Nar Shaddaa

The mess-hall was solemn. Craw was sitting on a seat, drinking from a jug of shipmade liquor. He hadn't bothered to change out of his armor. Or even clean it. The bloodstains from last night still easily visible. His helmet rested on the floor, next to the wall. It's visor had a crack on it.
Craw's expression was the same as on the station last night. Near emotionless, red, his eyes matched the shade of his face.
He waited, silently stewing in his anger.

Guiding Emotions! (Influence Basic Power): 1eF 1 Light Side


Durasay finally arrived back on Nar Shaddaa, having spent the morning sleeping it off, off world. Making his way back to the Tortoise, he opened the loading ramp.

He still looked rough, his uniform still showing signs of having taken heavy blaster fire. Walking up into the galley, he saw Craw.

Stewing. Reaching out with the Force, he began to speak, using the Force to guide his words into Craw, and to place him into a state of calm.

"I figured you'd be mad. Decided it would be best to give you time to... relax. Things didn't go like I planned."

(Using the light side, Craw should begin to feel calm washing over him.)

Craw looked at him, his emotions softening slightly. But there was still an edge to him. A rather profound anger and frustration that seemed to be pouring out of his sweat glands.
"As you planned. What the fuck does that mean, Dur? Seems like the only thing you fucked up was hiring second rate mandalorians who decided "Hey, let's double cross this traitor, he's no better than us after all." You should vet your backstabbers more carefully next time." He sneered meanly.

"Back stabbing was never the intention, vod. It was security." He folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the bulkhead. "All these years, I'd hope you, of all people, would realize how I operate." He didn't smirk, or continue pushing with the Force.

Not yet anyway.

"If things went wrong, like they did, and you knew what I was planning, it would make you and Nudimsu look culpable. Plausible deniability." His eyes narrowed at Craw. "What good would selling you or the job out do, Craw? Use that brain of yours and think for a second."

There was a small smile cracking at the corner of his lips. "I learned not all Mando'a are as honorable as you."

"It wasn't your intention? IT WASN'T YOUR INTENTION?!" He got up to yell, knocking the chair down. "So you put me to do it, made me put the knife in their backs instead of you. You made me break a contract Dur. You made me be a liar, and an oathbreaker, again!" He continued his tirade. "I'd rather fucking die than be that again!" His voice cracked, as he spoke. "That's why I do this! So I can prove to myself that maybe I'm really not that bad! That maybe I still have a chance to recover some shred of dignity or honor or whatever the fuck... But no. I break promises. That's all I'm good for apparently, to you, to Nai, to myself... To anyone." He paused, breathing hoarsely.

"What promise did you break? You were hired to take out security. You took care of the security. I went with the lab team to stop a bioweapon. I hired those mandos to secure the facility in case we failed." He didn't raise his voice, or move from his position.

"I didn't want them to go in blind. They decided that instead of preventing the release of the facility, they wanted the weapon for themselves." Now pain showed in his voice. "Do you know, what Czerka was doing to younglings? The horrors that facility held?" Now he was getting angry.

"I did what I thought was necessary with the limited time we had to stop that evil!"

Anger flowed both ways. "I broke the promise that I made to the employer that I would do the fucking job! But I didn't, because I fucked up. Because of those goddamn mandalorians you hired, with that fucking Sith! Stop bullshitting Dur, just fucking admit it! I don't know why you did it, but you set those others up, and me as a pawn to pull the fucking trigger! I fucking trusted you!" He paused again. "Fuck... I trusted you, man... God fucking dammit."

"One. You are being too hard on yourself. Two. I set no one up. The deal I made was for credits in exchange of protection and back up. They altered the deal. Three." He paused for a long moment, wanting to make sure he had Craw's undivided attention.

"I did make a deal with the Sith. Craw. Your mother will be free tonight."

Craw's face did that thing again. A whole emotional spectrum flashing through it in a matter of seconds. Anger, confusion, more confusion, happiness, fear and a few other more hard to place emotions danced across his face at an alarming rate. "...Shit."

"I understand if you can't trust me. I'll live with that price. I'll have no choice but to do so." He stood from the bulkhead, grabbing a water from the chiller.

"But know I trust you to do the right thing, Craw. And still do." He smiled as he drank from the water. "But since I know how you are, one free hit." Swallowing the liquid, he set it down.

Craw paused, and then sucker punched the man. Before Dur could even fully recover, Craw was already heading to his room to clean his armor. "Give me five minutes, then we're going to go get my mom."

He rolled with the punch, feeling the connection. Staying down for a moment, he straightened back up, rubbing his jaw. "Her shuttle is due later this afternoon, you have a few hours, vod. Maybe you'll feel better if you go help some of the citizenry protect their stuff from looters."

He laughed as he called back. "You'll get to shoot people!"