Solus Vod - An Alliance Forged in Darkness

Chapter One: Scum in all Sizes

While the ongoing war between the Rebellion and the Empire raged on with no end in sight, a lost soul was drowning himself in his nearing empty glass of ardees (Jawa Juice) in some scum-infested cantina on a backwater planet nobody gives a womp rats ass about. The air was musty and reeked a foul odor that one can only assume originated from its particular clientele.

"Barrtender! Anothhher!" the patron shouted with slurred speech. The owner glared at him and shook his head, "You've had enough already, you slimy barve. Plus, you still owe me for the last round, so I'm cutting your cheapass off." The disgruntled creature stood up without much grace and stumbled his way to the bar so he could meet the man face to face. "You win, here's for this one, and the next one". He chucked a credit bundle at him and the bartender huffed as he accepted the currency.

Pshiew!  The noise cracked through the air like a whip and momentarily snatched everyones attention before returning to their drinks. The bartender slumped over the counter as the gaping hole in his chest sizzled with smoke coming from both sides. The patron that fired the shot stepped forward and reclaimed his credit pouch, satisfied with his work as he holstered his blaster started towards the exit; Nobody stopped him for it was a dangerous gamble to interfere with another creatures business on a lawless planet. This vile creature was known as Aiden Marrice.

As Aiden shuffled his way down the crowd-packed streets, he smiled a toothy grin at the intoxicating buzz he'd gotten from his time in the cantina, stumbling over pedestrians and merchant booths along the way. Several swore at him, but he paid no mind for they were just bugs beneath his boot that weren't worth the discharge. He glanced up at the darkening skies and took note of the cloudy weather fast approaching. "Better get myself a room" he thought as he trudged his way to the nearest lodging area.

Upon entering, he was struck by the smell of freshly baked Oonberry pie. He took a great big whiff and exhaled with satisfaction as his licked his chops at the thought of savoring that sweet delicacy. He strode over towards the front desk and spotted the pie sitting behind the counter in all its delicious glory; Without hardly any hesitation, he reached over to sample some when his hand was struck painfully by a meaty hand. "Hands off, scum!" his attacker shouted, "This isn't for you, it's for my hardworking husband that busts his rump everyday putting bread on the table for his family-" She looked up and down at him briefly, "-unlike you that probably leeches off anything you can get your filthy paws on." Aiden glared at her as his hand throbbed from the strike and decided it's best not to put another hole in someone before securing shelter and something good to eat.

"I'd like a room, please" he said as he tried to put on his most charming smile he could muster. The woman was clearly not amused and sighed as she threw her hands up in the air and took down his information. "Alright, Mr.. Princeton?" she regarded him with obvious annoyance as it was clear to her that he was not at all a Mr. Princeton, but some lowlife using an alias. "Yes ma'am!" he declared as he took his room key from her and inched himself towards the stairs. "Any chance I could get some grub before I pass out?" She rolled her eyes at him and nodded, "Dinner will be starting soon, but you better be a lot more sober when you come back down here for it. I don't want any drunkin brawling in my inn, you hear?" He looked at her sheepishly with his charming smile again and started up the stairs.

Unbeknownst to Aiden, there was a presence waiting in his room. A stranger paid off the innkeeper before he arrived to hand Aiden that specific room key so everything would be in place when he opened that door. "All the pieces are falling together" the stranger smiled to himself, "I only hope that he puts up a fight so it'll actually be interesting for a change. I can't stand the sight of groveling." Aiden finally arrived at his room and inserted the keycard into the door to allow entry. The door whooshed open slowly and he stepped inside his temporary home to get aquainted. "Ahh" he sighed, "Privacy, always welcome when you need it."

"Too bad you won't be getting it." a voice called out in the dark. Aiden panicked and drew his blaster, but before he could get a shot off, a hand reached out in the dark and wrapped around his throat, forcing him against the wall. "Aiden Marrice" the filtered voice started, "You got quite the bounty on your head, my friend. A bounty of that size, you'll be having every rotten piece of scum after you just itching for that payday. Thank goodness I found you instead." The stranger held Aiden in his grasp and tossed his blaster aside after pulling out the power pack. "Listen, I can pay you" Aiden begged. "I got a stash of credits piled up in a spot for when things got hairy for me. Take me to it, and it's all yours."

"Interesting" the stranger replied, "But why would I look into this when I got a guaranteed bounty waiting for me on Nal Hutta? My employers are just dying to see you again after you cut and run from their deal with their profits I might add." The bounty hunter released Aiden and dropped him to the floor as he picked up the discarded blaster and examined it with keen interest. "A DL-18. Quite the relic you got here" he mused, "Surprised you didn't fry yourself shooting it as old as it is." Aiden glared at the hunter and spit, "I took good care of it and kept it maintained so it'd stay reliable for when I needed it." The hunter shook his helmeted head at him with disdain, "Too bad it didn't save you here, huh? One thing I've learned in my lifetime is that it doesn't matter how big or good the gun is, but the skill of the person wielding it is what matters the most." He regarded Aiden as if he were a small child slave that was caught stealing from his master. "Maybe I ought to introduce myself." He stepped forward a bit and turned on a torch mounted on his bracer. Aidens expression suddenly switched from anger to absolute horror at the figure he was looking at, "You're.. you're Gaz Doon!" he exclaimed with a small shriek in his voice. "That's right" said Gaz, "And you're my prize for the day."