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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 22:03:25 GMT -5
It was almost like Taris. Almost. It had slums, it had illegal civilians and tenants - why, it even had corrupt doctors and dealers in the Cantinas, along with the slimy Hutts that would try to squeeze as many credits as they could out of those silly enough to enter an agreement with them. Even the name was similar. The Coruscant Underworld. The Taris Lower City. The Taris Undercity.
So similar, and yet so more advanced. There were so many new medicines now, too; back in his era, the Republic and Sith had been forced into a mutual agreement pact on Manaan for kolto, the most powerful healing source in the galaxy. It was a big thing to keep the peace between the two, since Manaan had been and still was the only natural source of kolto, but now...
Well, now it hardly mattered. Now that had 'bacta', or whatever it was called; something that was obviously more powerful than kolto was or had ever been. And that was just one of the changes. The style of weapons, for example... he didn't even want to go into that one. Suffice to say that he was... well, not adjusting; not yet. He was... settling. Settling here, among criminals and outcasts and people he could relate to. Sort it. It was hard to talk to people about things he didn't know about, after all, and here he was... not very knowledgeable, to say the least.
He knew they were in a war. That was obvious by the whispers of the people, and the gloating of contract jobs on both sides of the conflict. Spies were everywhere, they said, and even the Jedi were fighting now.
He had laughed when he heard that. The Jedi? Fighting a war? He remembered when the Jedi Civil War had first broken out, and the Jedi had forbidden fighting. They had been nearly exterminated by the end.
It appeared as if they had rebuilt themselves once again.
Sliding his drink across the table, Ulic Aratech let out a slight huff, his eyes taking in the patrons of the Cantina he was frequenting, the rock bottom of Coruscant.
Another similarity to Taris. The rich on the top, the poor and desolate on the bottom.
How... fitting. A paradise in the loosest sense of the world.
But it was the only familiar thing he had. |
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 22:14:20 GMT -5
Aayla blinked slightly and frowned. She hated having to go down to the underworld to get information on possible threats to the Republic. She hated it mostly because of their mentality of her. Being a twi'lek made her a prime target for harassment and people not having any feeling of being intimidated. She disliked the stigma that came along with her race. Slaves, hussies, and the like. Why couldn't she be viewed as someone who was important and above that stereotype of her race? Why? It was all because she was that race. It was something she would never be able to get out from under. Her Jedi peers respected her and she figured that was all that mattered.
Aayla made her way into the Cantina and looked around. Her hazel eyes had to adjust to the lighting or lack there of. She pursed her lips and felt the eyes all over her. She knew the men and even some of the women there were looking at every ounce of her body. One of men got up and came over to her. He grinned and licked his lips.
"Hey there pretty thing. How's about you and I go in the back and get more familiar?" He waggled his eye brows at her. Aayla's face quickly turned to a scowl and she grabbed his wrist.
"You'd do best not to hit on a Jedi." She flipped him and the Cantina turned their gaze from her immediately. Aayla scoffed at the man and moved to the bar. She was looking for someone who could give her the information she so desired.
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 22:22:58 GMT -5
A Jedi...?
Ulic glanced up, his movements casual; to look up quickly, like the others around him, was practically begging for trouble. He did not know how things worked in this time, thousands of years in what was supposed to be his future, and he doubted Jedi appearances were regular, if only from the way some of the patrons shifted uneasily away, hoping to avoid what they perceived as trouble. They were probably right. In his experience, where Jedi went, trouble followed, usually in the form of assassins. Or people like him.
A Twi'lek Jedi. Rutian.
Ulic's hands clenched around his glass, and he forced himself to calm down; nothing good ever happened when he got angry, as things halfway across the room had the unfortunate tendency to smash and shatter as an outlet to the frustration he didn't allow himself to show otherwise.
She looks like Nalan. Yes, Fate, I hear you laughing at me, you schutta.
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 22:31:51 GMT -5
Aayla walked past Ulic and then stopped for a moment. She made it a point not to let him know she was looking at him. The female turned towards him and looked at him straight on now. Her hazel eyes studied him for a moment before she shook her head. This couldn't be the guy she was looking for, could it? Aayla perished the thought and went to continue walking. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and allowed her thoughts to clear. The twi'lek went to start and try to read the minds of those around her. Perhaps it would allow her to target the very person she was looking for.
Aayla opened her eyes after hearing his thoughts and turned to him once more. A look of calm yet concern was on her face.
"Is there a problem?" Her accent was rather thick. Her hand went to hold onto her saber hilt as a precaution because being down in the Underworld was dangerous for a Jedi, let alone a twi'lek one.
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 22:41:12 GMT -5
Ulic pushed himself away from the counter, his head feeling rather... fuzzy, as it usually did when a Jedi read his top thoughts. Ilsa had tried that, once, and he had fought harder than he ever had to keep her from reading their familial connection. It had been the last thing he'd wanted her to know.
After all, how did a citizen immersed in a large criminal ring tell a Jedi that he was her brother?
Glancing up, he met her gaze steadily after taking in the lightsaber hanging at her side. He let out a breath. It appeared the Jedi were an predictable as ever with their weapons; it didn't look as if they'd changed at all in the past... Oh, really, that was just unacceptable - he didn't even know what year it was.
"No problem," Ulic replied, his tone neutral, as per usual. But there could be one echoed in his mind, and he knew she'd be able to read it. He had no need to cause a scene here, though; drawing attention to himself was not something he was prepared to do just yet.
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 22:55:25 GMT -5
Aayla stared at him and frowned. She released her grip on her lightsaber cautiously and made sure to keep her eye contact with him. The blue female continued to keep reading his thoughts and knew he was ready to cause a problem.
"There's no need to cause an issue." She assured him. Aayla saw he was clearly startled and perhaps there was something more going on with the man. The twi'lek was intrigued and wanted to know more. The question was, how to get more information out of him? She figured if she presented herself in a manner that was less threatening and more friendly, he'd be willing to speak with her.
"I'm Jedi knight, Aayla Secura, and you are?" She extended her hand to shake his, in hopes he would realize she meant no harm.
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 22:59:54 GMT -5
"That depends on why you're here, and why you're asking. And you're making my head hurt. I'd appreciate you retreating from my immediate thoughts." As if to prove his point, the Bounty Hunter/Smuggler (really, he was sort of a Jack of All Trades) winced pointedly. "Pardon the unfriendly response, but in my experience, Jedi bring nothing but - well, you've heard it all before, I imagine. There's no bounty on you lot now, though... the Exchange seems to have disappeared completely. But, I suppose you are talking to me for a reason." He raised an eyebrow, an amused expression flickering through his eyes, though his expression remained the same as ever - completely neutral and unreadable.
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 23:19:20 GMT -5
Aayla frowned and pulled her hand back to her side. She could tell this man wasn't going to respond to her well. The twi'lek made a note in her head to keep an eye on this one.
"I apologize. Yes I have heard everything about Jedi. We're peace keepers though. You must understand that...and why would there ever be a bounty on us?" Aayla looked rather confused by what the man was saying. It made no sense the words he spoke. She was even more curious about him now than she was before.
"You're saying things...that honestly make no sense to me...." Aayla had no reason to hide her confusion and it probably was pretty apparent anyway.
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 23:25:32 GMT -5
Ulic's eyes flashed with bitterness for a moment, but he merely shrugged and shook his head, brushing strands of blonde hair from his face as he did so. "Of course it wouldn't make sense. I guess they really are gone, then... the Exchange, I mean. Surely you've heard of it in your Jedi Archives?" He shook his head then, threading his fingers through his hair. "But it's all ancient history to you, isn't it." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "I am sorry if I make no sense to you, though, Jedi. It is not my intention to... hamper you in any way. So ask your questions and I will answer, though I can also guarantee that I will be of no help..."
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 23:32:16 GMT -5
"I have heard of it. The exchange that is." Aayla responded and looked rather stunned at the fact that he knew about the Jedi archives. She thought that only Jedi and Sith knew of holocron data. This made her very suspicious of the man.
"You seem lost to me..." Aayla spoke rather softly as to not have everyone around them hear. Perhaps this was the exact man she was looking for. The only thing Yoda told her was to look for a man who did not belong. It made no sense to her but it was slowly coming together that this man was what Yoda possibly meant.
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 23:34:58 GMT -5
Ulic smiled then. "The largest criminal syndicate in the galaxy. They wielded more power than the Republic ever did, and some say even more than Malak did at the peak of his terror. I'm assuming he fell to the saber of a Jedi like yourself, or perhaps even my stubborn sister and her motley crew," the Bounty Hunter said idly, shaking his head. "As for being lost... Yes, I am lost. So, so lost..."
ooc;; Blah, short post, I apologize.
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 23:40:37 GMT -5
"Malak existed quite a long time before I ever did." She looked at him and was even more suspicious than ever. This man had to be exactly what Yoda was talking about. The twi'lek moved to take a seat at the bar because by this point her feet were starting to ache from standing.
"May I ask, how lost?" She looked at him concerned but also with great interest. Everything he was saying was proving to be more and more what Yoda had spoken of.
"I'm unsure if he did or did not. Malak that is. I can not tell you for certain. He's not someone I studied..." Aayla leaned slightly on the top of the bar with one elbow.
(OOC: It's fine. My brain is like...derping out on me.)
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 23:44:28 GMT -5
Ulic looked at her, his eyes sharp. "Three-thousand years lost, I'd imagine," he said simply. "The fact that the Republic still exists proves that Malak lost." He fell silent then, standing up from his bar seat, eyes tracing the forms and figures of the other Cantina patrons. He had to leave now; Jedi were notoriously nosy, and he couldn't risk standing around and becoming one of their guinea pigs. He moved quickly passed the Jedi, careful not to come into contact with her. If she followed, he'd try to lose her in the streets, but with his lack of knowledge about this new Coruscant, he doubted he'd get far.
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Post by Aayla Secura on Feb 20, 2011 23:49:21 GMT -5
Aayla looked startled and then realized. He was the exact thing Yoda meant to look for when he said he was Three-Thousand years lost. She stood up and went to try to chase after him. It would be bad for her if she lost him. She had to bring him to the temple and get him to give some information to them. It was crucial apparently to the council. Apparently this man wanted the Republic to die due to his comment about Malak loosing. This didn't sit to well with her at all.
"Wait!" Aayla tried to chase after him. She didn't want to use any of her Jedi prowess to get her further to him. It wouldn't be right to force shove civilians out of the way or anything like that. She was worried about loosing the man however and feared what could happen to the galaxy if she did.
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Post by Ulic Aratech on Feb 20, 2011 23:54:24 GMT -5
Ulic swore in his head. The last comment had done it, he knew. Racing out onto the street, he drew his blaster, firing to make the crowd part in front of him. It had been so long since he had been actively chased through heavily populated streets, and the first time he had ever been pursued by a Jedi, but he had to lose her, and fast. Trying to manifest what little control he had, the Bounty Hunter sighed in bleak relief as he ducked into an alley, storage crates tumbling behind him. So he could still base use it. Good. It was times like this he wished he had accepted the training offered to him when he was young; not being able to control heavily seeded Force abilities was something he had been trying to deal with his whole life. His sister had gotten help from the Jedi, but when he had refused their offer, he had damned himself to having to deal with an energy force that had seemed to lash out whenever he lost control of it.
And when he panicked, it tended to happen a lot.
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