Munch was confirming similar rumors Leto had heard before in the sector. He began to become curious what might some of the mid levels be planning due to the current events; Or, atleast the ones that new how to stay off the Hutt's radar. Leto figured he’d discover the circulating down-low buzz once he heads to work.

Jace's comment began rang true to Leto. What was his friend doing here? He knew once his siblings had a path to get out of Nar Shaddaa, his family capitalized with the plan to never return. Yet, something within had changed Jace... he could see the fury in his eyes at the bar.

Jex turned to Jace, nodding his head.

"I would ask what happened to bring you of all people here, but given me being here I have a feeling that is a question you should be asking me." He glanced back around the room."I suppose starting with how you know these people seems a good place to start, also why they keep calling you Desperado."

The Nautolan sighed."By the way, sorry for not keeping in touch. Things have gotten...complicated since last time we met. But, tell Ellie hi for me and that I hope she's well." He managed a smile at that, hoping his best friend from his studies was going well.

He didn't know what happened to her since they last met, how could he? They had fallen out of contact for quite some time.

Jace replied. "I should have asked you that, too. But I'll start."

"Was born in this place. Parents kicked the bucket and I was left to fend for myself. Found my place in a gang that was run by Zay Koax, Leto's older brother. That's how I know them."

Jace eased back on the seat, reminiscing about those days. "Desperado was what I was called, because I'd be the one out there, getting caught in all kinds of stuff, while the rest pulled the job. Helped that I seemed to have a knack for hitting targets with anything blaster related."

"Eventually left, though, for greener pastures. And that didn't include working with other crime bosses. I've always wanted to leave this place, fly far, far away from here..."

He sighed for a moment before continuing on. Of course, Jex knew. But this was for Leto, Re'peek, and HU-1K. "Fate has a way of picking you up. Was working for Malto Frelien at one point. Last I heard, he's up high with the Hutts. Was usually teaching his son, Danjo, the tricks of the trade. But one night, he bungled what was supposed to be a quick cash job...and I got put in prison for it."

"There, the authorities gave me a choice: either rot in jail...or fight for your freedom. You know about those 'specialists' they added in some clone squads, Jex, I'm sure."

"Fought in so many places that I don't remember the names. Saw a lot of death and destruction. But...it was..." Jace stopped, trying to find a word he could use. "...Liberating, I would say. Out there, you get to know the ones that are with you. Out there, you rely on them to keep you alive. Out there...life suddenly becomes more alive."

"Experienced that first-hand. Didn't expect a Separatist trap to have a fail-safe. Those clones pulled me out and saved my life. Out here, few would bat an eye for a man shanked on the streets."

"And that's where I met Ellie." he looked at Jex. "You know the story at that point: we hit it off in a medical bay, decided to get married, and live a simple life out in Sulon."

Jace then fell silent, lurching forward on his seat, looking down on the ground, eyes a bit glazed. Recalling those memories was going to hurt yet again.

"But...fate has a way to throw you down. Had a nice place, a loving wife, a good job working for SorroSuub, and a fairly nice speeder, courtesy of now-Empire credit bonuses for service. I've made some big mistakes in my life...but that was my biggest one."

"A couple of guys wanted to 'politely commandeer' my speeder. I told them to blow off. They must have followed me and scoped the place...they knew how to get in and out. Left for work one day. Then I came back."

Jace clenched his fists. "Speeder was gone...place was trashed...and Ellie was on the floor, bleeding."

"Installed some security around the house before that, so I got to see it. They...did things to her. Left her there." He would stay silent for a bit, holding back tears. "Tried to call for help. She died right in my arms."

"Played the video over and over again...and found out who it was. Danjo Freilien. He and his buddies had the idiocy to call themselves out. So, I quit my job, sold everything I had, and came back here. It was supposed to be in and out."

"And now, I'm stuck in this point, wondering if fate's dunking my head in water and laughing all the while. If there's a bright spot, it's that he didn't recognize me, too. Biggest mistake he'll make."

"And you, Jex?"

“Statement: apologies, I am sure that if this unit could process emotions, this unit would feel how you do now.” HU-1K says to Jace, “If you ever need someone punched, this unit will assist you in turning your enemies into a pulp.”

As Leto listens to Jace, a silent anger would build up as his story progressed. Almost a sense of helplessness flooded his mind to the fact no action could correct his friend's loss. But ... he knew how Zay & Cami would react if here for the story; they gun down this Danjo Freilien without mercy. It didn't matter how long time had past. Jace was part of the gang.. part of Leto's family. Again, we somehow seemingly are still those lost kids due to life circumstances who still have nobody but each other.

He thought " Oh... Danjo has be found... "

Jex stood there in shocked silence as Jace explained what had happened to his dearest friend, the Nautolan just staring back at the human at the news of his friends death.

"E-ellie's- Ellie's dead?" He shook his head, body shaking where he stood as he stared back at Jace as though the man had ripped his still-beating heart from his chest."Oh by the fading stars...no...!" He whimpered, burying his face in his hands as he tried to compose himself from the shock to the system he'd just received. His closest friend had been robbed, shot and left for dead. He at-first wondered if it was because of him being marked, but if that was the case then why was Jace spared? No, there was no reason to think it was because of his wandering into what he assumed was some kind of government conspiracy.

He took three deep breaths and exhales, managing to stave off bursting into tears even if only barely. "Jace I..." He breathed out through his nose, remembering that he owed Jace some answers. "Sorry...here I am a mess and I owe you...answers too..."

Clearing his throat, he begun to speak."After you and Ellie left to Sulon, my internship on Kimino ended. They only sent me your way because of a shortage of medical professionals and, while I was still in training they did need all hands on deck and I knew the clones as well as anyone." He closed his eyes for a moment, opening them again. Only now the gaze he held wasn't that of a scared and skittish doctor, but a haunted gaze."So I went back to Mandalore and it all went to ****. The Duchess died, the planet erupted into fighting, they had to suspend studies because of the fighting. So like anyone I try to make a run back towards the dorms, gather my things up and get on the next shuttle out of there. Like you said though, fate can take just as easily as it gives." He pinched the bridge of his nose, recalling the events as though it was yesterday.

"I walked into a fire-fight just before I get to the shuttles, everyones just shooting and shouting, so I huddle up behind a wall and pray for the shooting to stop. You ever seen two Mandalorians fight each-other? The stories really don't prepare you for it... Eventually, the shooting stopped. A squad of Bo-Katan's forces, called themselves Squad Blackfire, were the last ones standing. They'd lost one of their own, and their leader was in a critical condition. I tried to just slip by, but one of them saw my doctors bag. He...just grabbed me, dragged me over and said to fix him up or 'they'll be cleaning up what's left of me'." He sighed."I found out later that the leader was that one's brother, and you know how Mandalorians are about family. Anyway, I did what I could to stabilise him and managed to keep him from bleeding out all over the street. So that meant that I was useful, and that meant I could be put to use...so they took me back with them. I was effectively press-ganged and became their medic, as well as a doctor for some of the others. Unfortunately as Mandalore had turned into a war-zone, that meant I had to get dragged out into the middle of fights to patch people up or fight alongside them. They at-least gave me a few pointers on how to shoot and a pistol, for what little that did."

He grabbed Jace by the shoulders, pulling the man in close with a surprisingly firm grip. His black gaze briefly became more distant and troubled."I don't know how you did it Jace! Going on a battlefield like that day in and out, bleeding and ducking fire. I lived that for but a fraction of your whole career, and I'm still having nightmares about it! And before you ask, yes, I did kill." He loosened his grip, a tired sigh leaving his lips as he let Jace go."I....I don't remember much about the end of the siege at Mandalore. I just know everyone else died, and when I next woke up I was on a shuttle back to Coruscant."

He sighed, some small semblance of calm and normality seeming to return to the Nautolan."Anyway, I'm here now. Didn't exactly get a warm welcome home, so I came back to the outer rim." It wasn't the whole truth but neither was it a lie. Given present company he wasn't sure he felt comfortable revealing he was being hunted down and wanted. While he trusted Jace, he wasn't entirely sure about the others especially this Munch character and if they would try to... capitalise on his predicament for their own gain.

"Oh, and Jace." He narrowed his eyes."If you're here to kill Danjo, I'll help however I can."

"Thank you, everyone. But to be frank, I have no clue what to d o now. Got no money to get back, and even trying to stow away would be suicidal."

As if Jace's initial plan, if you could call it that, wasn't any better. He was hoping it would be just sneak up to him and shoot him in the back of the head. Jace didn't think through much past that.

Jace sighed. Like it or not, he was in Nar Shaddaa with his old friends again. And they had plans, big ones.

"So, whatever you're planning...I'm in. They say the best place to be in a storm is to be in the eye of it. "

Re'peek's ears twitch at the mention of Danjo, and his attention would turn to the stories unfolding. He'd frown, not finding the story surprising, given the reputation Danjo had.

"Danjo huh? Yeah I've heard of him. Mid level tough, son of a guy named Matlo, much bigger fish in the pond. Danjo likes to come slumming it down here when he and his boys are looking for some knuckle-dusting, but usually stays in the light levels for most of his fun. Usually works in the weapons trade racket from what I've heard."

Munch would shake his head, humming in concern slightly. 'Mmh, I've seen them around the sector from time to time. Very dangerous, they fight for sport. I've seen them pick fights with swoop riders just because they were bored'.

He'd pause, looking from each each person carefully. 'No offence to your friends Ree, but they aren't ready to go after him, not yet, even with that droid thing. He's got powerful friends up top. You take on him, you'll find out fast enough he's got a small army of followers. Not to mention his old man, now he's one to run from. You want to fight him, you'll need to bulk up, on gear and on men'.

Leto thought " Ahhh, Jex knew Jace's wife. It seems both of the bar new comers are willing to come to his aid. If Munch is right, it might take sometime before Jace will be able to settle his score. Jace needs another outlet... ".

Leto would reflect on the present industrial sector situation. " These new guys need to get on their feet out here. I know what might spike Jace interest! ". Leto chuckles " Hey Jace, do you remember Tucker? Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow! ". Tucker was a neighborhood self-proclaimed ladies man back when they were just teens and known for his legendary catch phrase, Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow. The punk sometimes would swing by Zay's turf and attempt to flirt with his sisters. Jace & Zay, of course, were frequently forced to lay a beat-down Tucker for running his mouth. It became so systematic that Tucker would run at the sight of Jace.

Leto continues " Tucker runs with a nameless local gang now couriering supplies that range from spice to blasters. It might be fun to remove all those heavy crates from him on his watch. Rumor has it Tucker still doesn't know when to shut up; plus, he's not difficult to track. Let's just say he clearly over dresses his role on Nar Shaddaa ".

"That guy? By the Force, you'd think he'd quit doing this kind of thing..." Jace said to Leto.

"Well, at least he'll be easy to spot. Might as well start with him."

“Statement: This unit will punch his face if this unit can, just let this unit retrieve this unit’s sword before this unit and you attack him in order for this unit to deal maximum damage.”

"I'm up for some redistribution of goods any day of the week." Re'peek says.

"Well, Nar Shaddaa already has quite a Spice problem. Certainly wouldn't hurt to keep it out of the hands of ne'er-do-wells." Jex tried to find the moral side of this. It wasn't much of one honestly.

"Count me in too I guess."

This Tucker character sounded annoying. Then again, anything beat having to do another group assignment with Griff.

He never knew Zygerians could also be that legendarily lazy, or stupid. The fact that he somehow graduated was further proof that there was no justice in the galaxy.

Munch would glance up, foot tapping nervously against the floor. 'Hey now, you guys really want to be starting trouble? You should lay low, let things blow over till the new bosses take over? At least get a good plan together. They may not be big, but that company hires some dangerous sorts to protect their trucks. They don't exactly advertise their routes either. That's why folks trust them'.

Leto questions, " Lay low until the Niktos take over? What is there to be gained by that? If we strike now, its on the Duros watch. I'm not sure if the Duros are in a position to be patrolling the streets if you catch my drift. I agree, we need to scout or acquire information on their routes ". Leto analyzes the idea further, " Shat, if we prove the company is unreliable... the company will either be looking for new hires or the business will be looking for another secure source. We need to hide our identities " as Leto appears baffled on what to do in regards to the droid.

Re'peek ponders, idly rolling a small metal ball around his fingers and palm. "I could probably hit the streets and do some snooping, see if I can get any leads on upcoming shipments of theirs, or possibly a route. Heck even just their main hub would be a starting point."

"Yeah, we might as well get started." Jace said, getting up. Danjo would have to wait for now and he wasn't doing anyone any favors just sitting around.

"Does everyone have a comlink? We'll need that to share info with each other."

"Meanwhile, I'll see if any of my old contacts might know something about Tucker's latest scheme."

Munch would shake his head a few times as he moves shuffles around the room once more. 'I have a bad feeling about this Ree, I really do. But if you have your heart set on this, you can't leave anything to chance'. He'd move towards the window again, glancing at the outside world. 'Look, with the crack down from the Ganks no one is going to be doing business tonight. Your best bet is to start working on this tomorrow, in the morning when things settle'. Gulping slightly, he'd offer Ree'peek a small smile. 'I'll crash here again if that's alright, wait till the debtors get bored. I'll help you with your prep in return if you want'.

Re'peek stretches. "I wasn't planning on doing anything at this point anyway. The bar fight interrupted my breakfast, and I don't steal on an empty stomach. Besides, I always enjoy a little research and recon. The more I know about my mark, the less they know about me when I steal from them."

He looks around at Munch's last comment. "As to crashing here, that couch over there has a permanent indentation in the shape of your butt, so it's hardly an issue." He glances at the others. "The rest of you can crash here too if you want, plenty of space, but that's about all there is to the place. " He scratches his chin and then glares at Munch. "If you ate my last batch of gualo noodles, YOU are going out and buying some more. Especially since I'm going to have to deal with the nasal ramifications of it." He wrinkles his nose.

"Well, I'm not as well versed in this area as the rest of you. But, I can see what I can find out." Jex answered."I have a commlink, so I can keep in touch."

Jace nodded at Re'peek's suggestion. "I'll take you up on that." Jace said, leaning back on the chair he was sitting in. It wasn't a bed, but it would do for resting. Jace just hoped that for tonight, a nightmare wouldn't come up.

Munch would snort as he goes to slump onto the couch. 'I don't eat that muck' he'd declare as he lies down to sleep. Of course Ree would find that if he actually checked the now empty cupboard that this was not the case.

It had been a long day for everyone and the future of the sector was more uncertain than it had been for a while. Who would fill the void of the Duros, or would they cling to power in spite of the Hutts meddlings. All across the sector men and women were sleeping with their backs to the wall, unsure of what would happen if they looked away from the door. The news of the shooting had spread like fire, and had put a lot of things in perspective for a lot of people.

Across the sector, all manner of people were rapidly growing tired of this way of life , and were beginning to plot their way out. Other were thinking of ways that they could survive the turbulence and the violence. Not everyone down here was a criminal or a gangster, and many just wanted to lead simple lives away from the violence and chaos.

Meanwhile, twinkling like stars above, the lights of the promenade and the upper levels could just be seen from down in the bowels of the moon. It had an almost serene look to it, calm and really quite beautiful. Most of those wealthy few that could afford to live up there had no care for the struggles below them, and some even enjoyed playing with the residents of the lower levels like play things.

One thing was certain though, something that almost no one could foresee, and that was change. Change that could rip this planet apart or bring it together, that could topple the powers like never seen before. Change that could ripple out across the galaxy like a mighty wave. The question was, what form would this change take, and who would give birth to it? Only time will tell.

After a chilly night the morning would begin to rise on the moon. It was difficult to tell this far down of course. Without a watch or clock, it was too easy to lose track of entire days in these depths. Even the upper levels were subject the ruddy clouds that coated the sky. Slowly people began to rise, for food and for work.

For the survivors of the bar, it was time to plan and prepare for their latest business venture. Munch; as he often did in the morning, had disappeared. There was no note or message left by him, but Ree would know that he'd turn up soon enough, if not this evening then in a day or so. It did not matter too much, they had other things to worry about now.

Jace decided to head out in the morning and take a walk around after he had let everyone else know. To him, there was a way to spot possible weapons dealers: they liked being able to move around to wheel and deal, so they'd be driving in their speeders. The thing was, they would be usually careful drivers: no dealer wanted to either get his merchandise damaged or get stopped by people due to some particularly bad driving.

However, there was no sign of anything like that this day: the speeders drove generally like poodoo and went around in lots of places.

Maybe it was the area: it had been a long time since he had last been in Nar Shaddaa, so the main streets would have changed. Maybe the dealers got wise and changed routes. Or maybe they could afford to drive like poodoo, probably due to advancements in armor and vehicle handling thanks to the Clone Wars. That last thought made Jace chuckle a bit.

As he headed back empty-handed, Jace spotted someone. It was a Chadra-Fan with a dark mahogany coat and eyes so black, they probably came from space. It triggered a person in Jace's memory: a Chadra-Fan named Giz Nif used to run around with Zay's gang back in the day.

Jace would approach the Chadra-Fan and called out, "Hey there, Giz. No time long see." If it wasn't him, Jace would just say that he was mistaken. But if it was Giz...the walk would have been worth it.

Leto thank Re'peek for the offer to stay but work was calling. The human walked a few blocks away from the Bothan's residence before arriving at a identifiable spot for an air speeder taxi to pick him up. Leto carefully directed his taxi to the end of his block with the plan to casually stroll the rest of the way.

Along the way Leto gets a wiff of some Rodia herb from the usual Rodian crew hanging out by their building's front stairs. He decides to swing by to share the buzz of how the authority is possibly over with the Duros short rise and now is the time to negotiate down those corner spice distributors. The human tried to see if the Rodians were aware of any Tuckers' associates or courier routes but discovered zilch. With zip to go on, Leto takes his speeder bike up to Salc's establishment, ' Sound Investments'. " Time to face the music " he thought with a grin.

As Leto arrived at the nightclub he greeted the bouncers with a mutual forearm to elbow bump and back pat simultaneously to show respect. Entering inside, he visually scans the activity of the large multi-level room. There was a plethora of laser lights illuminating the crowd casting shadows of ethereal glow. The local resident music producer 'DJ H0-U5' was tearing up the dance floor with his underground electro beats. The producer was a musically talented droid who knew how to move the crowd with its syck mixes. Tonight the club was a cathedral dedicated to the demigod heavy dancefloor hitters which were moving like heroes. Leto could feel the bass rattle in his humanoid blood from the latest tech wizardry sound system. The neon purple LED-lit dance floor and bar glisten against the highly texturized club walls.

At a distance in the upper floor Leto saw Salc partying with the VIP guests. The black light ceilings would gleam on the color white highlighting clothing articles and attendees spiced noses. Leto thought " I should create a more friendly environment for showing up late ". Leto approached H0-U5 requesting a song, Generate by Prydz, a celebrated Mirilan artist in the industry. The song set a reminiscent tone that both individuals felt a mutual connection towards in their craft. Plus, it generated an atmosphere for the attendees to forget about their Nar Shaddaa troubles.

Leto timed his movement to the build of the song to reach Salc in the upper VIP level of the club. On cue Salc notices Leto & both start rhythmically dancing in tune with each other from afar as the song plays. Lyrics, " All of the love we generate, The only thing that carries me on, There's nothing we need that it can't create ". Both appeared to move in a choreographic bromance groove as they sang to each other. By the end of the song both were laughing and smiling at the attention they attracted at the scene.

Leto began first, " Sorry, was at Rusty Droid's ground zero event and didn't want to tempt the authority to follow me here. Took sometime to let the dust settle before arriving at our paradise " attempting to smooth over the delay. After Salc's understanding response to security, Leto jumped into club operations as usual.