Ask Corellia Blood Sport

[Jacen Cordro]

Corellia
Coronet City
0400

Corellia the planet known for cocky pilots, shitty living conditions, and starships. Jacen stepped out onto the balcony of his hotel room and took in the undulating clouds of smog listing across the cityscape. A self-satisfied smirk adorned his face as he leaned against the railing. The spice he'd taken thirty minutes ago was starting to kick in. His chest rested against the cool metallic railing as he leaned forward balancing his gut across the bar while staring into the swirling abyss below.

Adrenalin trickled into his bloodstream as the euphoria of his mortality dared him to jump. It'd be so easy, he thought as he leaned further over the railing. He was nearly inverted at this point and smiling like a madman. He vaguely registered the burn in his biceps as they began to fail under the weight of his elevated lower half. Then he slipped.

The madman's smile was replaced by sudden undeniable horror as he felt his body go weightless as he plummeted toward the ground. Jacen threw his arms forward as if trying to push away the quickly expanding ground before him. He tried to scream but the fear was too much, his vision began to blur as tears slid past his temples. The street came into clear view and its details sharpened faster than he could comprehend. Hands outstretched, eyes filled with tears, and in his boxers, Jacen collided with the grou—

"FRAK!!!" screamed Jacen as he fell out of his kingsized hotel room bed. His chest heaved as the dream began to recede from his reality. The scoundrel was covered in sweat and as he realized what happened he began to laugh. He sat up and looked toward the nightstand next to the bed, two used vials of spice stared back at him. Jacen made a mental note to only do half next time.

Jacen looked at the chrono on the wall and sighed. "Three minutes until my alarm..." he muttered while standing up and turning it off before it had a chance to go off.

The Scoundrel showered and dressed. This was his first time on Corellia, and he hoped it wouldn't be his last, but of course, that all depended on how the fight went tonight. He'd been planning this job for months, if he managed to pull this off he'd be one step closer to his goal. After all, you can't start looking for a crew until you have the ship, right?

@Logan

 

[Vesper]

_____________________

Coronet City was one of those places where the people who were from there loved it, and people who visited couldn't quite understand why anyone would want to live there in the first place.

Vesper was firmly in the latter camp although she knew there was definitely a good time to be found if you knew where to look, and today that was exactly what the young Jedi was looking for.

For the past hour or so Vesper had been in her hotel room, flipping through the holonet channels just to kill some time before heading out. She'd heard there was going to be some sort of fight tonight and Vesper was nothing if not a sucker for watching two people beat the shit out of each other for the screaming adoration of random fans.

Walking out of her room, Vesper was dressed in some casual clothes that would let her blend into the crowd. She had her lightsaber tucked into a secret pocket in her jacket but was otherwise unencumbered by much - outside of some cash in her pocket.

Walking down the hallway, Vesper couldn't help but almost crack up when she heard some guy on the other side of one of the doors suddenly curse loudly. Sounded like either really good sex or he'd been watching swoop races and just lost his ass to the house. You could really never know.

The fight was taking place in the hotel, down in one of the sub-levels. Vesper had heard it could be tough getting past the bouncers but she wasn't too concerned. Pretty women didn't normally receive the same hassle as your average schmuck.

Just as she figured, Vesper was granted access without much of an issue. Her first destination was the bar on the opposite side of the area from where the fighting would take place. She ordered a double Corellian whisky, no ice, and it arrived in short order.

Turning around, the young Jedi surveyed those that had begun to gather, a playful smile creeping into the corners of her lips. Tonight seemed like the perfect night to make some terrible decisions.

@Zay

 

[Jacen Cordro]

Jacen stumbled toward the elevator on his floor feeling the remnants of his inebriation recede from his mind. The hallway’s decor was tinged in amber hues through his aviator glasses which hung low on his nose. His hair was perfectly unkempt and pulled back out of his eyes and he sported a five o’clock shadow. A black and crimson short sleeve two-tone tunic was draped over his lithe frame and tucked into a pair of black trousers. His left wrist was adorned with a sleek looking wrist comm that hid the lynchpin to his entire plan.

Jacen knew security would be tight, fight crowds were rowdy, championship fight crowds were dangerous. So he decided to leave his weapons on his ship. He felt naked without his guns, but the brass knuckles hidden in his boots would have to suffice. The elevator ride was uneventful but as the duel doors slid open the cacophony of voices reinvigorated his hangover.

The Scoundrel pushed his glasses higher up his nose, took a deep breath and stepped into the maw of sarlacc. The Corellian Boxing League was a planetary goldmine and anyone who was anybody on the planet would be in attendance including the current CEO of CEC. Crix Garm took control of CEC three years ago and has established himself as a charismatic philanthropist that has gone to great lengths to improve the work conditions of his employees. His efforts have not been missed by his partners, and while PR is at an all-time high, profits have been at an all-time low. Garm was a man of honor and pride, and that would be his downfall.

Jacen flashed his ticket and entered the arena and immediately made his way to the bar. Music played over the PA system and sentients of all shapes and sizes filled the room. Excitement permeated the space between him and the rest of the crowd and it was invigorating. His self-satisfied smirk settled on his face and he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a cigar. He lit up and took a couple of puffs as he reached the bar. Jacen settled in next to a tall blonde with ripped jeans. He took a second to discreetly admire the figure she was attempting to hide then ordered a double Corellian whiskey straight.

“You a fight fan?” he asked her as he lifted the whiskey to his lips. He found his smirk mirroring hers as he laid eyes on her through his amber lenses. The Scoundrel had time to kill. He was meeting his contact here was more than happy to spend a little time talking to a beautiful woman. Hopefully, the distraction would help his anxiety.

@Logan

 

[Vesper]

_____________________

"Yeah, I guess maybe a little bit," Vesper replied to the stranger. She'd noticed him walk up and noticed the drink he ordered. A man after her own heart. Eyeing him coyly, Vesper couldn't help but notice the cigar that hung out of his mouth. "Smoking'll kill you, ya know."

Truth be told Vesper didn't really mind smoking, but it was the first thing she could think to say to send a little flirtatious vibe and keep the conversation from stalling out on simple pleasantries. "Was thinking of putting some creds down on a bet but I usually have terrible luck. Who you got in the fight? The last time Vesper gambled for real was back at the orphanage on Taris, rolling homemade dice with the other kids, betting their desserts or chores.

Without really noticing, Vesper had manged to finish her drink. Turning around to the bartender, she ordered another and waited for it to arrive. The place was starting to fill up as more and more patrons arrived. The air was getting that electric feeling as the anticipation floated off of everyone like sweat from their pores. The force was alive in this place but in a different way than Vesper was used to. It was exhilarating.

Catching her new drink as the bartender slid it towards her, Vesper decided to do something impulsive. Grabbing Jacen by the hand, she would start to lead him towards the fighting area. "Better grab some good seats while we can," She said, the playful smile pulling at the corners of her mouth again.

@Zay

 

[Jacen Cordro]

The Scoundrel's smile widened, "A little? You're at a championship match and you only kinda care? I think I'm falling in love." She retorted with a jab about his current vice and he laughed while enjoying her coy smile.

"We all die at some point, why worry about the cause," he shot back with a cocked eyebrow and a coy smile of his own.

The beautiful blonde asked his opinion on the fight card and he took a minute to chew on the question. He loved to gamble, he'd also rigged numerous bets in his favor when he was a swoop racer so he had an intimate understanding of professional sports and the money that dictated their outcome. The fight card was stellar and each of the human combatants lined up to compete tonight were animals in their own right, but there was one fighter in particular that stood out from the rest.

"I'm not much of a gambler," he lied, "...but if it were me, I'd put money on Zane Galla," he said after a moment of contemplation.

Galla was a former gladiator. Life in the galaxy is rarely kind, but in Galla's case, he'd had to literally fight tooth and nail for any semblance of freedom his entire life. He had a savagery that your average professional fighter lacked because he'd spent his early years fighting for his life, not prize money.

"If you win I will expect some sort of recompense for my consultation," he said playfully.

She finished her drink and ordered herself another, "Throw that on my tab please," he said to the bartender without taking his attention off of her.

"Lastname on the tab is Callen right?"

"That's right."

To his surprise reach reached out and took his hand. He allowed her to take his hand, but as she began to turn away he gave a little tug and pulled her in with the grace of a ballroom dancer. In a single motion, he closed the space between them standing well within her personal space. He tipped his glasses down revealing his baby blues and took her in. He'd mistakenly assumed she was human, but her pale complexion and platinum hair told him otherwise.

Jacen appreciated banter over most things in life. Finding an interesting person to talk to was almost as valuable to him as a good plan. Deciding he wasn't ready to lose this connection he said, "I'm Jay, and who, if you don't mind me asking, do I have the pleasure of flirting with?"

The familiar feeling of being watched sent the sensation of pinpricks up his neck, breaking his focus from Vesper long enough for him to identify the source. With a quick scan he spotted his contact, a lanky Ardinnian named Brath. A satisfied little smirk settled on his lips as he returned his gaze to Vesper asking, "How'd you like to place your bet and come with me to a party?"

Jacen pointed out the bookie closest to them and encouraged Vesper to place her bet while he spoke with his contact. Once she was out of range he looked at Brath and said, "Okay, so how hard will it be to get all three of us in?"

@Logan

 

[Vesper]

_____________________

The stranger who called himself Jay was a bold one, that was for sure. Vesper couldn't help but let herself let out a little squeak of surprise when the scoundrel twirled her like they were in the middle of a Tarisian waltz, but when he dropped his glasses and flashed those mesmerizingly blue eyes, her initial defensiveness melted away in an instant.

"I'm Vesper," She said with a smile, her own blue eyes - more of an electric with tinges of gray compared to Jay's classic baby blue ones - locking onto his for a moment. There were a lot of people in the galaxy that would have lied about what their name was when talking to some stranger in a less than reputable cantina, but Vesper was never that kind of person. Plus, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why, she felt like Jay was trustworthy and trusting her gut was something Vesper had learned to do quite often.

With a shrug, Vesper looked over at the bookie. Fishing around in her pocket, Vesper pulled out a handful of credits and flashed a smile at Jay. "A party sounds like a great idea. Maybe winning a bet won't be the only way I'll be getting lucky, hm?"

Vesper usually wasn't a super flirtatious person but she just couldn't help herself tonight. Maybe it had something to do with the whisky warming up her belly or maybe it was just that Jay was one of the most beautiful people she'd ever seen, or maybe it was none of that and it was just one of those nights people wished they had when they were bored and alone. It didn't really matter what it was, it felt right to Vesper.

Walking over to the bookie, Vesper pushed a good chunk of the credits she'd brought and put them all on Zane Galla. Truth be told, Ves didn't really know shit about betting or hell, even the fighters going at it tonight but Jay's advice seemed as good as any. Making her way back over to Jay she noticed he was talking to someone, a little hurried and a little hushed.

"So where's this party?" She asked, looping one of her arms around Jay's. Vesper let her body press closely into Jay's, feeling a sense of comfort even though he was just a stranger. Hopefully her gut feelings weren't going to betray her tonight.

@Zay