Chapter 41: The Wayward Mercenary

[Myrkr System, Myrkr, A Rundown Bar]

(3rd Person: POV)

Pushing open the doors to the bar Arwen Cohl quickly stepped inside and scanned his surroundings, looking for any immediate threats.

[Image of Arwen Cohl Here]

While he did so he also memorized the layout of the bar just in case he needed to make a quick escape.

Living the life of a mercenary you never know when you might need to make a hasty exit.

That is a lesson Arwen learned the hard way numerous years ago when he first became a mercenary.

After he left his home planet Miral.

But not before getting his revenge and killing the people who had imprisoned him.

When all he did was fight for the freedom of the homeworld they all shared.

Just remembering his past made Arwen's mood sour and his blood boil.

Which is why he quickly pushed those thoughts away.

For right now he needed to be in tip top condition.

Because right now Arwen was getting ready to meet a client face-to-face for the very first time.

A client who had been exclusively hiring him and his people for the past two years.

Giving them jobs to take down slavers and escort their victims to safety, destroy pirate bands, and also covertly eliminate corrupt government officials.

To say Arwen was curious as to why his mysterious client was assigning him and his people these types of mission would be an understatement.

So he tried to investigate said client, and soon found himself hitting dead end after dead end.

About the only thing Arwen was able to find out about his mysterious client was their name.

Moriarty.

It was obviously an alias, yet Arwen could not uncover a single thing about the person using it.

So in the end he decided to stop asking questions and keep taking on the missions Moriarty assigned hin and his people.

Partly because the money was good, and partly because Arwen's crew enjoyed the jobs they got from Moriarty.

Even if they were a band of mercenaries they had standards.

Standards which Arwen was dangerously close to throwing away before Moriarty came along.

So in that regard Arwen had to thank Moriarty.

But that doesn't mean the Miralian mercenary trusts his client all that much.

Especially when Arwen has never even seen their face.

And until he does he'll hold his reservation towards his mysterious employer for the past two odd years.

That's why today's meeting was so important.

Looking around the bar Arwen saw it was completely empty

Except for one single person.

Sitting alone at a table placed in the middle of the bar.

[Image Here]

Approaching the table, his left hand on the blaster secured in his left holster, Arwen soon found himself standing in front of the seated individual.

"Arwen Cohl." They said. Their voice distorted by the helmet they were wearing.

"I am. And you are?" Arwen asked the mysterious individual.

"Moriarty." They replied.

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" Arwen asked.

So in response the masked individual told Arwen something only he and Moriarty would know.

A code phrase to establish each others identities should they ever meet in person.

Which was ' The Game is afoot'.

Hearing the code phrase Arwen took his left hand off the blaster in his left holster.

He then sat down in the seat opposite of Moriarty.

"So, we finally meet. Moriarty." Arwen spoke.

"Yes." Moriarty replied. "I apologize for not meeting able to meet with you sooner, but personal circumstances of mine prevented it." They explained.

"Right. So, why did you call this meeting?" Arwen asked.

"Very soon you will likely be contacted by the group known as Nebula Front. You've heard of them, yes?" Moriarty spoke.

"I have." Arwen replied. "But how do you know they will contact me?"

"I have a source high up on their organization." Moriarty said. "A source that tells me they will call on you to help them attack the Trade Federation, and then call upon you again to help launch an assassination attempt on the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic."

"You're lying." Arwen spoke.

"Sadly I am not." Moriarty replied.

"That's insane. To launch an assassination plot against the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Anyone involved will be branded criminals the galaxy over."

"Yes, they will." Moriarty replied. "And despite the risks I will need you to accept that job."

"What the kriff?!" Arwen shouted. "Are you insane?!"

"No I assure you Mr. Cohl I am very much sane." Moriarty replied.

"No you must not be if you expect me to take on a suicide mission like that." Arwen replied.

"It won't be a suicide mission, because I will be covering for you and your people the entire time." Moriarty spoke.

After they did Cohl pulled the blaster out of his left holster and aimed it straight at Moriartys' chest.

"Okay enough of this Bantha Dung. Who are you? You have one minute to answer or else I blow out your chest." Arwen spoke.

Only for a pinpoint blast to burst through the ceiling of the bar and slammed straight into Arwen's blaster pistol.

Rendering it useless.

Dropping his pistol Arwen glared at Moriarty but the person in question didn't even flinch.

"Mr. Cohl. Calm down. If you don't my associate who I have observing this meeting from a safe spot will give you grevious injuries without any hesitation. They could've shot you through the head just now and not simply taken out your blaster. Think about that for a moment." Moriarty spoke.

So Cohl did exactly that.

Choosing to sit back down after he did.

"Thank you." Moriarty said.

"Whatever. So, what is this? One of my past clients hire you to take me out?" Arwen spoke.

"Not at all." Moriarty replied.

"Then what is this all about?!" Arwen angrily asked.

"The future." Moriarty replied. "Tell me Arwen, what do you think of the current state of the galaxy, specifically in regards to the Galacitc Republic?"

"It's messed up." Arwen immediately replied. "The Republic is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites whose leaders sit on their comfy chairs on Coruscant while the rest of us simply struggle for survival." He heartedly replied.

"Like with what happened to your homeworld Miral?" Moriarty asked.

"Don't speak of that!" Arwen shouted.

"Why, it's a perfect example of how messed up the Republic is?" Moriarty asked. "Your planet Miral is a member state of the Republic, and yet when your planet was threatened where were they? Nowhere to be found. The Miralian people had to fend for thsemselves. They had go fight for their home. As one of the greatest fighters from that time you know what I'm talking about." Moriarty spoke. "Which brings up another point. What happened to you Mr. Cohl. A man who fought bravely for his people. A man who lost and suffered so much for his people to achieve victory. Only to be betrayed by those you trusted. All because they were simply afraid of you grasping power for yourself."

"Yeah, what's your point?" Arwen asked.

"My point is Mr. Cohl is that that should not have happened to you." Moriarty spoke. "You could've done so much good for your homeworld and you never got the chance. A travesty."

"Yeah, well we can't go back and change the past." Arwen replied.

"Yes. That is true. But we can shape the future." Moriarty spoke. "Mr. Cohl, no Arwen. I am in the process of building something and I would like your help in doing so."

"What?" Arwen questioned.

"Yes." Moriarty replied. "I've seen your skills and know what's truly in your heart. You are a man who still wants to do good. A man who did do good and got only betrayal in return. But join me and I promise that will never happen again."

"Crazy. This crazy. Besides, you want me to trust you when you won't even show me your face." Arwen spoke.

Once he did so Moriarty reached up and took off their helmet, revealing the face of Van underneath.

Setting his helmet on the table Van looked Arwen directly in the eyes.

"My name is Van Sunrider." He revealed to Arwen.

"I see." Arwen said. Completely shocked.

"Now that you know my identity let's begin the real conversation." Van said.

Once he did so Arwen and Van started to have a serious talk.

The first of many the pair would have.