Beyond - Legends Pieces of Me *updated 9/15 Final Installment Up! (Post RotJ/Pre NJO, angst & drama, all OCs)

Title: Pieces of Me
Author(s): correllian_ale
Timeframe: Post RotJ, Pre NJO
Characters: OC's
Genre: Angst, drama
Summary: a scouting assignment at a local bar goes awry
Notes: this is response to the OC Writing Challenge
Disclaimer: I'm playing with George's universe, here's hoping he doesn't care.
* inspired by an old Danzig tune: Sistinas*

Pieces of Me
Part 1

It has become a cold fact that it doesn?t matter the star system, the planet, or even the city; every one of them has at least one cantina exactly like the one they were in now. Sitting in a booth near the bar, Menos Hit?ten couldn?t be sure she hadn?t been in this particular one before. It didn?t matter, they were all alike anyway; same fuel based liquor, same lousy long outdated music, same sensory assaulting atmosphere. But what was most important to her and her partner, was that cantina attracted the same self-indulgent denizens that could be found in those same dives across the galaxy.

The two companions sitting across the booth from each other spoke sporadically with meaningless conversation; attempting to draw attention away from their casual scrutiny of their surroundings. They didn?t need to speak of what they were looking for; because they were both competent in their trade. Menos felt she was competent anyway, he was passably so.

As her eyes scanned the room, she was caught off guard by a drunken Bothan as he stumbled into their table. She restrained herself, forcing herself to remain unfazed, as the table became powdered with ash from the cigarra dangling from his lips. Her partner covered the mouth of his glass with his hand to keep the falling ashes from contaminating his drink. Unable to keep his balance, he leaned on the already wobbly table spilling his toxic smelling drink across her leather tunic.

?Hey der loff,? he purred in a tone uncommonly used to members not of his species. His demeanor and manners spoke of his intentions, while his accent exhibited of someone who?d been a resident to this area for far too long. Menos wasn?t a naive and wild eyed young dancing girl; she knew what it was that interested the Bothan, despite his lack of verbal skills. Considering though she was disfigured to the point of hideousness among her own kind, she was still amazed that males of many species still found her charms piqued their interest. Sensual beauty was common among Twi?lek females, with very few species in the galaxy immune to their charms. Menos shook her head in simulated disgust.

Just as every sordid bar in the galaxy is the same, so are the males that infest them.

?Howsh r bout you came stroking mesh fir for a while with that taili ov yers,? he continued with his inebriated confidence, oblivious to the fact she was uninterested in him completely.

Menos had initially wanted to keep a low profile, and had hoped the barfly would take her hint and go away, but as always, what she wanted was in short supply. Her patience was also thinning, as she had to bat away his hand when he reached across the table to grope her lone remaining lekku. The male?s persistence was starting to attract attention, reiterating the definite downfall to what little attractiveness she had left.

The Bothan turned to the head and shoulders that glared from just above the table-top across from her, ?Yer twiki fem friend? Ish she aveleble fer leash??

The characteristically short Snivvian, clamored atop his stool in a comical state of posturing, his eyes reading of murder. His species was often said to be to Gamorreans, what Ewoks were to Wookiees, so it was of no surprise when the sot didn't take him seriously.

The intoxicated Bothan opened his mouth to laugh at the creature, but before he could start, the diminutive being had produced a vibro-blade, right across his throat.

?Speak well of my lady companion Bothan, before you loose the ability to swallow your drink.?

Menos Hit?ten watched her partner with indifference; she knew it wa

 

The Bothan was some kind of agent? I'm also interested in how Menos lost her lekku. Very intriguing story! I especially loved the description of cantinas in the beginning.

 

Awesome Start! This is very intrigueing. I can't wait for the next installmeng!

 

WOW. Great work!

 

Whoa! Very nice!

 

Hey, cool start.

 

Here's the next installment. I hope to have the final segment posted by Friday's deadline.

Pieces of Me
(Part 2)

Shukker slept soundly in the lodging?s next room; the cheap inn only afforded one bedroom, and the tiny multi-function living area where Menos vigilantly kept watch. She told Shukker to sleep, while she waited for instructions from their controller; since their original objective was now void due to the day?s earlier complications. Ever since they left the cantina, Shukker had been persistent on knowing what had caused her to shoot the drunken Bothan twice in the back; so she initially told him that their identities as spice traffickers had been compromised. When he persisted, digging for more information, Menos refused to elaborate, citing their need for further instructions, before she would reveal how the seemingly drunk Bothan was involved. That?s all she wanted him to know, and that?s all he?d ever know.

Let the truth be told, the Bothan probably hadn?t even remembered her in the slightest; after all Menos herself almost didn?t recognize him, and she was sober. She was even more sober now.

Silently, Menos considered if their roles had been reversed; she wouldn?t have trusted Shukker enough to go to sleep, especially as she blatantly been withholding information from him. Unfortunately for the snout-nosed alien, he had a deep affection for her that prevented him from seeing clearly regarding their partnership. She assumed that he didn?t know she was cleaning, and disassembling/reassembling her blaster; like a mentally fried war veteran, just to keep her mind?s demons at bay. What would he think of her now? His opinion doesn?t mean anything to me, only that his trigger finger still operates when I need it to, she thought. Menos avoided reliving the moment she shot the defenseless Bothan in her thoughts, but her reaction to the Bothan?s presence seemed to continue poking a sharp stick at her.

After losing her left lekku, Menos had been robbed of her most passionate emotions. She no longer was able to get angry, or upset, she just remained unnaturally cold and calm. She never felt joyous, or excited; and she no longer had the need to participate in the more common emotions, like compassion or greed. As she had recovered, Menos had come to realize over time, that the desire to feel anything had been taken away, as if severed, along with her lekku. I?d make a great jedi, she once mused, no emotions to cloud my judgment. The young Twi?lek woman had long been aware that Shukker held an attraction to her, maybe even a romantic one, but Menos just couldn?t feel the same; it was impossible. She never openly discouraged his thoughts though; it was those feelings that made him so loyal. He slept soundly, without worry, because he trusted her, because his feelings for her made him think she would never harm him. Menos still maintained to herself, that he was expendable, yet reliable; which is why she was generally patient with him and his infatuation.

I had been there before. At that exact table the two human females were at.

How she could forget that moment in her life, she couldn?t quite comprehend; perhaps it was a post-traumatic reaction? Menos possibly blocked it subconsciously, but the Bothan didn?t trigger her memory until he had approached that particular table.

That?s when all the memories had come flooding back to her.


It was the same planet, same cantina, same booth; and most importantly the same noxious smelling Bothan.


Menos had sat with a male Twi?lek; absent mindedly she stroked one of his lekku, while they nursed their drinks. She had been stalling the serving droid, who returned frequently to remind them of the two drink minimum. While he glowered at the stupid droid, she explained that they were waiting for a friend to join them, even though she grew doubtful herself that he would show.

Her lover, Toku Netu; was also a Twi?lek who looked like he was the antithesis of Menos. While her ski

 

He slept soundly, without worry, because he trusted her, because his feelings for her made him think she would never harm him.

That's a great line. As though Menos herself once felt that way about someone (Toku, perhaps?). Not having a good feeling about what happens next!

 

The final installment! Please feel free to comment or concrit...

Pieces of Me
(Part 3)

Later that night, Menos awoke in the hotel?s bedroom to the sound soft voices in the common room outside the door. Toku had promised he would wake her when he returned, after the job; he was going to see Tinguine and pay off his debt. Since there were no windows in the rooms and no standard chronos either, she was a bit unsure how late it was. She had retired to bed shortly before he was set to leave, so as far as Menos knew, she may have only been dozed off for a few moments. Toku?s partner may have arrived, and they were just leaving now; instead of just returning as she hoped.

Knowing how Toku didn?t like her injecting herself into his goings on, Menos opted to just close her eyes and try and fall back to sleep; he?d wake her soon enough.

When she closed her eyes though, all she could see was Toku?s ravenous hunger from earlier in the evening, resulting from his need for glitterstim. He had sat alone at the common room?s table shaken and distressed. She had hoped he had consumed so much a couple of days prior, that there was the slim thread of hope that he would have satisfied his hunger, at least for a few days. He may have been able to hold off until he could get some synth. She wanted to trust him enough not to attempt to buy more spice from Tinguine; and just pay what he owes the trafficker. Menos mentally crossed her fingers, wishing silently that Toku had scored enough from the theft to still be able to go down to the local med center, and get some that addiction breaking synth she heard about.

Menos hadn?t regained sleep yet, so she strained her hearing to listen as the conversation died out, and the main door closed. A few moments later she heard him open and close the bedroom door, as he silently slipped into the room. She kept her eyes closed out of disappointment when she detected the odor of Uvean Brandy from him. If it wasn?t spice or glitterstim, it was alcohol. Despite his best efforts, she could hear him try and light-foot it to the bed.

?I?m still awake,? she sighed, breaking the silence, ?no need to be quiet.?

?Thash good girlie.?

Menos jolted straight up, drawing the bed clothes around her, otherwise frozen with fear upon hearing the familiar voice that wasn?t Toku?s.

At first she couldn?t believe what she was seeing. The drunken Bothan from the cantina earlier, who had been harassing her, was now in her bedroom, stinking up the room with the odors of alcohol, and cheap cigarras, and he was watching her.

?WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?? Menos screamed as she found her voice, half-believing she could scare the intruder away with sheer volume.

?Fer my date lofv,? he spoke very calmly, his eyes wide in amusement.

?TOKU! HELP ME!?

?Yer twiki boyfriend left mish,? he said, now adding a sly grin to his face, ?cashing a trans? spert I?m thinkin?.?

Menos sat there, unable to piece together what was happening with what he was saying. She was confused and distraught, and was afraid her heart would stop at that very moment.

?Gave him a pretty hefta bag of credz, getting far away ish that ones.?

?GET OUT YOU KRIFFEN DRUNK!?

The Bothan still wobbly from his binge, moved slowly closer to the opposite side of the bed. He tried to give the illusion of being harmless, with his arms held straight out, palms down.

?Josht settlin? mish, I want my date. I paid yer boyfriend good creditz.?


Menos began sobbing uncontrollably, tears running down both cheeks as despair set in. Could Toku really have sold an evening with her to the Bothan? She couldn?t understand why he would do this, or if he would be angry if she didn?t go along? Then she remembered that look of craving on his face earlier, and realized what her lover had done. How could he have sunk that low?

It was then Menos realized she had to know the truth. Losing all modesty in her typically transparent sleepwear, Menos flung her bedcovers at the Bothan intruder. As he caught and tossed the covers aside, s

 

Cool story! That was really sad. I can't imagine having no emotions. Great job, Correllian ale!

 

Thanks peoples!

JadeSolo - Yes, perhaps at one time, early on, Menos was completely trusting of Toku; but I think that fell to the wayside long before this story. And the opening lines about cantinas, as I read it over, if I'm not mistaken, I've totally ripped of Boggie!?!

Rogue Pilot 2347 - I'm glad you enjoyed! Yes it is sad, unfortunately sometimes the circumstances of our life can drastically change our outlook...

And thank-you to the Sith Ladies; Mistress & VaderLVR, and to CommanderConrad for stopping by.

 

No emotions? That's terrible. Fabulous job, though.

 

Outstanding work! There are so many cool points to bring up about this piece.
You do a superb job crafting the atmosphere of the cantina. Very seedy.
Menos is a great OC, I admire her strength and her her emotionless state is interesting, kind of like getting a lobotomy. Ouch. She would be an interesting character to continue to develop. I always like Twi'Leks, they're such a cool race. It would be interesting to see more of the feminine perspective that Menos has to offer.

I especially like how in part two you reitterated you're opening theme 'any bar/any where' to actually being 'this bar/right here'.

Again, this is a really nice vignette and definitely meets the challenge presented. That's certainly a life changing scar.



Correllian_Ale, I don't leave the safety of the Saga board very often from now on please do me a favor and PM me any time you post a fic. I don't want to miss your work.