at him playfully.

"Why? You think you might happen to be going in my direction?"

[tracesha]

:: He did his best not to let his eyes show his surprise. Wasn’t he the one supposed to be using pick up lines? ::

“No, I was just curious, but if you may need some assistance of some kind…”

[The Emperors Hand]

She sipped at her ale in triumph over catching Trace off-guard. Mara's only interest in him was enjoying the conversation and free food. People like her were solitary creatures... relying on oneself and making very few friends. Doesn't mean that her serious demeanor couldn't be brought down a few notches so she could relax and of course gain information...

"I'm returning back home..."

Picking up her fork, Mara started working on her food again... trying to eat the edible vegetables first.

"... unless some opportunity comes up so I can make a little more cash."

[tracesha]

:: He hadn’t eaten much of the stew, but he had eaten his fill. He pushed the bowl of to the side and raised his glass in the bartender’s direction so as to get his attention for a refill.

The woman was still being illusive, but this was a little more than he had already learned. He at least heard what could possibly be a motive for her trip, but it could also be a misdirection intended to make him more comfortable with her. ::

“Cash and your possession of it are a problem for you then?”

[The Emperors Hand]

She dropped the spoon into the almost empty bowl, watching it spin once around the edge. With a quick wipe of the napkin, Mara's lips were free from left over broth. Tossing the napkin in the bowl, not caring that it was soaking up her leftovers, Mara also motioned for her drink to be refilled.

"No ... not short on cash. Just in the middle of things right now."

[tracesha]

:: Each of them now had fresh drinks and their bowls had been cleared from the table. Trace raised his glass in front of him motioning it towards her. ::

“Here is to your success in finding some thing”

:: He didn’t even wait to see if she would respond by raising her own glass to his before he drew it back and took a drink. HE then set it down. ::

“I’m actually seeking something myself, something for someone I know.”

[The Emperors Hand]

She raised her glass to Trace's, tapping it on the side, before taking a lengthy drink. Mara licked the ale from her bottom lip and half grinned.

"Well, maybe I found that something. I''m good at locating things ..."

Mara turned her stool around so she was facing the open room, resting her arms on the counter.

"... for a price of course. I doubt you're interested, I mean ... you do have the Force and all."

[tracesha]

:: He leaned forward and spoke quietly next to the side of her head. ::

“But my face brings me trouble in many places I go. It may be easier if I get some help in this endeavor….from someone who isn’t a known criminal.”

[The Emperors Hand]

She had to smile at known criminal. If he only knew...

"Well then ..."

Mara kept her head forward and her voice down.

".. what would I be getting you and for how much."

[tracesha]

"I don't think this is the best place to discuss such details."

:: He said as he looked around warily. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

She gave Trace a wryer grin.

"I know but I didn't want to be the one sounding so cliché."

[tracesha]

"So, if you are interested in being employed by me then we shall take this discussion someplace where there are less ears to overhear."

:: His drink was almost empty and he lifted the glass to his lips after speaking and proceeded to finish it’s contents. He raised a hand as the barkeep started to approach, waving him off. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

Mara slipped out a blank data-pad from the folds of her green cloak and handed it to Trace.

"Give me some coordinates to meet you at."

Her hand covered her drink, informing the barkeep that she too was not going to be needing a refill.

[tracesha]

:: He took the data-pad and his fingers moved over its surface, never looking as if they actually touched any of the keys, but when he handed it back to her, she could see that he had input some coordinates alright. Coordinates that resolved to an isolated asteroid field not all that far from where they were now. ::

“That will suffice?”

:: He said with a questioning tone. ::

[The Emperors Hand]

She sighed inwardly. Mara hated asteroids but if that was where he wanted to meet so be it.

"Fine. Meet you there in two standard hours."

Mara finished her drink in one gulp and dropped few credits on the counter as she stood up. She bowed her head slightly.

"Been a pleasure, your Highness."

Tightening the cloak about her, Mara left the bar and headed to the landing pad where her ship, The Jade's Fire, was waiting.

[tracesha]

:: He nodded as she said her farewells, and took her hand before she departed. ::

“The pleasure was all mine milady.”

:: He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it then bowed his chin to his chest. ::

“Until we meet again.”

:: He sat back down at the table not wanting to draw attention to himself or her by leaving at exactly the same time. Several minutes later he stood and left the establishment. ::