”You’re clear, Sihoyguwa. Section 3 of the Downport. I do have to ask one more time… are you sure you want to land there? You do realize how rough that part of the station is, correct?”
Ahnk nodded his head.
”I’m sure, Astoria Control. Thank you for your concern, however, I am confident that my ship will be fine in the Downport.”
“Very well. Shall we tractor you in, Sihoyguwa? If your release control codec…”
“Thank you, but no Astoria Control. I can fly in just fine. Make sure to open the bay doors.”
“It’s all clear, Sihoyguwa.”
“Excellent. Say, what’s your name?”
“Uh, that is, highly unusual mam…”
“Oh, come on. You know my name. Only fair you tell me yours.”
“…its against… oh, well, what the hell. My name is Charlie Tucker, mam.”
“Okay, Charlie. Would you like to join me later for a drink?”
”No, I’d like to, but I’m sorry mam. It is against company policy… I violated regulations even giving you my name.”
“Oh, come now, Charlie…I’m going to be trapped on my ship while the men do business about your station, and without some company I just don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I cannot possibly, mam, though I would li…”
“Don’t make a lady drink alone, Charlie. I do hate to drink alone.”
There was a pause as the man considered it. Ahnk sat, head buried in hands, gently shaking his head in disbelief.
“Very well, mam. Do you have a specific place in mind?”
“I figured you could come down to the my ship, and we could relax… on my bed…”
“Um, well, uh, you see, uh… I don’t normally go to the Downport, mam…”
“It would be such a shame… I’ve been so lonely…”
”Uh… well, I’ll be there when my shift ends, mam.”
“I’ll be waiting…”
The computer then gave an audible beep as the channel closed, and free to, Ahnk began to chuckle heartily.
“Glad to see you are feeling more jovial.”
“You know, it’s funny, I was the Dark Lord of the Sith, but I can’t ever remember being that cruel.”
“An artificial lady can’t have a little fun?”
“Oh, by all means. I’d just hate to be that guy when you two meet face to console.”
“Get out of here, Ahnk Rashanagok, and take your sobering demeanor with you.”
“Lock all critical components while company is aboard.”
“Always. Enjoy your date.”
Ahnk grinned.
”And you, yours.”
Pulling cloak overhead, Ahnk slipped from the vessel and into the Astral Astoria’s infamous Downport…
The Downport was similar, in many aspects, to the lower levels of Coruscant. It was there, amongst the lightly purified air, still rich with the stink of excrement, that lived the dregs of society, in this instance and this particulate, the society of the Astral Astoria. It was here, and here alone, that the bottom rungs of the human condition lived out what, academically at the least, were referred to as their lives. Meandering about in their own waste, waiting for the next mark to come along, always looking for a score.
To them, a personal ship, leather outfit, and mechanical hand was money in the bank. In the eyes of the fallen, Ahnk was another easy wad of credits.
A shame that Ahnk was fallen too.
“All right, stop.”
Ahnk, of course, stopped immediately. Instinctively, he raised his arms. Hands were on his chest… patting him up and down, looking for weapons, information, money, or weapons. They found his lightsaber and removed it.
”Interesting weapom. You a Jedi, meat?”
Ahnk grinned.
“Used to be.”
“Right. You know what I think, meat? I think you carry this around so people will think you’re a Jedi and be afraid. I’m not afraid of you.”
Ahnk shook his head, amused.
”If only I were that smart.”
“Turn around, meat.”
Ahnk did so, hands interlocked across his head. As he turned he took a quick head count of interested parties and aggravating individuals. There were many stragglers angling for vantage but Ahnk estimated that counting the two he had pegged earlier, he was looking at about six to one odds. Pointed at him now were various objects… blasters, pipes, and his Master’s lightsaber. The grin eroded from his face as one stepped forward.
”You’re going to open your ship, and we’re going to take what we want, and then we’re going to kill you, meat, and sell your body for food.”
Ahnk sighed. With his head, he beckoned the man closer. He approached.
”Listen, it’s not too late for you guys. I am late to an important engagement and I don’t have time to kill you all. You can go home… I’ll give you some credits when I return, but for now we’ll just have to part with memories.”
The man stepped back. He pulled up the handle of the lightsaber, and brought it down across Ahnk’s face. The former Sith was felled, and brought a hand to his jaw, likely dislodged. He stood, shaking off the cobwebs as blood flowed freely from his mouth.
“You’re going to deactivate the security on your ship now, meat. And you can do it the easy way, or the hard way.”
Ahnk grinned, spitting blood and broken teeth from his mouth.
“Have you ever seen a collapsed lung? It looks fascinating in comparison to a functional lung. I’d be glad to give you a side by side comparison…”
Ahnk spat again, clearing his mouth. His grin widened.
“I’m quite proficient at organ extraction, however, I admit I am not as good at organ implantation. If you do not have reliable, professional medical coverage, I would advise against continuing in this course of action.”
The man shook his head, a grin forming on his face as well.
“Hard way it is, meat. All right, boys; cut him up.”
Ahnk sighed. The group began to approach, weapons raised. The man immediately front came first, turning the lightsaber on with a flick of the thumb. He began to move quickly towards him, going through an impressive series of diagonal motions from side to side, trying to back Ahnk away into the men behind.
But while the man was component, there was a flaw in his technique, It only took a small force push to activate the second emitter and the man, unable to compensate in time, continued his feinted slash, directly through his own leg. A blaster was raised but Ahnk was faster… the swirling blade continued to knock the shot harmlessly away, not stopping until it had cleaved arm from torso and landed harmlessly in a puddle of slime.
A man came with a pipe… Ahnk spat, and a large amount of wet, sticky blood landed on the man’s face. Unable to see, he stopped his swing to wipe his eyes… and, shamelessly, Ahnk kicked him in the groin, doubling him over, and brought a knee up to his jaw, sending him flying backwards and allowing his own blood to cover his face.
Another man came with a pipe, but Ahnk saw him coming and ducked, picking the man up on his shoulders. A blaster rang out and a scream filled the room, as Ahnk dropped the man who had inadvertently intercepted a blaster shot bound for the former Sith’s head. Ahnk allowed him to drop to the ground, clutching at his stomach as he hobbled away, with Ahnk turning his attention to the man with the weapon.
The man took another shot, but Ahnk shook his head and raised his hand. The shot stopped in midair, and then began to move in the opposite direction. It found its’ way safely back inside the barrel of the blaster, and then, against the urgings of the shooter, the barrel found its’ way angling up towards his head. Lodged in his mouth, Ahnk shrugged, and the man made the wise decision, releasing the gun and running away.
As the gun fell, Ahnk allowed his hold on the blaster beam to dissipate and allowed it to continue its’ trajectory in his general direction. Much lower now, it missed him completely, but struck the assailant behind in the shin, severing his leg just above the ankle and causing him to fall onto his chest. Ahnk considered a parting shot, but late as it was, merely called his saber into hand, activating it and giving it a small twirl to shake off the slime and kill the man who tried to shoot him in the back. With a grin, Ahnk headed for the shifter.
Ahnk allowed the whiskey to swirl around in his mouth, aggravating and soothing his wounds simultaneously. He had planned to have a drink anyway… for confidence, or so he told himself… the loss of three teeth was a painful sensation, and the numbing of the alcohol was a comforting cover for the fact that he had become, in a short amount of time, a deep despair alcoholic. Taking another drink to flush the realization from his head, Ahnk reached out for the familiar force presence of his date. Finding it, Ahnk shook his head, trying to shake away the memories the presence brought with it. He sighed, turning his back to the crowd and his face to the bar.
“Better give me another.”
OS: In a world of bon-bons, you are a twinkie.
Ahnk: God damn you, I am Count Chocula and you know it.
I'm not spending my anniversary night thumping my head against the wall. - Damalis, on Moderating TRF
Then tell him you want it harder, damnit! - Ahnk, on Damalis