She honestly didn't know what to think of Drak's musings. Meena felt like she had held the answers in her hands since her birth, knowing fully well that in many places in the Galaxy, rulers did not create laws and policies to help their people. They weren't concerned with the kids on the streets, the broken families and the women like Meena who got sucked into the world of crime like into a big vaccuum that never let go of you. It was difficult, impossible even, for her to convey any of that to Drak. Part of her didn't even want to, because she felt like he should know as an investigator. He, if anyone, should be able to see the people behind the criminals and their crimes.

After sitting in the shower and digesting everything that had just happened, she dried herself up and got dressed again. Showers really could do miracles. Meena wrapped her wrist and treated whatever cuts and bruises she had received. She was tired of doing this all herself and considered saving up for a medical droid after paying for the lost cargo. And that reminded her... she had a holocall to make to her client, Jim. Once her wounds were all treated, she walked into the lounge where she had a holoprojector set up on a table. Meena punched in the contacts for Jim's projector and almost immediately a slightly blurry figure appeared in front of her.

"How is the cargo?" He asked immediately, having not expected this call from her.

"Well, about that." Meena started and hung her head down for a moment before looking back to Jim's holopicture. "Our ship was pulled in by pirates. They stole the cargo, having figured out what it was. But I'm-"

"What! Have you any idea how much glitterstim that was?!" Jim shrieked. "You fool! I want my money back and full recompensation to myself and my client."

Meena sighed and forced a smile. "That won't be a problem. I have the goods to pay for you and your friend in Nar Shaddaa. I will make the payment soon."

"You'd better hurry. My patience is very limited in matters of money."

Jim cut off the connection soon after, leaving Meena slightly irritated by his attitude but also angry at herself for not being able to protect her cargo. She was joined by Vul who had most likely overheard the conversation. Her astromech droid seemed concerned about something and, eventually, after Meena questioned him long enough, the droid finally asked her what plans she had for Drak. The question surprised her at first, since she hadn't given thought to her earlier plans of betrayal. She had been set on abandoning Drak on Nar Shaddaa, but she could have already done that on The Depraved.

"I have no idea." Meena responded and sat down, giving Vul a pat. "And no, nothing has changed. I haven't forgotten about Kessel, mark my word. However..." She tried to think of something to say, anything really to justify things to her little friend. This proved very difficult, considering she couldn't really figure it out herself. Was Drak an ally or not? Although she couldn't deny the bitter anger that still burned in her chest for him, she also couldn't ignore that fleeting moment back at the The Depraved when she had nearly showed Drak that she was capable of good deeds and sacrifices. Yes, she would have saved him, there had been no doubt about it in her mind in the end, but she couldn't quite understand why.

"However, he has paid us and money is what counts." Meena finished finally, not sure who she was trying to convince with that, herself or Vul. "Don't complain. A job is a job. And stop giving him such a hard time, I can do that all by myself."

_________________

After a few hours of doing nothing, waiting for Nar Shadaa which was still about two days away, Drak walked around the ship to stretch his legs. He avoided the droid as much as he could, and if he saw the thing he'd just turn the other way seeing as the ship was circular. He was hungry though, and decided to head to the kitchen. As he turned the corner to get into the room, there was Vul just rolling along. The droid stopped right in front of the door.

Drak tried to ignore the droid, but it purposely wedged himself between the door to keep Drak from going it. "Sithspawn, can you let me pass?" It beeped and roared. "I don't speak in beeps and boops, just let me through!" It then nudged at Drak. "Oh you're really messing with the wrong guy, scrap metal!" He beeped again with a furious tone. Drak was yelling now, "boop beep boop booop beep! That means get the Huttspawn out of my way you idiot!" Vul didn't. "What you think I'm going to apologize for how I've been treating you, is that it? Well I'm not! I never apologize to space debris like you!"

Vul shrilled angrily, and threw out it's arm, sparks shooting towards Drak. Drak narrowly avoided it, but his blood was boiling now. "I hope Meena knows how to put you back together!" He threw out Tala and pointed it at Vul. "I dare you, try to shock me ONE MORE TIME and I'll blast a hole into your thick metal dome!"

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

Meena slept for a couple hours after making a payment for Jim. As always, she found it difficult to drift into a deep sleep with pictures of the past disturbing her mind and refusing to go away. Eventually she was woken up by sounds coming from the hallway and was happy to find herself back on Furion and not on Kessel, dying of starvation. Speaking of starvation, she was hungry and realized just how long it had been since the last time she had eaten. Meena pushed herself up from her bed, having fallen asleep in the captain's quarters instead this time. Brushing her hair into some sort of decent order, she unlocked the door and stepped into the hallway, cursing quietly upon hearing Drak and Vul arguing.

The sight of the two of them was rather amusing. Vul had positioned himself between Drak and the kitchen door and was now pointing it's mechanical arm at him, telling him to go starve himself. Drak was just as hostile, his beloved Tala out and pointed at her astromech droid. "Hey!" Meena shrieked, causing Vul to roll back and quickly fold its arm away, as if nothing had ever happened. "You two sure know how make noise! Come on Vul, I told you to behave. Do I have to switch you for another droid on Nar Shaddaa? Do I? Hmm?" She walked over to her droid and folded her arms, looking down to him as he bleeped innocently, even happily.

"I'm saving up for a medical droid." Meena announced to Vul and arched a brow. "Someone twice your size. And someone who will really behave, unlike you."

Now Vul seemed upset. He poked Meena's leg in an attempt to explain that he had simply tried to prevent Drak from making a mess in the kitchen. Now her attention shifted on the man in front of her and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Vul beeped, accusing Drak of hurting his feelings and threatening his life. "Of course he would do that, you were blocking his way into the kitchen, you silly." She responded. "If you misbehave one more time, I'm buying another astromech droid too."

Vul beeped loudly and poked her leg again like an institent child. She sighed and patted its metallic dome. "Go make sure all systems are running. You don't have to give him a hard time, I do that already. Do you understand?"

He beeped in agreement and rolled away, though not without bumping into Drak's leg for the final time. Meena then focused on him. "I told you not to harm anything under my possession." She said with a glare. "If you plant a blaster bolt into Vul, you pay for the damage. Also..." Meena's eyes narrowed again as she opened the kitchen door. "The only person allowed to use the kitchen is me. You could have just told me you were hungry. Ah, men, so simple in mind..." She shook her head at this and walked inside. It was probably hard for people to believe, but she was a fairly good cook. Back on the first smugglers' ship she had worked on, that had been her main duty among laundry and cleaning. After earning her place as a full member of the crew, she had graduated from those tasks, but had never forgotten any of them.

"You'd better not be a picky eater." Meena snapped at him as she piled up some ingredients and grabbed a large knife. "Though you probably are since you have no one to cook for you. No wife to tell you to eat your space-carrots and Antarian peas. Tsk." She just loved pushing his buttons like this and glanced at him. "And I doubt your dear little Tala has a cooking option."

_________________

Drak was jolted by the fact that Meena was coming to protect him from her own droid. Drak wanted to shoot the droid to pieces, but she seemed to quell the astromech. Vul bumped into Drak's leg as he rolled away, and Drak couldn't help but turn the droid and yell, "better watch yourself, scrap metal." Vul turned to Drak for a moment, and shrilled as if some sort of insult. Then he turned away and left the two humans alone. "Thanks," Drak told Meena as he wrung the back of his neck. "You have some droid there. Is he always so volatile?"

He followed her into the kitchen, a bit insulted that he wasn't allowed to use it on his own. "Fine, your ship your rules," he replied, fully intending on breaking those rules. "I'm not too picky, as long as you don't use dorane cheese, clames, shoots, kureen meat, blue milk, or anything from the outer regions..." He looked at the kitchen, where a few more 'exotic' fruits and vegetables were resting. He still remembers the Calsee Apple he once ate, and how it made his stomach sick. Drak looked around the kitchen, purposely opening up cuboards to both look at what was there, and to irritate Meena. "Basically anything simple, as long as it's good, and not too fancy- or complicated- or exotic-" He walked to the dining area, sat on a chair, and put up his boots.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

Meena rolled her eyes at their constant bickering, realizing finally why she had settled for the peace and quiet in the first place. A crew just seemed like too much hassle and too many people to keep an eye on at the same time. She couldn't hire just anyone and choosing the perfect crew members was something she had never learned or been trained for. These things simply happened, as people with common goals were thrown together and in the end they spent years on the same ship, loyal to each other. But people couldn't be trusted, generally. And she wasn't one to make true friends easily. "I got him for half price when I was stranded on Abregado-rae years ago." Meena said. "He was a bit stubborn first because his programming has been tinkered with by a hacker. When I went to prison, Vul was confiscated. But you must have already known that." She gave him a sharp look.

This poor man! He must have never travelled like Meena, from one culture to another and tasted the most obscure things that looked more like living insects than delicious food. "You people from the Core are so ignorant." She sighed and shook her head. Almania, her home planet, was in the far regions of the Galaxy, at the border of Unknown Regions. Everything outside the Core was so different that she couldn't help but to wonder how Drak would manage in Hutt Space. "Fine, a good old, safe and boring Corellian stew." Meena finished cutting some very basic vegetables, dreading the fact that she'd have to eat something so normal. Drak had no sense of adventure!

She kicked his leg when he started peeking into her cupboards. "Stay away from my food! Is it really that hard for you to sit still and shut your mouth?" Meena gripped the knife she was holding. "And take your shoes off the- UGH! How can a man be such a child! What DO you eat? Processed food from Coruscant's factories? Oh, you are such a bore. Again, no wonder there's no woman in the picture." She could feel all her anger begin to unleash itself on Drak once morea and she did whatever she could to contain it as she continued preparing the stew. "Tell me, is it really true? Have you never had a woman? Surely you've had one of those very drunken nights with some big-chested Twi'lek woman." Meena smirked mischievously. "Every man does that, especially those who can't get married, like you. After catching me, you should have at least used your promotion or whatever glory you received to charm someone foolish enough to think you're not a bore."

Ah, how she was enjoying this, just pushing his buttons until she could get an appropriate reaction out of him. Meena still hadn't forgotten how he had pushed her earlier with far too many words about Kessel. She also hadn't forgotten that night when she had been arrested by him and how she had then gone off to spend her next seven years in Kessel. One just didn't forget that and Meena would make sure he would suffer every day with her just as she had suffered in prison. "Ah, what am I saying? Of course that didn't happen to you. Any woman can tell right away you are as insensitive as a piece of rock and far too naive for your own good. How I pity you..!" She grinned and glanced at him. "Or actually, I don't. You deserve it. Just look at your brother who's breaking the law. Doesn't seem like he's living a bad life with a gorgeous wife like Cyn and a baby coming up!"

_________________

He was getting a headache again. This woman was something else. No matter what, she always tried to push his buttons. He did deserve it though, after sending her to jail. She probably would never forgive him for that. She did have a strength to her that he was starting to admire... if only she wasn't so annoying- or a criminal. "Well that droid better keep out of my way. I can't guarantee I won't shoot him next time, even if I have to pay for it."

"Good a stew! I love stew. I just like good taste, that's all. I don't like eating bugs, ears, and dirt. I don't understand most outer region delicacies." He'd hardly eaten anything but core food, except for the few times he went to the outer regions. The food was strange, packed with spices, and sometimes the look alone made you want to hurl. Although he did enjoy Bantha meat, but he didn't want to admit that to Meena.

He rolled his eyes and took his feet off the table. "Well if this is what being married means, being constantly nagged, I'm glad I've been single all these days." He sighed in frustration. She's just trying to push you, calm down, he reminded himself. "Of course I've been with women! Plenty of them! I just- nothing ever worked out. I'm a free spirit and prefer to not be tied down. I'm not a bore either, I just have my ways, that's all."

He put his boots back onto the table, giving her a smirk, purposely trying to push her buttons back. He was about to hound her for not having a man herself, but it would probably remind her how he'd taken away a part of her life. If she hadn't gone to Kessel, she may be married now, maybe even have a kid. He calmed a bit and put his boots back down again. "You must be enjoying this, aren't you? Pushing me around with words is the only way you can get me back for Kessel, right? I suppose I somehow deserve it, even if it was your fault for being put there in the first place."

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

This man. Ugh.

Meena placed the stew in a cooker while listening to his responses. He was taking her taunting surprisingly well, but then again, there were many things she could say to try and push him over the edge. But no, he always seemed to have a proper response, something to tick her off or poke her in the wrong place. "Picky eater." She cut him sharply. "Don't even try to explain yourself. How pathetic." For a moment she felt almost disappointed that she had no poison to put in his food, or something to give him a constipation he would not easily forget, but she had a feeling he would figure out her plan quickly enough. That was why he was sitting there, keeping an eye on her in the first place, so he could see everything she was putting in his food. Smart bastard he was.

"Excuse me?" Meena hissed. "This is hardly what a marriage would be like. Right now I feel more like your mother, trying to educate you on some of the basic things in your life. Such as not putting your feet on the table where we eat food, you slob!" She slammed her knife into the table before continuing her kitchen cleaning. One of these days she would surely walk up to him while he slept and choke him if he continued flapping his mouth in such a careless manner. "Hah! And I'm supposed to believe that? You must be a beast between the sheets then, but I can't really believe that... because it's not true!" Meena mocked him. "Don't try to fool me. It's clear you've never managed to keep a woman. They all just fly away when they realize what kind of a serious grumpy five-year-old you are. It's not called having your own ways, it's called being a bore! Ugh, just live a little, will you?"

When he put his boots back on the table, she arched a brow but didn't say a word while she finished wiping the counters. Childish fool! It was terribly painful to be around him when sober. Through a drunken haze, he had seemed so much funnier. Eventually he removed his boots from the table, which surprised Meena slightly, but she didn't comment on this. His next words, however, bit slightly deeper into her skin.

Obviously she was enjoying making fun of him. But as soon as he stated that it was the only way for her to get him back for Kessel, Meena felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Not this subject, she begged in her mind, do not go there with me. But he did, perhaps because she had tried to push him over the edge earlier. As he stated that it was her fault for being put there in the first place, her body stiffened and a short battle occured inside her mind. Part of her wanted to leap across the table, push him on the floor and choke him, but part of her, a bigger part of her, urged her to calm herself. With a deep breath through her nose, she bit her lip for a moment, making sure her body was calm and collected before daring to move. Meena straightened herself and placed two bowls, two cups and some utensils on the counter.

"Make the table."

_________________

"I live plenty. Will you drop it already?" He was getting tired of her constant nagging, trying to hurt him for his lack of a love life. He didn't want to talk about his choice in women, or why he wasn't married. Truth is he had been constantly disappointed with how things had ended up. He really thought he would be married with children by this point, but he just couldn't stand the women he was with. Sometimes they ended the relationship, but he would often break up with them. In his later years he had given up and decided to just have fun.

Obviously bringing up Kessel was never a good thing, which was evident by Meena's face as she tried to hold something back. Drak sighed. Obviously there was a lot of hate swelling, and he needed to figure out how to smooth things out. He wasn't going to be with her for long, but regardless he wanted there to be less tension between them. Maybe she just needed to purge it somehow.

He got up and grabbed the bowls, placing them onto the table. He went back for the utensils, not looking where he was going, and walked into Meena as she was bringing the stew over. It dropped, but Drak grabbed it just in time, splashing a bit of the stew onto the floor and each other. "Sithspawn!" he yelled. He put the hot stew pot onto the table. "Watch where you're going next time," he snapped at her, even if he thought it was his fault. He never wanted to apologize to her.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

It seemed like they had reached a point where both of them were unable to discuss one subject that the other kept bringing up. He didn't want to talk about his love life and she didn't want to talk about Kessel. They were locked up in this eternal battle where both of them wanted to get the last word, no matter what. The problem was that Meena's patience with him was slowly but surely getting drained and it was only a matter of seconds that she would snap like a dry branch. And the problem with him was that he was probably about to get another huge headache that would only further cause him to irritate her and vice versa. She could see where this was going and it didn't look pretty.

The final straw for her came when he bumped into her, causing her to nearly drop the stew. Thankfully it only splashed slightly on the floor and on her top, as well as on his shirt. Meena groaned in annoyance and was about to blame him while giving the floor a wipe with a cloth when he all of a sudden blamed her instead. But wait, he had bumped into her! She was about to open her mouth and protest, when she realized she was absolutely done with this. All of this. "Just stop." Meena spoke suddenly, words simply coming out of her mouth. "Please, just stop. I didn't ask for this. You made me take you on this ship. You told me to do this or go to prison again. That is not a choice."

"I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend it never happened. I can't just say it's okay, because it's not. I'm not alright! I still hear, see, taste and feel everything I felt during those seven awful years." There wasn't anger in her, only despair. "And I can't make you feel any of it, it's impossible. There is nothing that will ever allow me to get you back for it. Not a damn thing will make you understand how painful it was for me to see every day how the people who made laws, who were supposed to protect the citizens in this Galaxy, pitted inmates against each other until they'd fight to death, rape and abuse women and get away with it because we were all condemned for a lifetime." She trembled. She hadn't spoken about her life in Kessel in such detail, because a lot of it were things she just didn't want to remember.

Meena looked over to the table, her jaw clenched because she'd be damned if she showed any signs of weakness in front of his man. She'd rather die than cry in front of Drak. "If it makes you happier to know... yes, I was miserable in Kessel. I wasn't even a alive. I was a moving corpse among other human wrecks. There was nothing glorious about it. There is nothing glorious about me having survived that. I just tell people what they want to hear. Nobody cares for the truth." She looked over to him. "I'm not trying to justify what I did. You saw me that night. I was hammered. Foolish. Arrogant. Greedy. I made a lot of mistakes. But I dare say I'm better than those officers on Kessel."

Her eyes went back to the stew and she swallowed, not feeling up for dinner after all. Not after all that. "You should eat. I'm not hungry anymore." Meena glanced at him quickly before hurrying out of the kitchen.

_________________

Drak stood there stunned as she let it all out. To be honest he had no idea life in Kessel was that bad. He'd heard rumours, but nothing definitive. He knew there must have been some bad dealings in Kessel... but the way she described it still left him awestruck. She was a good con artist, but she wasn't lying, not now. He always tried to turn a blind eye to the corruption amongst the police force. He never took bribes, and he always tried to do right, but he hated how corruption seemed to seed into every position of power out there- from politicians, to law makers, to law enforcers. Then there were the imperials; The most corrupt government he knew, with shadowy figures controlling the strings, like the so called 'mythical' Darth Vader. It was all rumours and conspiracy theories, but it was never like this with the Republic. The Republic had it's share of corruption, sure, but the Empire took it to a whole new level.

Drak stood there, unable to say anything as she poured it all out and left. He stood there, squeezing his fist, frustrated with everything. He certainly didn't want to be in this position, stuck in a ship with someone who hated him. He doubted anything he could say would make things any better, but for once... he understood. She was right after-all, this galaxy was not black and white like Drak wanted to think it was. He wasn't even sure if he was on the right side anymore-

Argh! He hated himself for all of this. He poured the two bowls full of stew, grabbing one of them. He walked through the ship, and she wasn't in the cockpit, cargo bay, or engine room. She was obviously in her room as the door was closed. He placed the bowl on the floor in front of it. He sat down, his back against her door.

"I've brought you some stew." He prepared himself for what he was about to say. "Alright you said what you had to say, now I'll say what I have to say." Not exactly the best start. He sighed, brushing his hand through his hair. "Clearly we both hate each other. I didn't give you much choice for this job, and I get it. It's not like I have much of a choice either. It's either this, or my brother dies and Cyn's baby grows up without a father. How about from now until Nar Shaddaa we just stay out of each other's hair? We won't talk about anything but the job, if we talk at all. Then when we get there you help me find Collarroka, I pay you, and we go our separate ways as we had planned."

He got up without waiting for her to respond. He was about to walk away but his fist tightened, "As for Kessel- I didn't know it was like that. I'm-" he stopped himself and sighed. She was still a criminal, and as much as he knew the world wasn't black and white, he couldn't find a way to apologize. So instead he just walked away to eat his stew.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

...sorry? But he didn't say it, of course and she looked down to her lap as she sat right on the other side of the door, her back against it. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't want or need him to apologize, because those two words wouldn't change anything. And realizing that nothing would ever change things and make the pain go away, she suddenly felt like she was stuck and hadn't given herself enough time to digest and think about what had happened on Kessel. A lot of the things she had seen, heard and experienced herself, well... she had ended up denying them and creating glorious stories about how prison was a place that toughened you up, while in fact it had completely destroyed her.

Drak wasn't responsible for it. He had arrested her, but that had been his job all along. But she was unable to blame the faceless officers who each day had hammered in her head that she was nothing and would continue to be nothing until the day she died. Her life before Kessel had been full of tests and challenges, but it was nothing compared to what had come afterwards. Meena opened the door eventually and grabbed her bowl of stew. She ate unwillingly and tried to rest after that.

----

Countless hours of silence, avoidance and quieteness, Meena was awakened from her thoughts by the sound of her ship's hyperdrive slowing down. She stretched, happy to realize that they were finally reaching their destination and headed into the cockpit where Vul was already positioned. The stars settled back into the sky as the ship hopped out of hyperspace and ahead of Furion was Nal Hutta, with its moon, Nar Shaddaa. "Finally. I've missed this place." Meena mumbled as she piloted her ship into Nar Saddaa's orbit and from there on to its surface. Like a smaller but filthier version of Coruscant, it was filled with tall buildings and countless layers of apartments, slums, hotels, red light districts, cantinas and so on. This was one of those places where a criminal could walk relatively safe without anyone sticking their nose into his business.

Landing smoothly on one of the many landing pads of the city, she sighed deeply knowing that they were on solid ground again and that next time she'd have to jump into hyperspace she would do it alone. However, she had one decision to make, concerning Drak. Three days had given her enough time to consider what she really wanted out of him. Vul bleeped curiously as he noticed how deep in thoughts Meena was. She gave her astromech a smile. "Things will work out. I know what to do now."

She stood up after shutting down all systems and gathering her necessary belongings. Right now she really wanted a drink, go dance in a club and pass out somewhere after that, but she doubted that was Drak's idea of fun. "Let's go!" Meena exclaimed as she headed over to the open ramp in the cargo bay. "And find you precious Collarroka."

Psht. As if. She had a plan for him.

_________________

Nar Shaddaa (Moon of Nal Hutta)

Drak had enough. It was too long, being stuck in a tin can with a woman who hated him, and a droid who seemed to want to see him dead. At least he had the silence. There were a few awkward bumps, some quick looks, and the occasional necessary words, but for the most part things were calm. He did think a lot about their last 'conversation' though. One night he even dreamed about being in a place like Kessel, and he woke up sweating. It was not like him to care for a criminal; he didn't like it.

The whole ship shifted, and Drak was calmly woken from his sleep. They were out of hyperspace, which meant they were now at Nar Shaddaa, one of the grimiest places in the Galaxy. It was like all the bad parts of Coruscant, wrapped in a nice blanket of pollution. Some dared to call it little Coruscant, but Drak knew it more by it's seedier name, the Smuggler's Moon. If you wanted to hire a smuggler, a crook, a mercenary, or even an assassin, this was the best place to look. It was infested with the worst kind of vermin- criminals. Not a place for a cop.

They landed safely, and Drak reached the ramp with his belongings. Meena hurried him outside, but he hesitated. Looking onto the cityscape, the thick smog, the dirty streets- he felt alone. On Coruscant, he was the law, and he was at home. Now this was her place, her turf, and she was one of the best criminals amongst criminals. She could fire a blaster at him, or send him into a trap, and no one here would even stop to look twice. He was staring at Meena for what felt like an eternity, and he felt like he needed her help to assure her everything would be okay. Don't be such a weak nerfherder! Drak thought to himself. He didn't get to be the best investigator on Coruscant by hesitating, or by doubting himself.

He breathed out and stepped down the ramp. He took a whiff of what he hoped would be fresh air after breathing recycled air for far too long- but instead was met with something more foul. "This moon stinks," he commented to no one in particular. His heart was racing at the thought of having to pretend to be a Criminal, and what might happen if he were discovered in a place like this. He tried to play it cool, but he needed to calm his nerves. "What's a good place to get a drink around here?"

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

When she at first couldn't hear his footsteps on the ramp, she turned around with a sigh, only to see him standing there, looking into her eyes. She was surprised to see worry in his eyes, as if he was trying to reach out to her for comfort. Meena hesitated for a moment, but decided that he'd have to go through this alone and understand just how it felt like for her to set foot on a planet with a proper law enforcement. Besides, she really didn't want to feel sorry for him, because he was far from deserving that right now. She turned her back to him and focused on the myriad of other ships that had arrived or were leaving. Criminals, all of them. You could tell from miles away just by looking at them.

She heard Drak comment something about the stench and she smirked to herself. He'd better get used to it, as she had a strong feeling that he would be spending more time on this moon than he'd like to. Meena waited for him to walk down the ramp before closing it, leaving Vul inside to guard the ship. There were several errands she'd have to take care of on Nar Shaddaa, but her priority was to get something to drink and relax for a bit. Also, she desperately wanted to meet a good friend of hers and ask for valuable advice. Perhaps then her plan concerning Drak would become more concrete. "A friend of mine is running a successful cantina around the corner." Meena replied and nodded towards the neon sign of a gundark. The Parched Gundark was a cantina in which she had conned rich men countless of times and therefore it held a special place in her heart.

As she began leading the way to the cantina, past fellow smugglers, bounty hunters, thieves, pirates and assassins who were unloading or loading cargo, she thought of her plan. Since Coruscant the plan had been to leave Drak on Nar Shaddaa, where he would have virtually no friends, no money, no ship, nothing. But although her heart really was as black and as wilted as some of her victims had said when testifying against her, she was slightly hesitant.

Outside the cantina, several scantily clad Twi'lek women were positioned. One of them waved at Drak and winked in a suggestive manner. "Hey hot shot! You look exhausted! I could fix that... 60 credits for an hour, just for you!" The woman giggled. Meena glanced over to Drak with an amused look on her face. "Your call. I don't mind waiting." Not waiting for his answer, she pushed open the cantina doors and stepped inside into a cloud of smoke, through which she could make out the bar and several occupied tables. Drunk chattering, laughing and the upbeat music played by a band brought back many memories in which she had walked over to the bar in her little red dress, greeted the man, played hard to get and then collected the money.

She pushed her way to the bar where a few empty seats were located. Just as the bartender, a stout man with countless scars and marks on his arms, turned around to greet the new customers, a wide smile spread on her face as he froze still. "Meena?" He mouthed in disbelief and then exclaimed: "Meena! You're out of prison! How? Why? When? You owe me a full and truthful explanation right now. Drinks on me." Meena laughed as he turned to the other bartender, a male Wookie who was mixing drinks. "Hey! Fur coat! This lady gets free drinks all night. Do you understand that?" The Wookie responded with a lazy growl and went on to take Meena's first order, a simple beer.

"And, who is this?" The man asked, now shifting his attention to Drak. "Please don't tell me you've become boring like everyone else and married to a man!"

"Oh, no, absolutely not!" Meena hurried on to say. "This is Drak, he's been working together with me since I got out of prison. We're just colleagues. If you could get him free drinks, that would be nice as well."

"Anything you want." The man nodded to her and then held out his hand to Drak. "Nice to meet you, I'm Vince, owner of this place. What can I get you?"

_________________

Drak walked through the streets a few paces behind Meena, a compromising position, following a criminal into the most dangerous of worlds. The fact that he was an investigator, and had years under his belt, was the only thing keeping him from running back for the ship. He wasn't a frightful man, but you throw a man into a pit of Rancors and Terentanteks, and even the strongest of people would cower a bit. He could hold himself in a fight, but he had no back-up, and his holo-badge showed no respect in a place like this.

Races of all kind moved through the streets, and in fact it reminded him much of the Coruscant underbelly. Thieves and pirates moved through the place, and bounty hunters were the only form of policing he could see. As long as you're bounty wasn't too high, you were safe. A pit with two Krell Dragons were battling it out, and the crowd cheered with credits in their hands. The streets smelled of foreign food and spices that made Drak's stomach churn. It may have looked like coruscant, but it certainly didn't smell like it.

As they reached the bar a group of Twi'leks waited outside, enticing Drak. He even considered it a moment, as the red skinned Twi'lek was quite desirable. However as Meena made her comment, he couldn't help but feel it was a stab at his lack of a love life, even if she didn't intend it to be that way. "After you," he motioned to her, ignoring the Twi'lek, who was now trying to seduce another man. "I don't need to pay my women," he muttered under his breath as she moved ahead of him.

The bar was just as dirty as the world outside. He often preferred bars like this, just with less criminals and grime. He certainly wasn't a fan of the sleek upper levels of coruscant, but he wanted things to remain civil and peaceful. In a place like this if you looked at a man wrong, you could get shot and no one would bat an eye. A local band was playing a tune of sorts in the corner of the cantina, something with a lot of horns. He didn't like it.

Drak was then introduced to Vince, a scarred man looking just as tough as the clientele he served. As Vince asked if Meena got married, Drak noticed something in the man's look towards him, a look of distaste and competition. As she assured him that she didn't, the look didn't go away, even if his voice sounded sincere and kind. Drak shook the man's hand, but Vince held Drak's hand tight, so Drak held it even tighter. Drak smiled, trying to ignore the obvious battle Vince was trying to win.

Drak sat down, and asked for a Whiskey from the Wookie, who handed it to him in no time. Drak took a sip, letting the warmth sooth his throat. He studied Vince, now feeling a bit competitive himself, to notice that Vince was in fact the type of man he could see Meena being with. A bit handsome, but broken, and certainly able to hold himself in a fight. Drak gritted his teeth without knowing why. He just ignored it as he looked out the window at the world he was now trapped on, trying to forget everything even if just for a moment.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

It had never really occurred to Meena that a man could genuinely be interested in her. Perhaps she was not very observant when it came to such things, perhaps she didn't care enough. However, having brought so many victims of her into Vince's bar and having flirted with them, kissed them, caressed their arms and batted her eyelashes, she should have known a long time ago that she had also been putting on a show for Vince himself. But no, she didn't know. She couldn't see the tenseness as the two men shook hands and how they eyed each other afterwards. Meena was good at reading people, but she used her skills in a choosy manner, instead of constantly analyzing people.

"I thought for a moment that maybe you were back in the conning business." Vince spoke and smirked as he sat down on the other side of the bar to chat with them. "You've probably heard all about it, Drak! Hahaha! She's great at melting hearts. You know, one time she came here with this man and-"

"Yes!" Meena exclaimed and raised her hand to stop him, not comfortable with the subject, especially since Drak probably knew more than enough about what she had to her victims. "Yes, he knows, Vince. Please."

"Oh come on, don't be shy." Vince chuckled and shifted her attention back to Drak. "Have you made him weak in the knees yet? Show him some of your tricks. Come on! Watching you perform is always fascinating. You owe to me after, what, seven years of Kessel?!"

Meena glared at him. "Our relationship is highly professional. He knows, okay? Can we drop this subject now and talk about money? Please! There's someone we need to find." She gritted her teeth a little, glacing towards Drak shortly before focusing on her beer again. Vince was nice, but he was one of those guys who could make her incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassed in only a few minutes. "Awh." Vince sighed and shook her head. "You're no fun. Alright, two can play that game. No talking about money until I get a little show. Seduce someone, anyone. Prove to me you haven't lost your talent and I'll help you find whatever it is you're looking for."

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance and she cursed at him in Huttese before returning to her beer. "No one here is good looking enough." Meena complained with a low voice as she scanned the room behind her glass, a sentence that must have broken part of Vince's heart right then and there. "Then again, I'm probably just not drunk enough. Get me a bantha blaster." She watched as Vince hurried off to fix her a drink before turning to Drak, speaking with a low and fierce tone. "This bastard! Can't you do something about this for once? Come on, you don't want me to deceive people, so give me a hand here!"

She straightened herself once Vince walked back over to them. With a smile she took her drink and began sipping it. "I'm still waiting. Have as many drinks as you need." Vince grinned.

_________________

Drak sipped his whiskey as people passed the streets below the cantina. He was always fascinated by how Coruscant, and now Nar Shaddaa, was made up of several levels, platforms, and heights. It was very unlike any other planet, where they used the ground to build their structures, not structures upon structures. It comforted him to think about this, making him feel a bit closer to home. He tried to ignore Vince and Meena talking to each other, yet they incessantly kept talking to him, especially Vince. He seemed to be stuck on something about her melting hearts, seducing men, the classic Meena M.O.

She mentioned that no one in the Cantina was good looking enough. He wasn't sure if to smirk, or to take it as an insult. She was probably trying to push his buttons sub-consciously, like with her comments about the Twi'lek, as if mocking him to fill the 'empty void he calls life' with hookers. Then again, maybe he was over-thinking things. She was a criminal, and was probably friends with escorts and those who enjoyed them on a daily basis. She probably didn't think much of it. In fact maybe he was trying to read into it too much. He was always good at reading criminals, just not her for some reason.

Drak never really had a chance to see her M.O. himself, and a moment of curiosity settled at the back of his mind. He looked at Meena, glad he was feeling a bit of a buzz, even if only fleeting. While part of Drak wanted to see Meena perform, and possibly feel humiliated the whole way, another part of Drak wanted to best Vince. So when given the opportunity to help Meena break free of her annoyances, he wasn't sure how he was going to react. He looked at her plead for his help, then back at Vince as he arrived with a drink.

He looked around the cantina, noticing a game people were playing at the back. "Say Vince, you like Sabacc?" He wasn't sure where he was going with this. "How about I play you for that information? Hmm?" He started to panic a bit, realizing he actually wasn't very good at playing Sabacc, yet the words just kept rolling out of his mouth. In fact most people told him he was terrible. "If I win, you give us help us without charge, if I lose, then Meena will play her seduction game on you." He wasn't sure what Meena felt about the whole idea, but he didn't care. Either way they would get the information they needed to help save his brother, and if he lost as least he got to see her embarrass herself with Vince.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

Meena grabbed the bantha blaster with a fake smile and took her first sip. She was definitely not drunk enough for this place. And if Drak didn't come with a back up plan soon, she'd have to dig deep and pull up her vixen with swaying hips and batting eyelashes... and billion credit smiles. Thankfully and surprising enough, Drak did open his mouth when Vince joined them once more and made a rather intriguing suggestion that kind of, maybe, perhaps, in a way... impressed Meena.

His suggestion was dangerous, however, as Vince was known to be someone who could even beat Meena in Sabacc. And she was usually a very strong player, even if she was sometimes too drunk to see her cards straight. Vince nodded slowly at Drak's proposal, realizing that he wasn't dealing with a loser here, that Meena had had to have chosen this man to be her colleague for a reason. If only he had known the truth... "Hmh, I like your suggestion." He mused and grinned. "But let's raise the stakes a little more. I'm one of the best Sabacc players on this little moon. If you really think you can beat me, I'll cash in a little more than that." He rubbed his chin and looked over to Meena was a clever look in his eyes. Vince had always loved taking risks.

"If I win, she won't have to seduce me. She'll have to seduce you, and if she fails, I take the Furion."

"What!" Meena exclaimed. "That's not fair!"

"Hey, you're still paying your debts for the improvements made to the Furion that I personally ordered from my good friend. I own part of that ship and she's a beauty I'd happily take." Vince chuckled. "Of course, you're welcome to work for me after that to try and earn it back. And honey, this is Nar Shaddaa. What did you expect, a walk in the park? Life isn't fair. I'm going all in, just like you used to when playing risk games. Are you no longer into that?"

Meena arched a brow, but remained quiet. Either way, she was going to lose in this game. "I must have forgotten during those seven years that you don't play fair games." She spoke, her voice a mixture of a poison and honey. "Fine. Name your other conditions." Like she would care if she'd have to seduce Drak. Ha, that would be a walk in the park for her. Besides, she was sure she'd be drunk enough to flirt with him after a third bantha blaster. For now, however, she was hoping that Drak would actually do well and get her out of trouble.

"If I lose... I'll help you without charge, forgive all your debts concerning the Furion and pay 50,000 credits to you. Buy something nice." He winked to Meena whose eyes were now gleaming from interest. "Shall we, then?" Vince nodded to Drak before heading to the backroom to get his special cards. In the meantime, Meena turned to Drak with a devious look on her face. "Thank you. Now, just win. You only need to try. Here." She poked his thigh and passed him a spare set of Sabacc cards underneath the counter. Meena often carried the cards with her so she could cheat if a tough game like this would present itself.

_________________

Everything spiralled out of control before he could even say a thing. He didn't realize he had challenged 'one of the best Sabacc players on this moon.' Plus, now Vince raised the stakes. Certain he was going to lose, Drak knew Meena had to somehow seduce him, and if she failed she'd lose her ship. "Fine, agreed," he told the Bartender- which was an idiotic thing for Drak to say. He didn't exactly like Meena, but he didn't want her to lose her ship; he had already cost her so much. He also doubted someone like Meena could seduce him, at least well enough that Vince would be satisfied. He just wanted to see Vince lose- Drak didn't know what was getting into him.

Drak tried to review the game in his head for a moment. He noticed in the back were some Sabacc droid dealers, which were a necessity with this game. It was a difficult game, but simple in design. You bet, you try to beat out the other player, you bluff, but more importantly at any time the Sabacc dealer can shuffle the values of the electronic cards, changing your hand randomly. The values were what mattered.

He looked over at Meena as Vince left, as she handed him some Sabacc cards. He looked at them, and they were special value changing cards that would change just at the tap of a finger. "Well let's hope he doesn't spot them. He has some droids dealing, and they'll be hard to fool. Because honestly, I'm probably one of the worse Sabacc players out there." Vince came back and and Drak forced a devious smile at the man. Vince led them to one of the tables where a Sabacc droid was already dealing out the cards. He whispered over to Meena, "don't worry though, I'm great at bluffing." He smiled confidently at Meena, which probably looked more cocky than anything.

Drak sat down at the table across from Vince, and stared at the man. "The pot is 500 credits each," he told Drak as credit tokens were handed out. Drak lined up his stacks carefully. He placed a bet into the main pot, and looked at Vince carefully, trying to study the man. It was obvious to Drak, who could read most people except for Meena, that Vince was trying to prove something. As if Vince was trying to stake his claim, to show Drak that this moon and Meena was somehow Vince's property. He smirked a bit at the thought, as if Meena would ever stand for being anybody's property. She'd probably mount a man's head for even thinking that way.

Drak grabbed his cards, and he had several negative values, giving him a total of -16. Pure Sabacc was 23, so he wasn't close enough yet. He was able to beat any positive cards of 15 or lower, but if he faced a positive 16, he would lose. This early on wasn't a time to use his cheat cards, assuming he'd be able to get away with it. He wanted to save them for later if he really needed them. So instead he made sure to put on his best Sabacc face, and threw in a few credits.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume

Meena's jaw clenched slighty when Drak declared himself as the worst Sabacc player out there. This wasn't good. She wasn't a pro herself and she knew for a fact that she would never be able to beat Vince. However, if she could distract Vince enough during the game, then perhaps there was a chance that Drak would be able to shuffle his cards secretly, even avoiding the droid's attention. "That's not enough." She whispered back at him as they were led to the game table. "You'd better do everything you can, because seducing you is the last thing I'm in the mood for right now." Meena gave Drak a quick, commanding glare before taking a seat at the table with her bantha blaster.

She eyed Vince carefully before looking over to the droid that was dealing the cards. It had been a while since she had sat down to watch a game of Sabacc. Shame that this one wouldn't be a proper one. In her early years on Kessel, she watched inmates play Sabacc and betting on their teeth, loose fingers or toes. Luckily this version made her much less nauseous and she actually had something pleasant to sip while observing the two men try to fool each other. Vince seemed at first quite confident, however, knowing what was at stake, Meena began to see the first signs of nervousness settle in. They were very subtle, but present nonetheless.

"What about you Vince?" She spoke, glancing over to Drak as she started her little distraction. "Have you found the woman of your dreams already?"

Vince effectively turned his attention to Meena and smirked. "No. Most women these days are so boring. Always nagging and thinking about money. Seems like no one is up for excitement anymore." He mused and examined Meena's eyes for a moment before throwing in a few credits as well. "I have to say... I'm surprised you haven't found someone yet. Perhaps there is someone for you but you just haven't told me..."

Meena laughed and threw her head back. "Me? Oh, Vince. Look at me, I'm not twenty anymore. I'm not perky and pretty like I used to be. I'm an ex-convinct and con artist." She smiled slightly and took a sip from her drink. "Not exactly the ideal woman, right?"

"Nonsense!" Vince exclaimed and shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit! Which reminds me, you must tell me about Kessel."

She sighed and smiled to Vince. "Oh, darling, that subject bores me to no end." Meena tilted her head. "Can't we talk about you instead? I've missed you and I just can't wait to hear everything that's happened."

Vince observed his cards with a focused look on his face but quickly turned back to Meena. "Fine, but tell me one thing. How did you get out? Did you seduce an officer? Break your way out? Shoot someone? I have to know!"

Ah, the one question that all asked, which seemed to be the key to what it had truly mean to be in Kessel for seven years. She had never spoken the truth, perhaps because she was trying to convince herself that she had got out differently, that all those things that had happened weren't really true. But there had to be a limit to how long a mind could be tricked and to what extent memories could be altered. However, today was not the day she would admit the truth.

"Trade secret, dear." Meena giggled and finished her bantha blaster before ordering another one.

_________________

"Yeah well I'd rather sit in the belly of the Sarlacc pit for over a thousand years, then to be seduced by you," he whispered to her. He wasn't sure if he believed it himself, and a part of him was actually curious... even intrigued by the idea of her trying to seduce him, but he couldn't let her know that. His distaste for her outweighed his curiosity though, and the last thing he wanted was to lose this game, for her to attempt and fail at seducing him, and then for her to lose her ship. Plus he really didn't like Vince, even if Drak knew nothing about him.

He looked at his cards, studying Vince closely. He could see the way Vince was looking at Meena, studying her up and down instead, obviously infatuated with her, but covering it up with his Sabbacc face. They went through a few passes of betting, raising without a thought. Suddenly the cards shifted, something randomly brought about by the droid dealer, and two of Drak's cards changed to lower values, giving him a -8. He watched Meena talk with Vince, peeking interest at them talking about how she got out. He was always curious about this subject, wondering if she got out lawfully or not. However he wasn't surprised when she avoided the question.

Suddenly Vince called Drak's cards, with a new pep in his voice. Whatever the shift gave Vince, it was to his advantage. Drak had no choice and showed his cards, which made him lose the first round, and 60 credits of his 500.

The cards were shuffled again, and they played another round, this time Drak had to fold as he didn't have anything good. He was reading Vince closely, but Vince was very good, and didn't show any tell-tale signs of bluffing. It was making Drak nervous as he lost another 15 credits. Two more rounds passed, one where Vince folded, and the other where Drak won by calling Vince's bluff, winning with an 18 to Vince's 5. Now Drak was feeling good, confident even. The cards we handed out, Drak watched his cards closely and had an opportunity to freeze his two highest value cards, which after a few betting phases worked to his advantage as they changed value to something more advantageous. He was now at 21, almost a Sabbacc of 23.

He looked at Vince, trying to not give away anything. He was starting to get a feel for his opponents signs and gestures. As far as Drak could tell, Vince was now bluffing. Drak raised again, and Vince raised back. Now a good 200 credits were in the pot, and Drak was ready. He called Vince, and Vince looked at Drak carefully. "Let's see them," Drak told him confidently.

Vince grinned, lowering his cards, showing a 23, a Sabbacc. Drak's heart sunk, and he showed Vince his 21. Vince chuckled a bit, "I told you, I'm the best player on this moon. Just when you think you'll have me, you won't." Vince grabbed his credits from the middle of the table. Drak sighed, looking at Vince.

"I'm not sure that's such a compliment," Drak told Vince. "This moon isn't anything to be proud of." Not exactly the best insult, but Drak was still trying to figure out Vince, to see how he could push his buttons. "Tell me about yourself Vince, what made you want to bartend on Nar Shadaa?"

Drak got his next hand, he had a good -13, not the best. He looked at Vince, who's gestures were getting harder to read. Drak looked at his credits, a measly 230 credits left. If Drak was going to cheat, he would have to start doing it now.

_________________
I cut open my heart, bleed words onto the page, and see what happens...

Take a look at My Resume