Shadows of Bankor

The room was small, essentially a box made of corroded durasteel walls. There was only two ways in or out: the main door and a closed window.

Thankfully the AC was turned on.

At the center of the room was a simple table with chairs around.

The scene could almost be described a claustrophobic if not for the fresh pot of caff and the dozen of fresh donuts.

No room could be that bad with free donuts and caff, one would think

Djanik was always a sucker for free kaff.

Still sore from being hit by a house, and dressed in his typical coveralls, though he hadn't had time to swap out the black imperial leather boots, he slipped into the meeting.

He couldn't believe that insane mission had gone off this morning.

So he was in a good mood, as he came to this meeting, as advised by the little Jawa from the bar.

The mastermind was already pouring himself as good cup when Djanik crossed the door's threshold.

''Ah!'' he exclaimed in recognition ''Mister...Djanik? Yes? Would you take a some kaff?''

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

Djanik was positively chipper, as he settled himself in a chair to find out just what was going on.

''Sugar and milk?'' the ex-general asked as he prepared the brew

''Did Jabber tell you what this would be about?''

"He didn't, and no sugar, please."

Djanik rolled out his neck, twisting his head to the left, and then the right, listening to the cracks and pops.

Some mornings he sounded old.

"He only said it might cause inconvenience to our new lords and masters, and that at least... intrigued me."

''Quite so.'' he brought the kaff to his guest ''I am not fond of the Empire and I wish to maximise our odds against them''

He took one of the seats

''I want to help this 'resistance' but they...lack...experience and forsight. We'll have to cover for them.''

Djanik took a sip.

"There are some who would view such honesty, so soon, as a very risky move."

Setting down his cup, he added, "I can say, what I've seen of this resistance movement, it has courage and initiative, and absolutely no discipline."

''High risk can give high rewards'' he replied ''And since yesterday...'' he caught a breath ''I am in no mood for playing games.''

He peered over the donuts and picked a plain glazed one

''Furthermore if we are to move forward with this endeavor, honesty and trust is paramount. I trust Jabber to have made the right call asking you to be here.''

"A reasonable assessment."

Djanik took another sip.

"I cannot argue with that logic."

Bowze looked at his watch

"He is late...I think another was mentioned"

He tapped on the table

"In the meanwhile, may I ask how was the rescue?"

Vaya arrived early, walking around the block to see the crowded, rundown apartment from every angle, lurking in a doorway to see if anyone else was watching the place... and that's about where her patience and tradecraft ran out. Bowze had struck her as canny enough to avoid entanglements, and not nearly vicious enough to set a trap himself. If nothing else, she and he had that job to do for Vandil later, and Bowze wasn't brave enough to cross her, or Vaya had never robbed a tomb.

She rang the apartment's door chime.

"Ah" he said standing up "Must be him"

He went for the door and buzzed the person in

Vaya immediately felt the wave of relatively cool air from inside, and any hestiation was overcome. She was sweating from the heat outside, all the more for having lurked so long in her caution.

"Bowze," she nodded to the host, and then saw Djanik and took a moment to connect the memory of him giving his name with the face. She smiled, recalling the music that night. "Hey, blue," she said casually. "Still a man of constant sorrows?"

Is Bowze putting a crew together? Jabber giving the invite, Djanik from the Salty Nerf, Bowze in the middle of it all... the common factor was criminal endeavors. She was grateful that Bowze seemed to have sensibilities about such things probably even more delicate than hers.

"Miss Vaya" Bowze replied with a nod "Would you care for some kaff and donuts?"

He got up towards the pot

"Did Jabber told you what this reunion was about?"

Vaya made a face and fanned herself with her shirt. "Is it hot kaff?" She helped herself to a pastry, though.

Sitting, she shook her head. "He sounded me out to make sure that whatever it was I wasn't likely to turn ranat. But if he tried to say more, well, I only caught about one word in three." She spread her hands. "So, what've you got?"

''Yes, it is. Milk and sugar?'' he proposed

''I will put it bluntly to both of you: My goal is to help the resistance and make life miserable for our imperial overlords. The resistance needs people with foresight and can do things professionnaly.'' he picked at his donut then continued ''We all met for Vandil's job so I understand the freedom or overthrowing a despotic regime with the sense of fashion of a funeral home might not be your long term goal and I don't expect it to be.''

He paused, joining his arms

''But things are getting worse here and it will not stop. I hope to get an edge and I need people I can trust to get it. I is likely a long shot...but one I think I need to take.''

He looked at them both

''Are you with me so far?''

Djanik sipped his kaff.

He voiced no objections.

That was possibly a sign of assent?

''I believe there is an old CIS outpost somewhere on Bankor'' he continued ''It is a long shot but he we can get to it we might have a good trump card in our hand''

He paused, letting things sink in

''It is possible the outpost has already been picked clean or that it was merely a listening post but even these could prove valuable assets. If we are lucky we might find weapons and battle droids.''

"The Resistance seems to be doing... all right," said Vaya, waving off the hot kaff on a hot a day with a poorly disguised distaste. "Good enough that we've got a Star Destroyer in very, very low low orbit, now."

At the mention of the cache, though, she leans forward. "That... does sound useful. I take it you know people it would be useful to?" She wasn't entirely sure she trusted that the plan isn't just to salvage the place for credits, but if that was the case, why not just offer a payoff?

''Useful to the resistance...but mostly me'' he admitted ''For you see...'' he paused still unsure if coming out was a good idea ''...I am a former CIS general''

He leaned back on his chair

''I can help this resistance more then most but I cannot just wave my experience out of the blue.''

Djanik choked on his coffee.

Sputtering, he stared at the man, and his expression ranged through a lot of different emotions, very quickly, before Djanik was able to compose himself.

Finally, with a distant look in his eyes, he said, softly, "I guess... I shouldn't be surprised."

Setting his kaff down, he stared wearily at the tabletop.

"I guess in the end it didn't matter what side you were on. We all lost."

Bowze observed the pantoran's reaction with great intent. He withstood the stare with dignity before realizing that Djanik must certainly have fought for the republic

"It was not a war any of us could win" he said with regret in his voice.

"But I am ready to pick up arms once more to make things right."

Memories came flooding back.

The mangled screams of friends echoing in the comm channel, garbled and distorted, as droid fighters picked them off, one by one.

Tight, high-g turns, one after another. The world turning into a dark tunnel, barely able to see the targets directly in his sights.

His heart pounding in his ears, the harsh smell of burning electronics, the shrill scream of warning klaxons.

A slow breath and another sip of kaff brought him back to the present.

"I know that now."

He stared at the neimodian, and added, bluntly, "I imagine it wasn't easy for you either - just know that I lost a lot of friends to droid fighters. The idea of... working with... them... is going to take getting used to."

Jabber slides in a little late.

"Sorry, got tied up for a bit. What did I miss?" He looks around, trying to read the faces of the others.