Vahn and Cor'el had had a long trip and were elated to have finally arrived on Ralltiir. The cramped quarters on the ship and the long hours traveling through hyperspace had left them both wanting to stretch their legs and breathe something other than the filtered, recycled air that the environmental scrubbers on the ship had to offer. Their last job had provided them with the resources and experience they needed to finally branch out on their own and make names for themselves in the galaxy. The two of them were an ideal pairing. Vahn's skill with a blaster and knowledge of combat and tactics kept them alive when the going got tough and Cor'el's brains and persuasive manner helped keep them out of most dangerous situations.
When the ship they were traveling on had put in to dock on Ralltiir, they decided that this was as good a place as any to become masters of their own fate. It was early afternoon when they both disembarked from the freighter that they had been crewing on; Vahn's mind was on just one thing. "I need to get some real food in me. I've been living off of protein packs and synthesized liquids for too long!" Vahn said.
Cor'el responded enthusiastically, "You said it! Let's find a place to grab a bite to eat. I could go for a sip of Corellian brandy myself."
After a few moments of asking around the spaceport, the two off-worlders were directed to a cantina not too far from the entrance to the spaceport. All reports indicated that this was the best place to find a bite to eat that combined both proximity of location and quality of comestibles. At this point, however, both Vahn and Cor'el would have been happy eating real food just about anywhere.
Happy to be out and about in non-recycled air, the two opted not to catch a taxi and walk the few blocks to the cantina. It only took a couple of minutes, but after so long cooped up on that last freighter, they were glad for the opportunity to make use of their muscles. Upon arriving at the cantina, they both looked up at the cheerful lights of the establishment's sign which read, "Spacer's Haven". After reading the sign, Vahn and Cor'el looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders at the same time, pushed the door open, and headed inside. It being early afternoon, there were very few people inside the cantina. For having such a good reputation, it was far smaller than either Cor'el or Vahn would have guessed. It did, at least, have a band set up in the corner playing a cheerful tune, and they both noticed that there was a small game of sabacc going on in one of the back corners. Cor'el, looking at the bar on the way in, commented, "Well, it's not much to look at, but at least they seem to have a decent selection of spirits."
"I wonder if they food's as good as everyone said," added Vahn. Cor'el nodded in agreement.
Vahn chose a table to his liking to the left of the bar, on the opposite side of the room from the band. Shortly after they had both sat down, a serving droid rolled over to their table on its one large, round wheel. The droid was dented in a couple of places, but its chrome coverings were still immaculately polished. In a mechanical, yet pleasantly female voice the droid said, "Greetings sentients. My designation is DI-9R, but you can call me 'Di'. I'll be your server this afternoon. What can I get for you gentles?"
Vahn spoke up immediately, "I'll have your best bantha burger, a side of fried tuber sticks, and a fizzyglug.
Cor'el seemed to nod in approval at Vahn's selection, but his tastes called for something more refined. "I'll have a 16 oz. nerf steak, medium, with a side of whipped garlic tuber puree, and steamed vegetables."
Di took note of both their orders, and asked Cor'el, "Something to drink for you, sir?"
Cor'el paused for a moment, searching inwardly trying to decide what the most appropriate libation to accompany his meal would be. After thinking for a moment he made his decision. "I think I'd like a glass of Alderaanian brandy."
"Ooh," said 'Di'. "You're certainly an individual of distinguished tastes. You're in luck as well; we just got in a shipment of Alderaanian brandy of an excellent vintage. I think it will be to your liking. I'll place your orders and be right back with your drinks, gentles."
The serving droid zipped off into the back of the cantina, presumably towards the kitchen, stopping only to place the drink orders with the bartender at the bar. The bartender took the order from 'Di' and, upon glancing at it, looked up at Cor'el with a raised eyebrow and a smirk of approval. After a few minutes, 'Di' rolled back out of the kitchen carrying a tray with two plates on it. The droid dexterously took the plates from the tray and placed them in front of the visibly famished patrons. With that she said, "Let me know if there's anything else you need, and enjoy your meal."
'Di' rolled off to attend to the customers playing cards in the corner while Vahn and Cor'el relished the smells of a freshly cooked meal. Simultaneously, they both tore into their respective meals, manners, etiquette and restraint all but forgotten. Their ravenous hunger caused some of the other cantina patrons to wonder if this was their first meal or their last. As they sat there eating, two men and a woman walked into the cantina and approached the bartender. The two men were rather ordinary in appearance, one older than the other, but the woman was strikingly beautiful. They spoke with him in hushed tones for a moment or two before heading to the back of the cantina and disappearing behind a closed door. Neither Vahn nor Cor'el really paid them any mind, except for Vahn who admired the way the woman's hips danced as she walked. Cor'el cuffed Vahn on the back of the head. "Find something interesting to look at?" he said.
Vahn, a little abashed at having been caught staring, hurried to compose himself. "Just a little local scenery, I guess," he quipped, while rubbing his head. They went back to their meals, caught up in the joy of eating their favorite fare.
A few minutes later, the trio that had come in earlier appeared again at the back of the cantina. Vahn found his eyes immediately drifting back to the woman who was accompanied by the same two men. Just as the trio was crossing the room towards the exit, the doors of the cantina burst open and a squad of six stormtroopers marched briskly in. The two groups' gazes locked, and it seemed as if time stood virtually still until the stormtrooper wearing a large epaulet on his shoulder spoke. "You three are under arrest for suspicion of treason, sedition and rebellion," he said, "Lay down your weapons or we will open fire."
Cor'el's eyes grew in disbelief at the scene that was unfolding before him. He had no love for the Empire, but he respected it as the legal and legitimate galactic government. Vahn, on the other hand, hated the Empire and everything it stood for. He casually slipped his hand under the table, easing his blaster in its holster; he could sense what was coming. No sooner had his hand gone under the table than the trio scattered among the tables and chairs of the cantina and pulled out blasters. The bartender yelled, "No blasters! No blasters!" as the stormtroopers immediately fanned out and opened fire.
Shots were exchanged on both sides. The smell of smoke and ozone hung heavily in the air. Small fires burned where errant blaster fire had ignited furniture and upholstery. One of the men from the trio peeked out from behind the table he was hiding behind to squeeze a shot off at one of the stormtroopers. As he did so, another stormtrooper in his blind spot fired and hit him in the side, dropping the man and leaving him in a crumpled heap on the floor of the cantina. The woman gasped in shock as she saw her companion go down. "We have to do something," Vahn whispered to Cor'el, "We have to help them!"
Cor'el shook his head violently, "We'll do no such thing. This is none of our business. They're obviously criminals, otherwise Imperial soldiers wouldn't be after them. Now keep your head down, and maybe we'll make it out of this unscathed." Cor'el looked at Vahn. As he did so, an overwhelming sense of doom washed over him as he observed Vahn draw his blaster just as an impetuous smile appeared on his face. Vahn looked back at Cor'el and said simply, "Sorry."
Vahn stood abruptly and flipped over the table at which he and Cor'el had been sitting sending food and beverage flying. His joining the fray caught the stormtroopers completely by surprise. He lobbed a fragmentation grenade which landed in the middle of the stormtroopers' formation. The explosion sent two of them hurtling into the bar, impacting with a heavy thud. Vahn took advantage of the element of surprise, firing shot after shot. After a few moments, the stormtroopers, having been caught in the crossfire, all lay on the floor of the cantina. None of them were moving, their helmeted heads expressionless and staring off at odd angles. All of them bore some sort of damage to their armor, whether it be carbon scoring from a blaster bolt or the marks from having been peppered by shrapnel. Cor'el was stunned by what had just happened, even more so by what his long time friend had done to participate in it. Vahn approached the man and woman who were kneeling over their fallen comrade. He searched for the right words, but all he could manage was, "I'm sorry about your friend."
"Bendo was a good man who knew his duty, " the man said, "his bravery will be remembered forever." The woman cried as he spoke, but said nothing. After a moment or two, the man stood and turned to Vahn. "Thank you for your help," he said, "If it hadn't been for you we would have been killed...or worse. My name is Fili. You and your friend will probably want to come with us. You'll now be hunted by the Empire for helping us. Killing the soldiers of the Empire is viewed the same as if you had attacked the Emperor himself."
Cor'el gasped audibly. "Wanted by the Empire?! Hunted?! I told you Vahn! I told you not to get involved, " he said. "Now we'll never be able to get close to a civilized planet again!"
In calming tones Fili said, "We can protect you, but we must leave now before more soldiers arrive."
"Protect us?! Look at your friend," yelled Cor'el, "You're rebels! You can't even protect yourselves!!"
Vahn shook his head in exasperation and said, "Please forgive my friend for his rudeness. My name is Vahn and this is Cor'el. Unfortunately, he's a little hysterical at the moment. If he were thinking clearly he would see that going with you is the smart thing to do, at least for the moment."
Fili nodded in approval. "We have a speeder waiting outside. We'd best hurry."
When the ship they were traveling on had put in to dock on Ralltiir, they decided that this was as good a place as any to become masters of their own fate. It was early afternoon when they both disembarked from the freighter that they had been crewing on; Vahn's mind was on just one thing. "I need to get some real food in me. I've been living off of protein packs and synthesized liquids for too long!" Vahn said.
Cor'el responded enthusiastically, "You said it! Let's find a place to grab a bite to eat. I could go for a sip of Corellian brandy myself."
After a few moments of asking around the spaceport, the two off-worlders were directed to a cantina not too far from the entrance to the spaceport. All reports indicated that this was the best place to find a bite to eat that combined both proximity of location and quality of comestibles. At this point, however, both Vahn and Cor'el would have been happy eating real food just about anywhere.
Happy to be out and about in non-recycled air, the two opted not to catch a taxi and walk the few blocks to the cantina. It only took a couple of minutes, but after so long cooped up on that last freighter, they were glad for the opportunity to make use of their muscles. Upon arriving at the cantina, they both looked up at the cheerful lights of the establishment's sign which read, "Spacer's Haven". After reading the sign, Vahn and Cor'el looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders at the same time, pushed the door open, and headed inside. It being early afternoon, there were very few people inside the cantina. For having such a good reputation, it was far smaller than either Cor'el or Vahn would have guessed. It did, at least, have a band set up in the corner playing a cheerful tune, and they both noticed that there was a small game of sabacc going on in one of the back corners. Cor'el, looking at the bar on the way in, commented, "Well, it's not much to look at, but at least they seem to have a decent selection of spirits."
"I wonder if they food's as good as everyone said," added Vahn. Cor'el nodded in agreement.
Vahn chose a table to his liking to the left of the bar, on the opposite side of the room from the band. Shortly after they had both sat down, a serving droid rolled over to their table on its one large, round wheel. The droid was dented in a couple of places, but its chrome coverings were still immaculately polished. In a mechanical, yet pleasantly female voice the droid said, "Greetings sentients. My designation is DI-9R, but you can call me 'Di'. I'll be your server this afternoon. What can I get for you gentles?"
Vahn spoke up immediately, "I'll have your best bantha burger, a side of fried tuber sticks, and a fizzyglug.
Cor'el seemed to nod in approval at Vahn's selection, but his tastes called for something more refined. "I'll have a 16 oz. nerf steak, medium, with a side of whipped garlic tuber puree, and steamed vegetables."
Di took note of both their orders, and asked Cor'el, "Something to drink for you, sir?"
Cor'el paused for a moment, searching inwardly trying to decide what the most appropriate libation to accompany his meal would be. After thinking for a moment he made his decision. "I think I'd like a glass of Alderaanian brandy."
"Ooh," said 'Di'. "You're certainly an individual of distinguished tastes. You're in luck as well; we just got in a shipment of Alderaanian brandy of an excellent vintage. I think it will be to your liking. I'll place your orders and be right back with your drinks, gentles."
The serving droid zipped off into the back of the cantina, presumably towards the kitchen, stopping only to place the drink orders with the bartender at the bar. The bartender took the order from 'Di' and, upon glancing at it, looked up at Cor'el with a raised eyebrow and a smirk of approval. After a few minutes, 'Di' rolled back out of the kitchen carrying a tray with two plates on it. The droid dexterously took the plates from the tray and placed them in front of the visibly famished patrons. With that she said, "Let me know if there's anything else you need, and enjoy your meal."
'Di' rolled off to attend to the customers playing cards in the corner while Vahn and Cor'el relished the smells of a freshly cooked meal. Simultaneously, they both tore into their respective meals, manners, etiquette and restraint all but forgotten. Their ravenous hunger caused some of the other cantina patrons to wonder if this was their first meal or their last. As they sat there eating, two men and a woman walked into the cantina and approached the bartender. The two men were rather ordinary in appearance, one older than the other, but the woman was strikingly beautiful. They spoke with him in hushed tones for a moment or two before heading to the back of the cantina and disappearing behind a closed door. Neither Vahn nor Cor'el really paid them any mind, except for Vahn who admired the way the woman's hips danced as she walked. Cor'el cuffed Vahn on the back of the head. "Find something interesting to look at?" he said.
Vahn, a little abashed at having been caught staring, hurried to compose himself. "Just a little local scenery, I guess," he quipped, while rubbing his head. They went back to their meals, caught up in the joy of eating their favorite fare.
A few minutes later, the trio that had come in earlier appeared again at the back of the cantina. Vahn found his eyes immediately drifting back to the woman who was accompanied by the same two men. Just as the trio was crossing the room towards the exit, the doors of the cantina burst open and a squad of six stormtroopers marched briskly in. The two groups' gazes locked, and it seemed as if time stood virtually still until the stormtrooper wearing a large epaulet on his shoulder spoke. "You three are under arrest for suspicion of treason, sedition and rebellion," he said, "Lay down your weapons or we will open fire."
Cor'el's eyes grew in disbelief at the scene that was unfolding before him. He had no love for the Empire, but he respected it as the legal and legitimate galactic government. Vahn, on the other hand, hated the Empire and everything it stood for. He casually slipped his hand under the table, easing his blaster in its holster; he could sense what was coming. No sooner had his hand gone under the table than the trio scattered among the tables and chairs of the cantina and pulled out blasters. The bartender yelled, "No blasters! No blasters!" as the stormtroopers immediately fanned out and opened fire.
Shots were exchanged on both sides. The smell of smoke and ozone hung heavily in the air. Small fires burned where errant blaster fire had ignited furniture and upholstery. One of the men from the trio peeked out from behind the table he was hiding behind to squeeze a shot off at one of the stormtroopers. As he did so, another stormtrooper in his blind spot fired and hit him in the side, dropping the man and leaving him in a crumpled heap on the floor of the cantina. The woman gasped in shock as she saw her companion go down. "We have to do something," Vahn whispered to Cor'el, "We have to help them!"
Cor'el shook his head violently, "We'll do no such thing. This is none of our business. They're obviously criminals, otherwise Imperial soldiers wouldn't be after them. Now keep your head down, and maybe we'll make it out of this unscathed." Cor'el looked at Vahn. As he did so, an overwhelming sense of doom washed over him as he observed Vahn draw his blaster just as an impetuous smile appeared on his face. Vahn looked back at Cor'el and said simply, "Sorry."
Vahn stood abruptly and flipped over the table at which he and Cor'el had been sitting sending food and beverage flying. His joining the fray caught the stormtroopers completely by surprise. He lobbed a fragmentation grenade which landed in the middle of the stormtroopers' formation. The explosion sent two of them hurtling into the bar, impacting with a heavy thud. Vahn took advantage of the element of surprise, firing shot after shot. After a few moments, the stormtroopers, having been caught in the crossfire, all lay on the floor of the cantina. None of them were moving, their helmeted heads expressionless and staring off at odd angles. All of them bore some sort of damage to their armor, whether it be carbon scoring from a blaster bolt or the marks from having been peppered by shrapnel. Cor'el was stunned by what had just happened, even more so by what his long time friend had done to participate in it. Vahn approached the man and woman who were kneeling over their fallen comrade. He searched for the right words, but all he could manage was, "I'm sorry about your friend."
"Bendo was a good man who knew his duty, " the man said, "his bravery will be remembered forever." The woman cried as he spoke, but said nothing. After a moment or two, the man stood and turned to Vahn. "Thank you for your help," he said, "If it hadn't been for you we would have been killed...or worse. My name is Fili. You and your friend will probably want to come with us. You'll now be hunted by the Empire for helping us. Killing the soldiers of the Empire is viewed the same as if you had attacked the Emperor himself."
Cor'el gasped audibly. "Wanted by the Empire?! Hunted?! I told you Vahn! I told you not to get involved, " he said. "Now we'll never be able to get close to a civilized planet again!"
In calming tones Fili said, "We can protect you, but we must leave now before more soldiers arrive."
"Protect us?! Look at your friend," yelled Cor'el, "You're rebels! You can't even protect yourselves!!"
Vahn shook his head in exasperation and said, "Please forgive my friend for his rudeness. My name is Vahn and this is Cor'el. Unfortunately, he's a little hysterical at the moment. If he were thinking clearly he would see that going with you is the smart thing to do, at least for the moment."
Fili nodded in approval. "We have a speeder waiting outside. We'd best hurry."
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