Ask Obscurity

[Thel Xeros]

Aduba

Thel looked around the grotty cantina. He was sat in a small corner booth, giving him a clear view of the entrance and the bar. It was like most cantinas. Poorly maintained, dimly lit and frequented by patrons of dubious repute. Given the planet’s proximity to Hutt space, he was sure that the latter was even more of an issue than at other cantinas.

He looked down at the bourbon in front of him. He rarely drank, and when he did, he preferred wine. Unfortunately, there was no such luxury here. Still, he needed a small drink; bourbon would have to do.

He had recently encountered his old apprentice, Param Vour. The search to find her and apologise had given him a purpose. Now that was done, he felt directionless again.

He brushed some dust off of his robes. At times he did see some absurdity in the life he had chosen to lead. He had been a prominent member of the Sith Order and had accumulated wealth in his previous life. Now he barely had any possessions to his name and lived in obscurity. He would remind himself, in such moments, why he had chosen to leave and then stay away from the Sith Order. He steeled himself, as he always did. Sighing, he looked down at his drink and then took a sip. He grimaced after swallowing it. Not very good.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash seldom came out near Hutt space without one of her buddies. However, as her training progressed, she was feeling more confident in her abilities. Despite training to become a Sith, she had that wild desire to take out Hutt warlords in power and free the slaves that were sold into trafficking. It wasn’t exactly a cause she could run by the Sith Order, but it was one she could execute on her own. She wouldn’t approach it like a Jedi would - she wanted to make some people suffer.

The twi’lek walked into the cantina and took a seat at a corner table. She was tailing a henchman to a local slaver that was getting shipments of girls from Hutt space. Word had it that a bunch of them were going to be moved to this planet as a stopping point before they got sold again to the Core or Corporate Sector for rich politicians and executives. The thought made her sick, so she thought she could mess things up before the transaction happened.

Not even thirty minutes later, a group of Rodians walked in along with two Trandoshans. Right away the other patrons grew quieter and spoke in hushed whispers, clearly afraid. One of the Trandoshans walked towards Thel, glaring at him, “You’re in my seat,” He said gruffly, “Move.”

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel took another sip of the bourbon. Definitely an acquired taste. He still had the entire bottle sat on the table, next to his glass. Doubt I’ll finish all that. Looking up, he realised that something was different. The room suddenly seemed quieter. His eyes were drawn to a group near the cantina entrance. The group was made up of Rodians and a couple of Trandoshans. Trouble perhaps? He noticed one of the Trandoshans start to move in his direction. Looking down at his drink, he waited for them to come over.

The Trandoshan’s tone was threatening. The sort of tone that implied that they would put Thel’s head through the wall if he didn’t comply. Usually, Thel would back down in these situations. It was the easiest thing to do and avoided the possibility of him drawing attention to himself. However, recent stresses meant he wasn’t feeling as tolerant as usual. There was a more unpleasant reason as well; one that made him uneasy. Even though he was trying to change, his old self was still there. It would be all too easy to slip back into his old ways. How dare a common thug insult me. He tried to push the thought away, but he wasn’t succeeding. His old self, the Sith master who had killed so many without so much as batting an eyelid, stirred.

“Did you hear me,” the Trandoshan snarled. “Yes, I did,” he replied, his voice sharp. Not moving from his position, he slightly adjusted the thumb and index finger of his left hand, focusing on the Trandoshan’s throat. The force coiled around the Trandoshan’s throat, causing them to choke. They lurched down onto one knee, struggling to breathe. “Take my advice, sit somewhere else,” he hissed quietly to the Trandoshan. He slightly moved his index finger and thumb, releasing the grip. The Trandoshan collapsed onto all fours, desperately taking in deep breaths as they coughed and spluttered. They slowly got to their feet and retreated back to their group. Maybe they got the message.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash blinked in surprise as she saw the Trandoshan start to choke and drop to the ground. Being trained as a Sith, she knew exactly what that meant. Her gaze flicked over to the man’s hands, immediately spotting the curl of the fingers and signs of Force use. What was a Force user doing out here? And based on the trick he used, it was definitely a Sith. Why hadn’t she seen him before?

She finished her drink before she decided to approach him, doing a vibe check to see if he was going to get irritated with her. When it was clear he was just chilling, Nash took a seat next to him, “You’re a long way from the academies,” She said simply. Either he’d catch her meaning or he wouldn’t, but she was going to test the waters out.

Kaldar had been instrumental in helping her bust the last slave ring, and maybe this guy could be convinced to help. Sith didn’t care about saving slaves, but she could make a case about killing the slavers for a benefit of some sort.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

Thel kept an eye on the group as they opted to sit at a different table in the cantina. At least the Trandoshan was sensible enough not to try and come back. They might try and jump him when he left the cantina, but that wouldn’t end well for them.

A short while later, he noticed another figure approach him. Not another one. He briefly looked up at them as they moved to sit down. He didn’t remember seeing them in the group with the Trandoshans. They were a red skinned Twi’lek with piercing blue eyes.

When they asked their question, Thel’s face remained blank and he continued to look down at his drink. Inside, his mind began to race. He had no desire to encounter a Sith. Did they recognise him?

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re referring to,” he said calmly, looking up at the Twi’lek.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash knew the man was blatantly lying, but she wasn’t the type to pry. Everyone had their reasons, “Aight, my bad, I thought you were someone else,” She said simply, “Have a good evening!” She threw back her drink and glanced towards the group of thugs that tried messing with the not!Sith. After a few minutes, they got up and prepared to leave and Nash decided to follow discreetly.

She didn’t cast a second glance at the older man, focusing back on her mission. Nash stepped out into the dark alley, keeping a fair distance behind the group. One of the men in the group matched the profile of her target, but she couldn’t act just yet.

She took a few more steps before a large trandoshan abruptly slammed her against the wall. Nash was so focused on the target that she completely missed someone sneaking up on her. She was about to call the Force to attack, but he already had a rag to her face that promptly made her collapse. As a twi’lek she was flagged as a prime target for trafficking and she would be transported along with the very women she was trying to save. The Trandoshan started dragging her limp form towards a nearby cargo speeder as discreetly as possible.

@DMCK

 

[Thel Xeros]

“You too,” Thel replied, staring down at his drink. Maybe she believed him. Part of him was tempted to quietly slip out of the cantina when he had the chance. However, he wondered if the Twi’lek was with someone else. He waited to see what she would do.

A while later, he noticed her get up and move towards the exit. Keeping her in his peripheral vision, he waited until she was near the exit before following. As he came closer to the exit, he noticed one of the Trandoshans he had seen earlier follow the Twi’lek out.

Stepping into the alley, he saw the Trandoshan advance towards the Twi’lek. Quickly ducking behind a dumpster, he watched to see what would happen. Before she could get much further, the Twi’lek was grabbed by the burly Trandoshan and slammed into a wall. He remained hidden, observing as the Trandoshan grabbed her limp body and started to drag her away.

He was tempted to walk away, but something inside him compelled him to step in. He crept up on the Trandoshan, as they dragged the Twi’lek’s body. “Hello,” he whispered. As the Trandoshan turned, he pressed his hand against its head and used the force to stun it. The large reptilian staggered backwards, its senses scrambled, before collapsing to the ground. Thel scanned around to ensure that he was unseen, before propping the Twi’lek up against the wall.

“Are you ok?” He stood up and looked down at the Twi’lek. With her unconscious, he had another chance to walk away, but he felt he should at least make sure she was alright.

@Sreeya

 

[Thel Xeros]

As he stood over the unconscious Sith, he suddenly felt a pang of regret at his decision to hang around. He was naturally cautious and should have left earlier. Taking advantage of the time he had, he retreated into the night. The unconscious Sith would no doubt recover and be fine.

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