[IC] Star Wars: Eclipse [Casual Advanced]

[The Canadian]

Star Wars

Eclipse

Coruscant
Chancellor Valencia's Office

The elevator door opened to a long hallway of red carpeting and lavish decor. Idonia walked down the long hallway smiling at all who she passed, hiding her true feelings beneath. The Chancellor didn't normally call her for confidential meetings, not to mention cancelling a Senate meeting. He was a confidential man but meetings with her were normally not very formal as they'd grown close constantly working together against the pirate forces that had plagued the Mid-Rim planets the last few years.
Taking a deep breath she walked through the office door and was met by an overpowering feeling of pain & suffering. The door closed behind her as she gazed over to the Chancellor who was standing away from her, looking out of his bay window overlooking the Coruscant skyline. Beside him was a young Corellian Senator she did not know by first name, but recognized her. To her right was the Chancellor's secretary; a young Rodian girl who was fairly naive, but loyal to a fault. The Chancellor turned shortly after the door to his office shut and his faced was tense, and the muscles in his cheeks pulsed.
She approached the desk and bowed slightly to him and the two others, and they respectfully returned the bow. They looked distraught which made the feeling in her gut feel even worse. The Chancellor raised his head and took a deep breath; his eyes were bloodshot and he had bags under his eyes. He hadn't looked this bad for a long time, if ever. Valencia was a Veteran of the Republic Military and had seen some things in his time, but nothing rattled him like this at least to Idonia's knowledge.
"Have you spoken to anybody about this?" he asked her.
"No, I haven't said a thing." she replied.
"Anybody?" he shot back at her. She shook her head in response assuring him of her honesty. He stepped toward his desk and put his finger to a button on a holo-projector. He stopped and glanced up at her.
"Let it be made clear that this cannot be shared with anybody. As far as anybody knows, there has been a distress call from Ryloth. That is it." he said with a stone face. Everyone agreed waiting patiently for the message. He pressed the button and the message began.

The message was fuzzy but everyone could make out a young Twi'lek man and he looked as if he was royalty. Though the images were blurry Idonia could immediately sense the fear and panic in the man's face. He began to speak but many of the words were not intelligible. She could only make out a few words but could not put any sentences together. After a few moments the man turned slightly and let out a blood curdling scream which made everyone flinch. Following the scream a red blade slashed across the screen cutting the man's torso open and knowing him down, followed by another which cut the message instantly.

Nothing but the electronic sound of the holo-projector could be heard emanating throughout the office. Not even the sounds from outside could breach their ear drums which were ringing with heat. Nobody wanted to speak, but they all knew what they had seen especially after they all could see the shock on Idonia's face. She had seen some troubling things in her time as a Jedi but this changed everything. It wasn't the man's fear and it wasn't the man's death necessarily that shook her. She had been taught her whole life never to assume anything but she felt everything was quite obvious. It was the last thing she ever wanted to admit, but she did. It was a Sith.

[2b3heart]

Zeshla was in an old, rundown building located in Lessu, the capital of Ryloth. She had been stationed out her for sometime since business had been slow and the Sith had no jobs for her at the moment. At the moment, Zeshla was having dinner and watching the events unfold around her. She watched things through the eye of the force, feeling instead of actually seeing. Her meal consisted of gruuvan shaal, funge-bread and some cold izzy-mold to wash it all down. She tried to be careful when indulging in alcohol, but izzy-mold was quite good. The twi'leks were on to something with it.
Zeshla leaned back in the rotten old chair she was sitting in. She began to think. Maybe she should get her own place on Korriban or maybe in a nearby system. Shaking her head with a laugh, Zeshla took a sip of her drink. A Sith can't just settle down. Besides, she loved travelling, meeting new people, killing new people. She was starting to like Lessu. The people were nice and spying was a breeze.

[Vulkan]

Lilam's fist smashed into the chest of his sparring partner, cracking a rib and completely knocking the wind out of him. To his acolyte opponent's credit, he brought his training saber down on the pureblood's head, only for him to nimbly dodge to the side and crack his own saber over the back of the acolyte's head, sending him crashing to the floor. He hadnt hit hard enough to kill him, although he would be suffering from the mother of all headaches for the next faw days. Or so.

There was a sharp intake of breath. Several dozen other acolytes stood in a circle around the pureblood and his opponent, their eyes transfixed on the broken acolyte on the ground. Lilam spun his saber around, before dropping it to the ground in boredom.

"Anyone else want to try their luck?"

No one answered.

"Typical." He said, poking the prone body of his opponent with his boot. "Someone get me a new sparring partner. Maybe someone who isnt a useless acolyte. I promise that i will try not to break the new one." Saying that, he sat down, while the acolytes around him began to leave. The ones that didnt leave, he gave a piercing stare to, to hurry them along.

"Ugh...i cant stand being cooped up in his hole for any longer..." he thought, taking his head in his hands. If he didnt get a decent fight soon, he was going to scream...

[Sohtem]

The sound of lightsabers clashing filled the area around the two whose orange and green blades were crashing into each other, one of them being a female Zabrak, the other was a young male Human. The blades crackled as they continued to make contact with each other repeatedly.

“That all you got master?” The young, brown haired man said.

“No, but I don't wish to hurt my student.” The red haired woman taunted back to him.

Quickly his blade went to hers again, rapid clashes as crackles were continued to be heard and minor sparks came off as the blades were pressed against each other. The Zabrak using the Soresu combat form to deflect his blows with ease before using a small amount of her force power to push him away onto his back as he slid against the ground a little. Though he didn't stay down for long as he got back up and the charged her once more, this time with rapid attacks of the Juyo form, though it wasn't perfect and currently was a little sloppy.

“You really shouldn't rely on that form, Zeall.” She spoke to her student, right away noticing how much more aggressive his attacks were.

“Why Master Sasari? Afraid I'll best you this time?” He grinned as he continued with his assault.

“No, because of this.” She simply spoke, curving her blade around his and then kicked his feet from under him, his blade flying in the air for a moment before being caught by the Zabrak and then pointed it at her student that was on the ground.

“Alright alright, you got me Master.” He spoke with a small smirk as he raised his hands.

Sasari turned off his lightsaber and handed it to him as she helped him up.

“How do you always beat that form? I was sure that I had you with it.” He added as he brushed himself off and then returned his saber to his belt.

“It's because you were still a little sloppy with it for one and two is that you shouldn't really be using that form, it's very aggressive, something that the Sith favor.” She responded back to her student.

“What? It's a good form, besides, plenty of Jedi before me have used that form,” He answered back, a little defensively.

“Yes, but it's been rare and only by Jedi Masters, not to mention, if it's sloppy, like with yours, it can become a weakness.”

He had a slight look of irritation on his face and responded with, “What? Are you saying that I won't master it or that I'll fall to the dark side if I continue to use it?”

Sasari placed her hand gently on her students shoulder, “Relax Zeall, that's not what I'm saying at all, all I'm saying is you shouldn't revert back to that form when your opponent has the advantage, such aggression is what Sith meet with and if your form isn't mastered, it can easily be turned against you and I don't want to see that happen to my student.”

Zeall let out a calming sigh, “I know master and I'm sorry for raising my voice, just...I know I can master that form, it just feels so natural when I use it,” He spoke back to her as he began to calm himself down.

“I know my student, I just want to guide you on the right path and teach you everything you need to know, that is my job as your Master.” Sasari responded back with a gentle smile.

“So...do you think I'll get to do my trials now? I know that I'm ready for them, I'm ready to become a Knight of the Jedi Order.” He asked in a hopeful manner.

“Not quite yet, but soon, I promise, you still have a few more lessons to learn.”

Zeall exhaled as he heard his master, “Seems like I'm never going to get to do my trials, didn't your Master give you your trials at my age?”

“Well I was a little older than you when I took them, but my Master saw in me that I was calm, level headed and planned out my actions, right now you're still so eager to become a Knight and whilst that's good to strive for, you still need to learn patience. This isn't a slight against you, you're still just young, but you'll be ready for your trials soon, I just don't want to get your hopes up and say you can take them, only for the rest of the Council to deny you the chance.”

“But your on the Council, couldn't you convince them that I'm ready for my trials?” He asked, hoping to bargain with Sasari.

“I might be able too, but if they sense that you're not ready, they will think I might be biased with you rather than objective, do not worry though, you're closer to being able to go through your trials than you think and I promise you that when you do take them, there will be no doubt in my mind that you'll pass.” She spoke with a smile.

Zeall lowered his head and smiled a little, his Master always knowing the right words with him and he understood Sasari's position, she was on the Council, but she couldn't just simply convince the others to do one of her requests.

“Alright then Master, how about round two?” He smirked to her as he drew his saber once more, the bright green blade extending out of the hilt.

“I guess being beat by your Master once already isn't enough for you.” She bantered back as her orange blade extended from its hilt, the two taking a stance as they got ready to spar again.

[Amelian Draco]

Alxle

The Hopefull sat the orbit of Courusant. The ship belong to Alxle Dee, senator of one of the planet's moons. Inside a handful of senators relaxed in a lounge. Where as they would normally be bickering over politics, as of the moment the lounge was silent. Just moments ago the chancellor had sent a message, cancelling the meeting they where meant to join. Alxle sat facing the group, he had worked with these fellow senators for many years. Normally the short flight to Courusant would be filled with laughter and a small amount of drinking, but now the room was tense. Eventually he sighed and spoke to the group, "I'm shore everything is fine, maybe the chancellor's heath is simply getting to him." He didn't believe his own words, but the others seemed to relax a little. The chancellor would have continued the meeting even if he was supposed to be on his deathbed. "For now let us return to my estate, there we can enjoy the rest of the night." He stood and left for the cockpit.

Once is the cockpit he told the pilot to return home. He could have used the coms to tell the man, but Alxle wanted to send a message requesting a meeting with the chancellor. The chancellor had been there for Alxle when he was at his worst, it felt right to at lest check in on him. Sitting in a chair next to the communication computer, He began to record a the short message.

Dear chancellor, I would like to request a meeting tomorrow to discus current events, Alxle Dee

After sending the message he sat back in his chair, his hands together with his chin sitting on his thumbs. Something else might be going on, and if it was, he wanted to know what it is.

---

Bejo

Bejo sat in a mandalorian dropship with a small squad of recruits. The republic had hired them to clear out a group of pirates that had set up on an old mining station in an asteroid. Bejo had figured this would be a good chance for them to get a bit of live combat training in. The coms came on for a moment, the pilot stating that they where only a few moments away from the asteroid. Deciding now was a good time for a little pep-talk with the recruits. He stood before them, "This will be your first taste of battle, your first chance for glory. Even though these are just mire pirates, within every fight there is a chance for glory. Be smart, be strong, and GLORY FOR MANDALOR!" As he finished his words the ship landed in the hanger of the mined and the doors opened.

Jumping forward, Bejo opened fire at the pirates. They had set up some form of sloppy defensive position to try and hold them off. Two other drop ships joined them, each one had a veteran while the rest where recruits. Bejo traded fire with the pirates, while slowly moving from cover to cover. Pulling out his termo detenator, he tossed it over to the pirates. A moment later it went off, destroying a good portion of their line. He then pulled out his vibrosword, and gave the command to charge as he rushed the now disorientated pirates. Some pulled back farther into the station, while others stood and fought.

He vaulted over a cargo box, and brought he blade down on the pirate on the other side of it. One pulled a short sword and charged his left, while another came from his right side. Bejo kicked the one on his left in the chest, then ducked and rolled out of way of the other one. Turing he slashed at the man's leg. As the man fell to a knee, Bejo punched him the face. Other mandalorians had now joined him, and most of the defenders are ether dead or farther into the station. Waiting a moment to give out orders. One squad would wait in the hanger to make sure now of the defenders got around them, while the rest would continue onward.

[guineamania]

"And sir I can say it was a pleasure doing business with you. The Red Star will note your loyalty," Aura smiled, shaking hands with the 'businessman' that had ordered the transport of some form of weaponry to Ryloth. There had been no complications and for once Aura was pleased it was a simple drop and pay; excitement is all good but she had just come out of a long job where she was being shot at everyday. It was nice to be able to chill out and rest of a bit. Aura sauntered back to her ship taking in the many races running around the space port. It was time to be heading back home.

As soon as she sat down at the console, a message popped up on her holoscreen. Another mission, and so soon as well. It must be urgent if they didn't even want her to debrief on the delivery. All it said was "Stay on Ryolth. Something is about to occur between the light and the dark, we need you involved." Aura's brow crinkled as she read it again. The Red Star Alliance usually chose to stay out of the way of the Jedi and the Sith when they fought, why did they need her to get involved now? But she didn't question the orders, she just pulled her blade back on her back and picked up her blasters. There was always information at the Spaceport, it was time to find out what was actually going on here.

[Trigani]

Korriban
Sith Academy

A drop ship containing several new students to the Academy was coming in slowly. It dipped slowly towards the ground, banking to right. The ship's wings folded up to avoid the numerous statues and pillars in honor of the late sith lords that used to roam the galaxy. As the ship landed in the clearing, its loading ramp slowly unhinged. As the ramp tapped against the ground, students quickly moved out. As their eyes looked about, they noticed what they flew over was also an architectural dig site. Sith ruins were being dug up, especially tombs. These students kept moving, a shadow was cast across the barren valley, offering some protection from the blistering sun. Although, the wind wasn't so kind. It stirred up sand, causing breathing to be difficult. The students managed to make it to the stairs, which the climbed up. As they crested the top of the steps, a dark figure stood before them, guarding the only entrance into the Academy.

"Stand forth!" The dark figure shouted through the bellowing wind. Beside this figure, was a hairy beast. It was noticeable taller and held a bowcaster, as if it was ready to open upon the students. The students made a circle around the figure. "Reveal to me, reveal to me the medallions you have earned or rightfully taken." The figure continued to say. A vast majority of the students took out their medallions and showed it to the cloaked voice. One student failed to do so, for they either didn't earn it through exceptional skill in the force or their aggressive negotiations with another student has severely failed. The clocked figured seemed to glide towards the student, whom was a Kel Dor. "Where is yours? Hmm? Did you lose it in this wind? Is it in the sand, huh?" The figure questioned. The Kel Dor looked down, away from the voice, shaking his head no. "Where is it? Do you need help finding it?" The figure's voice seemed to get vexed as it asked more questions. After a short silence, the Kel Dor finally answered "I crossed battles with another and lost." There was a tongue clicking sound that came from the hooded figure. "You lost.. to whom, may I ask?" The Kel Dor pointed to the Twi'lek across from him.

The wind stopped, the shadow that was cast from the Academy seemed to produce a higher temperature. The air seemed thick. The hooded figure extended his arms out and as he did, light sabers flew to his hands, almost like clockwork. In a flash, the sabers erected. One was a beautiful blood orange, whilst the other was a deep crimson red. "Feeble!" The voice shouted with such rage that was capitalized with a quick slash. The Kel Dor's head fell off its shoulders, the body leaned forwards and then collapsed. "During any quarrel, you show no mercy, you show no quarter!" the hooded figure shouted as he turned to the Twi'lek. It tried to defend themself, but it was no use. The Twi'lek screamed in agony as lightning was hurled towards it. It collapsed just as the Kel Dor, except smoke danced off the body this time.

After this quick interruption, everything went back to normal. The hooded figure unveiled themselves. "My name is Val Archanius. I am an instructor here at the Academy. I will show you the true ways of the Sith. This big, black and hairy beast is called Shorevge. You will show him the same respect as you will show me. If not, I will not hesitate to let him beat you senselessly with your own arms." Shorevge made a sound similar to a dog growling and someone gargling mouth wash, which was probably him agreeing with the previous statement. Val continued "In the coming days, you will learn true power. For those of you who have medallions." Val kicked the head away from him as he walked in the circle. "You are now considered Apprentices. You will be put through many trials. Enter the Academy and your Masters will find you. I sense greatness in many of you." He said as he looked at several students in particular.

The students trickled into the Academy, leaving Val and the Wookiee alone in the courtyard. Shorevge watched his Master. Val stood looking out upon the dig site, unmoving. The Wookiee called for Val, asking him what was wrong. "There is something dark in the galaxy. Something is happening. I can feel it, but as I try to chase it, it manages to elude me. Yet, there is great light around it. Ready the ship and bring it around, I will inform the others of my soon-to-be absence." Val ran his fingers through his hair, exhaling heavily as if a great weight fell off his shoulders. He shuffled in the sand to turn to the head. He snorted a bit with laughter. The Wookiee came close to Val, ruffled up the Sith's hair and left to enter the Academy, leaving Val smirking.

[Cleopatra]

A turning point in the force, is what many Jedi and Sith would call it. The gears were once again turning, and the inevitable conflict between Light and Dark was about to begin anew. Indeed, the very fate and shape of the galaxy was about to change. Perhaps, Empires and nations would rise and fall. But in the end, for the people occupying this seedy Corellian station, it just meant good business was ahead. But then, they were more than ignorant of the force. While the station itself was quite expansive, it was known as one of the shaddier Corellian space ports in the system.

And it was quite hard to be considered seedy even among other Corellians. A den of smugglers, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and privateers. It was one of the many expressions of the underworld across the galaxy. The main meeting place was the large bar- the main attraction of the station if you wanted to get a job done or be hired for one. As it just so happened, Corellia was also the first planet to intercept the transmission coming from Ryloth. While the travelers and ownership typically had no reason to monitor stuffy and boring Republic communications, the information was leaked out regardless. Not to the general public, of course- but to Darth Morifal, the one who had put the mole into Corellia in the first place. Sympathies for the Preservationists were quite high in places like Corellia- it was always a planet with a rebellious streak within the Republic, and event went so far as to have its own military forces. Greasing the hands of a few key players wasn't too hard here. Anything could be done with a lie, money, or a combination of the two.

So, The Emperor has decided to wager. Lets see what the Republic can do, then.

The information itself wasn't particularly encoded in any complicated manner. Anyone who happened to be monitoring for communications into the Corellian system could've easily gotten it and decrytped it without much issue. Rarely would anyone have a desire to do such a thing, but it wasn't unheard of. That'd work well enough as an excuse for knowing this. A bounty hunting mission requiring the monitoring of communications in case the target tried to call in buddies. That'd work perfect for cover if anyone asked about this.

Situated in one of many large tables across the rustic bar, Morifal began to prepare a message to someone who had connections with the Senate. They could pass along the message to a Senate member, and in turn contact the Chancellor. There was no doubt that the Siths destruction was now the top priority of both the Republic and Jedi Order. Thus, reaching the Chancellor directly was foolhardy and rather pointless. She doubted he would take any personal calls from anyone less than another Senator or Jedi with urgent news. Further, she doubted he even read messages from random people across the galaxy, no matter the content.

She downed the rest of her glass of Keela. The Sith composed a short message in her datapad, which would be forwarded to Senator Dee by her contacts within the Senate.

• To: Alxle Dee, Most Esteemed Senator of the Galactic Republic
• From: Callista Maral, Legendary Mercenary and Defender of Kalista IV
• Subject: Your excellency, the Republic is currently set for a crisis. A transmission was received from a certain world in the Outer Rim recently; there is reason to believe a dire threat to the Republic is gathering its strength there. The Chancellor has already most likely received this transmission. It is likely that he intends to investigate this evil before it can harm the Republic and the people it protects. However; while sending the Jedi is viable, they will be vulnerable without Republic ships and soldiers to escort them. Sending a Grand Fleet or even small force of Republic soldiers will likely force the enemies hand immediately, before the full extent of what is going on is revealed. This information could be critical to the future of the Republic. As such, I would like to assist the Republics excursion to this planet by providing them private military services so that the Jedi are not without support on whatever mission the Chancellor and Jedi Master sends them on. While a Republic Fleet would immediately be recognized, private forces could easily pass as smugglers and be ignored. This could give the Jedi a chance to investigate the full scale of the threat against the Republic. If you do not believe this message, then trust in my capability to get it to you in the first place. If that is not enough, ask the Chancellor himself. While I am a Mercenary, I don't want to live out my retirement years in a galaxy full of war.
  
  It is imperative that you act quickly- This decesion may well decide the course of the Republic for years to come.
  
  If the Republic even remains.

@Amelian Draco

[CorpusMundum]

Tuek Barlowe walked through the crowded Corellian streets, three of his men in tow behind him. All three were in their full enviro-suit, each interwoven with armored plates akin to the one which their captain wore. He however went without his helmet, but as always he wore the same heavy leather greatcoat. His countenance was as grim as always, his sunken eyes glancing back and forth as they moved past the throng of people. It didn't take them long to reach their destination, some simple dive in the midst of the city. The corsair captain looked back to one of his men, a rather unamused scowl on his face.

"Are you sure this is the right place Wells?"

One of the crewmen noded eagerly at his captain's words. "Yes sir, this should be the right place, at least that's what the message said."

"Alright then, if you're wrong or this is a trap, you'll be docked pay on the next score." Tuek growled, though in truth he had no doubt in Wells' information. Tuek had made sure to read the message himself, along with the most senior and well trusted members of his crew. He believed that it did indeed seem like a chance to make some legitimate pay, and the rest agreed. Piracy may lead to glory and wealth, but in the legend he was to write he would be both hero and villain. The thought of his name and the names of his men being told around fires or to children as they lied down to bed brought a small smirk to his face. Infamy was a sure path to immortality, but deeds of heroism would paint him as more than some bogeyman.

He forced these thoughts from his mind as they entered the bar, the same look of grim determination taking its place once more. It took them a few minutes to search through the place and find their possible employer. In truth Tuek was surprised by what he saw. She was a petite woman, and an utterly unassuming one as well. Still he did his best to be civil, this was about business after all.

"You're Maral right? Heard stories about you, gotta say it'll be good working with someone like you. Name's Barlowe, I heard you're gathering a private fleet for some republic scuffle, right? I have a small fleet of my own that I'd like to commit to the effort, in exchange for fair pay of course."

[guineamania]

Aura had been speaking with some of the lowlife hanging around the bars at the Spaceport and it seemed there had been an attack on Ryloth royalty so the guards were on high alert to try and find those responsible. But it couldn't just be a simple assassination attempt; the Alliance wouldn't be getting involved if it was just a coup. The Sith and Jedi must have been in some way involved but as far as she could find out there wasn't a Jedi presence on the planet and the Sith wouldn't do anything so brash. Or would they. This could be the start of the next war ... the the Red Star needed to choose a side.

Aura stepped into a shady diner to get more information and actual food. He attention was first drawn to the Twi'lek in the corner. To normal folk there wouldn't be anything special about her, but Aura knew a soldier a mile away. She was taking everything in around her and calculating in her mind. Aura walked past he taking a closer glance as she walked to the bar. The Twi'lek didn't look any different and didn't seem heavily armed but looks were most certainly deceiving. Aura took a seat at the bar and ordered a meal and beer without really looking at menu. "So annoyed, I've got a delivery to make and the guards have grounded me!" Aura exclaimed, louder than she needed to, to the barkeep. "Seems like they are hunting for a killer or something? Heard any rumours?" she asked the barkeep as he poured her beer.
"Nothing specific but it seems there has been an attack on the royals. All the officials seem real flustered though," the barkeep shrugged.

[Subject Zero]

“I don't believe it.”

The expression on Pak Surindam's face was priceless. Eyes wide, mouth agape. The color drained from his skin in shock. He stared at the sabacc deck in front of him, desperately looking for some explanation for why he lost. “You cheated!”
His opponent didn't even look at him, the wide brim of his hat covering his face. Eventually the automated Sabacc dealer droid spoke for him. “There was no cheating, sir. All players are monitored for--”
“Shut up!” Pak yelled at the droid. His jaw started to quiver in annoyance as he stared at his silent opponent. As his anger peaked, he quickly stood and slammed his hands onto the table, kicking his chair out behind him and knocking over a passing Chadra-fan in the process. “You tricked me. You hustled me!”
There was a low grumble from beneath the brim of his opponents hat. “Those are a lot of excuses...” he said in a surprisingly deep and rumbling voice. “But maybe you lost simply because you suck at this.” Bob lifted his head to finally look at Pak with a toothy smirk on his face. “Hand it over.”
Pak's face tightened with his lips restricting to an angry thin line. His eyes remained wide however. No longer in shock but in rage. Bob knew what was coming but remained perfectly still. Pak reached over the table in an attempt to grab the smug little annoyance but quickly regretted it as his head was slammed into the table with such force that he momentarily forgot where he was. Rouke, Bob's faithful companion, held Pak by the arm and head as the semi-conscious loudmouth groaned in pain with his face planted in the table.
“Oh my!” said the sabacc droid as several other onlookers either gasped or laughed. Pak was well known around these parts for being a loud, obnoxious thug. He was a gun runner, a slave trader and an altogether unlikeable guy. So seeing get his ass handed to him by a burly fella in a hood brought more than a few smiles to those who knew of him.
Bob only sighed as he pushed himself up from his seat and onto the table. The Kushiban casually strolled across Pak's back until he reached a datapad attached to his belt. Bob pulled it out and flipped through a couple of things until he found what he was looking for. “Ah” he said with a smile “There you are.” A few seconds later, he had all but completed the transaction on behalf of Pak. All he needed was his new friend's thumb print on the document. He strolled back along Pak and onto the table, stopping at the end of the arm Rouke was holding. “Sign please.” he said.
“Screw you!” Pak tried to yell with his face still shoved into the table. Bob saw Rouke roll his one good eye before pressing down on Pak's head. “OW! OW! OW! Alright!” Pak complained as his thumb popped up.
Bob pressed the pad against Pak's thumb and smiled at the completed transaction. He wanted to do this the legal way to minimize later complications. He held the pad up towards the sabacc droid and asked “Verify?”
“Yes sir” replied the droid in an annoyingly chipper voice “All bets are final and enforced by the casino.”
Bob let out a rare chuckle as he patted Pak on the head with his datapad. “Pleasure doing business with you Pak.” He jumped off the table, grabbed a drink as he went and said to his partner “Come on Rouke. Let's go see our new ship.”
Rouke finally released Pak with a grunt and followed after Bob.
Pak slumped to his feet, holding his arm as he yelled after the pair “I'll get you for this, Bob! You hear me? Watch your back little--” He was cut off as Bob finished his drink and tossed the glass over his shoulder, catching Pak in the forehead. Pak mumbled something incomprehensible as he swayed for a second before dropping to the ground.

Standing in the hanger on the outskirts of Lessu, Bob stared up at the ship he had just won. The Horizon was an impressive ship. Much better than Pak ever deserved. Bob may have felt bad for taking it if Pak wasn't such a deranged scumbag. But it would serve it's new owner well. Bob had been thinking about upgrading to a larger ship for some time now. The Trailblazer, Bob's starfighter, had served him well but there simply wasn't enough room on board for Bob, Rouke and whatever bounties they brought in. The Horizon definitely had enough space and would even allow them to haul the trailblazer along in the cargo hold. Though Bob would prefer to have the Horizon modified to allow the fighter easier entry and exit. It would do for now though.

Bob took a moment to stare up at his partner. Neither Bob nor Rouke were big on words. They mostly communicated in grunts. But Bob felt like actually speaking this time and informed his companion with a wide armed gesture “Well, Rookie...Welcome to your new home.”

It was easy enough to load the Trailblazer into the cargo hold before Bob and Rouke launched the Horizon. They didn't leave Ryloth however. Instead they simply relocated to another hanger on the other side of the city. Bob knew that Pak would likely attempt some kind of retribution so it didn't make much sense to stay where he could find them. But the Kushiban wanted to make sure the Horizon was shipshape before leaving the planet. Informing Rouke to take a look around, Bob himself dived under a floor panel to check out the inner workings of the ship.

The Horizon