Nazgul Squadron-First actual vacation...
Introduction by none other than Shazam... 
(Les have some fun...)


Shazam sat there, eyes wide as could be and a large awkward smile plastered onto his face.  Finally, after about an hour and a half of the goofiest look he'd ever contorted, he was suddenly sitting up at the annoying bleep of the alarm clock.  But it was the most glorious and spectacular clancor he'd ever heard.  Today was Vacation day.  And as tradition, he woke up, took a shower, got dressed in some semi official clothes and made his way for the breifing room... 

He did have a slightly problem with the droid at the entrance to the briefing room though.  Shazam was almost sure it was retarded... 

"ID NUMBER!" it came to life as Shazam nearly escaped past it, but his long metallic arm stopped him in its tracks.  Shazam took a step back, kind of staring down at the floor and trying to keep his enthusiasm while rubbing his knows casually.  He glanced back up now and removed his card, still in a brisk, good 'ol mood. 

"AH HA, there it is, 4572! Lemme through..."  Shazam continued forward, but again, the harsh limb stood in his way.

"BUSINESS!"  Its eyes were to blinking red bulbs and Shazam just realized it didn't appear to be any official bot, rather one that some one created with discarded parts...  The squadron commander now paused, slightly more irritated. 

"What the hell does it matt-NEVER MIND...  I'm here to give my men a breifing..."

"Then were are your men?  RETURN TO YOUR QUARTERS..."  it almost appeared to be smiling this time.  Was it enjoying torturing Shazam?

"Yes well, I have to announce it over the intercom..." he began.  But the robot interupted-

"ID NUMBER!"  it quarked.  Shazam sat there astounded.

"What?  I just gave you my ID Number you have wrapped piece of crap..." 

"INTRUDER ALERT!!"

"4572!!!  4572!  GOOD GOD, what is your problem.  Just lemme through..."  The bot stopped wirring its head around and stopped to glare at him.  Shazam did the same, but he had innitial reason to be angry and his tension was rising...

"I HAVE NO PROBLEM.  I AM IMMACULATE.  I AM SECURITY BOT RL/MEGA STATION!!"  it replied, its volume had increased quite noticably.

"Yea, well you suck, and I've never heard of an RL/MEGA STATION security droid...  Who created you?"

The two paused for a long moment...

"ID NUMBER" It quarked once again.  It stood there, its eyes dimly lit and Shazam giving it a hard stare...  SMACK!  Shazam had whipped out his pistol and was now busting the hell out of the droids internal thinking unit... 

"YEA, YOU LIKE THAT!?  WHERES YOUR FREAKING ID NUMBER?"  Art was walking past with Jack, just now noticing the absolute madness in Shazam as they made way to the meeting place. 

"Holy hell," said Art just above a whisper.  "Tension must have got to him..."  Jack shrugged and jogged over to Shazam to pull him off of the crippled droid.  The light in the red eyes was flashing barelly as if to say, "What did I DO?"

Shazam spit on the RL/MEGA STATION and gave it a last kick and walked down the hall to the breifing room to announce the meeting. 

The door closed behind Shazam, Art, and Jack.  "I'm not even going to ask what that was about man..." Art said, a slight smile could be seen hidden deep within the recesses of his persona...

"Its all good though man, I already notified everyone to come on down..." Jack got in.  Shazam's face was red and his sleeves had been pulled up to allow for maximum pain on the bot, but he seemed pretty content with this. 

"Well good, now we won't have to go back out there..."  His eye twitched a little when he said 'there'.  And as if on cue, the pilots all walked in, all kind of grueling over the idea of another mission, because this just didn't seem quite so nice.  It was only three days after there first solo mission, and now they had another? 

"Good morning men..."  Shazam began, but then corrected himself," and woman."  There was a chuckle from Jack and Jaden also had a mischevious look on his face as Art had just earlier on. 

"I've got news!  We've got another mission!"  Shazam's eyes were glowing and the rest in the room simply peircing at the same time...  "To anywhere we want!  AH HA, VACATION!!"  He shouted at his surprised squadron members.  Shazam began to do a jig with Art then switched partners with Jack while the rest of the young friends suddenly came around. 

DJ was up on one of the seats and seemed extremely high on life all of the sudden, while Jen, the newest member of the squadron didn't really know the difference so she was excited either way.  Darius was in the corner, on time for once, and he was playing something out in his mind. 

"Right, we'll be going off into the distance, so pack your things..." Shazam ended the jig and annouced quite abruptly. 

Everyone began to exit in a hurry but the bristling metallic sound of a droid was suddenly heard.  "ID NUMBER!!" it screamed with its dying energy cell finally depleting. 

"THAT'S IT!"  Shazam had his hand rapped around the butt of the gun instead of the barrel and his finger lay across the trigger quite firmly this time... 


(RIGHT THEN!!!  YEA HA.  Remember, this is vacation story, have fun, cause anything can happen.  Just don't put in any explicit sex scenes or anything, I could get into some trouble...  VACATION!!!)
 
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*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/WO1 Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:B]

Shazam had taken down that droid like there was nothing sweeter in the world.  It did get the last laugh though...  After the squadron commander brutally murdered it with his blaster pistol, three armed guards came forward and put him in the detention hall until he explained himself.  Not only that though, because the droid whimpered, "ID Number," until he was no longer in sight...

But he was over that now and had managed to make it to his weapens locker.  Shazam found it more convenient to load them up there because he could just make a short walk to the hanger bay afterwords.  What was still being decided on was whether or not they would be taking the Gozanti, because if so, they're would be a whole lot of loading going on.  That Darius fellow bought a lot of military merchandise once he was aloud to get his hands off of it.  "That guys got an ichy trigger finger," Jaden had told him.  Shazam had nodded and then said," Good."  If that wasn't the reply Jaden wanted, he couldn't tell because he made the 'whish sound' and tighted up his eyes as if bracing for a crash. 

"Sir, what would you like?" a young lady strode to the front desk and looked up at him with beaming eyes. 

He was almost uneasy for a moment but then he said," All of it..."

(Come on, les get this thing goin guys!)
 
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*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/WO1 Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:B]

DJ234 was sitting on his bed thinking about poor shazam and his robotic friend. "He must have had alot of anger to vent".
"Well lets start packing".

Going through the cabinets he noticied alot of uniforms. "where is my bathing suit". "ah ha here it is" putting it in the duffle bag. "hmm i think i need my sun screen", "might as well make a list", "sun screen, sun glasses, umbrella, towel, music, blaster, umm well u never know there might be some action, sandals.

"that seems like everything i need". Carrying the bag and locking the door behined him. DJ started walking out to the hanger bay, noticing all the damage that this ship had taken. "This ship better not get attacked again or else she is cooked".

"well its best to not think about that and think of the beach, the hot sand the cool waters and the girls".
 
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y think ur all that and a bag of chips. well i am all that and a bag of skittles so taste the rainbow biatch

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FM/CRW DJ234/Nazgul 8/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=)

Arturus and Taylsha but their bags down in the squadron room and made their way out towards the officer's mess to grab a quick coffee while they waited.  When they arrived at the mess, the security droid appeared to be skeptical of them, almost refusing them for not wearing imperial uniforms before it finally accepted their IDs and let them in.  Inside, Art grabbed two coffees and a couple of pastries and brought them to a booth at the rear.

"You excited to finally get some time off?"  He asked as he placed the food down on the table and slid into the boot.

"Time off.  What the hell is that?"  She asked jokingly as she took a sip of her coffee.  "I have worked so damn hard for the past year, this is going to be like paradise."  She smiled.

"I know exactly what you mean."  Art replied as he took a bite of one of the pastries.

"What are you talking about?  You are a pilot, you don't fly everyday and last year you didn't fly the last four months.  I wish I had your life."  She responded, laughing at the easy life of pilots.

"Hey now, this job isn't easy."  Art said pointing to his leg.  Taylsha smiled and took another sip of her coffee.

"I was kidding."  She replied.

"I know."  Art replied, laughing as he did.  "I wonder, how many husband and wife combinations have served in the imperial forces?"  He asked as he finished his coffee and sat back.  Taylsha looked up at him, a strange look of expectation and confusion in her eyes.

"Why do you ask?"  She said, trying to bait what she thought was coming next out of him.

"Just curious.  Idle question."  He responded.  "It wouldn't be a bad thing now would it?  Having a stable relationship while both partners serve in the forces.  I'm amazed more people don't do it, wouldn't be such a bad idea eh?"  He continued.

"I think it would be a great idea, certainly would give pilots like you something steady to wake up and fight for."  She replied with a smile.  Art was smiling deep down inside, he had confirmed what he was hoping.  He looked down at his watch.

"The rest of the squadron should be gathered by now, let's head back."  He said.  The two got up and made their way out of the mess and back towards the squadron room.  When they got there, the rest of the squadron was just arriving.  "Ready for some partying?"  Arturus asked as Taylsha and him entered the squad room.

"Am I ever!"  Dj shouted, showing off his beach gear.  The rest of the squad cheered happily before Shazam cut them off and ushered them to sit down.

"Alright you guys, time to get down to the details."  Shazam stated.  The squadron groaned and rolled their eyes at him.  Taylsha sat back, struggling to contain her amusement at the sight.  "No details no vacation."  Shazam said mockingly like a teacher.  The squadron began to quiet down.

"Before you begin Shazam, one more person will be coming with us, I hope that doesn't cause problems with the transportation we'd planned."  Arturus said.

"No we've got sufficient space."  Shazam replied.

"Alright then, let me introduce you all to Lieutenant Taylsha Nightrider."  Arturus said.  Taylsha leaned over and waved to the squadron.

"Alright thank you Art."  Shazam said.  "Now, on to the details."  He continued.
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

Jack had earlier contact his girlfriend, Alexia Far'shadow, and had asked her to come along. The two were now dating, taking their relationship to the next level. Luckily, she agreed and had begun packing her bags after a few "motivational" moves from Jack.

So, there they were. The Nazgul Squadron XO and a medic assistant dating. Of course, they had known each other for a long time, even before their time in the Vast Empire. But now, they were taking it seriously. Because it would end up being dangerous, like every mission. Everyone knew that. The trick was trying not to make the vacation a dangerous one.

On the urge of Alexia, Jack packed a spare blaster just in case, even though they both knew Jack's mechanical arm was fully operational. Finally, they agreed they had taken care of everything.

They set off and prepared for departure to their vacation (and dating) spot far, far away.
 
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Revenge is what holds this galaxy together. Without it, the universe would be a boring place.

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Petty Officer 1st Class Jack Nebulax, Imperial Navy, Vast Empire.
XO/FL/PO1 Jack Nebulax/Nazgul 5 (2-1)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=) (=*SA*=) [VC:B]
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Magistrate Jack Nebulax, Planetary Governor of Rallos, Imperial Directorate (http://www.directorate.net/)
PG/MAG Jack Nebulax/Rallos/Cantrell/Diadem
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Admiral Jack "Zax" Nebulax, Commander of Wing I (Nemesis Wing) of the Auroran Defense Fleet (ADF)

Jen Knight sat in the passenger area, her chin resting on her palm. Her green eyes gazed out through her portal window  into space, wandering from star to star. She yawned and stretched her arms, trying to bring some feeling back into her body, and her eye lids felt like a neutron star was pushing each down and was struggling to keep them open.

Jen was the noob of the squadron and couldn't yet help fly the ship. She had finished basic training and taken her first aviator exam and passed with high marks but thought it was best if she stayed in the passenger area since this was her first trip. Shazam and the normal crew could handle it. She smiled and glanced out the window onced more.

She gasped and covered her mouth with a shaking hand. In the middle of space sat an orion nebula. The particles glimmered in ribbons covering the nearby stars with a soft translucent blanket. It sat with a silent grace, the sphere of white light twinkling amid the gentle swirls of light purple and teal in the backdrop of space.

"I'm guessing you've never seen a nebula before." Taylsha smiled and pointed to the window. "It's very famous, you know. Named one of the most beautiful in our galaxy. We are very lucky to see it." She flashed a smile once again and turned back to Art began to discuss what they were going to do once they had arrived on Varonat

Jen nodded and leaned back into her seat. "It's amazing.." She tried to speak, but not much more was croaked out. She gaped out onto the cloud untill sleep finally took her.

She woke up hours later to the sound of Shazam's amiable voice over the comlink. She tried to stand and immediatly fell back into her seat. Shaking her head, she stood and grabbed her bag from the beside the wall and waited to unload.
 
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Jen Knight
Vast Empire Navy
FM/CRW Jen Knight/Nazgul 12 (3-4)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE(=*A*=)

It was a fifteen minute walk to the resort.  Art was skeptical at first about it but once they arrived, he saw it was further out into the jungle than he had anticipated.  The city's spaceport was obviously right at the edge of the city infrastructure.  When they walked inside, they were greeting with elegant columns and carvings and through the windows on the far side they could see a pool deck and beyond that what seemed to be a beach.  The squadron quickly arrived behind them and ten minutes later, Darius and Jen finally made it in.

"What took you so long?"  Art asked jokingly.  Darius looked over and gave him a glare causing the squadron to laugh more.

"This is a vacation not bootcamp."  Shazam said to further laughter.  Darius' face began to turn red.

"Alright guys enough, just because the love of his life is weaponry no need to rub it in his face."  Talysha said sarcastically.  Dj stood up and walked over to Darius and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Hey man, it's vacation, relax!"  He shouted before turning to Shazam.  "You going to check us in?  I want to store this stuff so I can get to the beach!"  He continued.

"I'm going, patience if a virtue.  I know you have it in you, you are a pilot after all."  Shazam replied.

"Debatable."  Jaden said to the laughter of the squadron.  Darius even laughed at that one, the embarassment of the spaceport starting to wear off.  Shazam walked over to the counter to ensure that their reservations where in order.  The hotel clerk gave him a skeptical look as he approached.  Just what we need, more partiers he thought to himself and sighed.  Why can't they pick some other hotel.

"Hello sir how are you today."  The clerk said with a fake smile.

"Fine, just want to confirm our reservations and get our room numbers."  Shazam said.  The two quickly completed that and within ten minutes, the squadron was heading upstairs to their rooms to unpack.
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

(Before Jens post, so just work it in)

Jaden opened the door of his room in the resort.  The first thing he saw was a large picture window in front of him going straight out onto a balcony.

"Awesome, I get a balcony!," Jaden yelled outloud.  He looked behind himself to see if anyone was watching. No one.  Jaden dropped his pack of things on the ground beside a small desk, and plopped down on the large bed.  He leaned over to his cooler and pulled out a bacardi, opening it up and watching the cold air emerge from the bottle.  He had brought a lot of beer for the trip.

Jaden jumped out of his clothes that he wore on the trip to Varonat into something more confortable.  He picked out his lime green button up shirt that was covered in flowers, and a swim suit bottom that was red and white, covered in flowers also.  He put on his flip flops, and lit a cigar.

After taking another drink of bacardi, Jaden put his light blue hat on, and walked out of his room, sealing the domain with his fancy blue keycard that he got from the hotel lady to his room.  Jen walked out of her room just as Jaden was turning down the hall towards the elevator.

"Hey Jade, wait up," she said frantically, trying to catch up with him.

Jaden turned around to see Jen in a nice outfit.  She had a red tank top and a light blue pair of shorts on.  Jaden took another puff of his cigar as he checked her out when she was walking up to him.

"Well, you look pretty nice today," said Jaden.  "But you are pale as a white horse," he said, seeing her white skin from the outside of the tank top.

"I'm planning on going and tanning right now, so you can be quiet.  Working on a ship in the middle of space usually doesn't get you a very crisp tan," she said, sarcastically.

"Oh, I understand.  I'll take a walk down there by the pool and take a swim also.  Is that fine with you?" said Jaden.

"Yea, lets go," Jen said opening up the elevator

"Did you want something to drink?" said Jaden, holding up his bacardi to her face.

"Maybe in a while," said Jen
 
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Jaden Khaar
Vast Empire
Nazgul Squadron

"No good deed goes unpunished" -Murphy

FL/SCRW Jaden/Nazgul 9/Phoenix Wing/mSSD AtrusVEN/VE (=A=) [VC:B]

(OK, the last post I made is suppose to be after Jen's post, after the falling down the stairs and all of that nonsense.)

Jen rolled over onto her belly after the timer went off, and got up.  She had just got done tanning.  It had been a very long time since she had, because of being in space all the time.  Darius came walking down the steps, even more pale then Jen.  Looked like he needed some tanning time himself.

"Dar, you gunna get yourself a tan down here while we are on Varonat?" said Jaden.

"Nah, I don't mind being pale," Darius said, rubbing his pale white skin, "It's fine with me"

"Oh, Jaden talked me into coming down here and doing this," said Jen, "I actually feel pretty good about this"

"Yea, I had myself a nice swim a few minutes ago," said Jaden, whipping his long hair around and puting his hat in its previous place.

"We should go do some extreme altitude skydiving," said Darius.  "It's quite the experience, I have done it a few times," said Darius.

Just then, Jack, Shazam, and Art came down from the resort towards the pool area.  DJ tagged along, trying to keep up with the group.  He was starting to feel more at home every day with the squadron, as he was no longer a rookie.  He looked like he had developed more than when he first joined the squadron.

(Had to be a short post, on the computers at the Band Thingy)
 
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Jaden Khaar
Vast Empire
Nazgul Squadron

"No good deed goes unpunished" -Murphy

FL/SCRW Jaden/Nazgul 9/Phoenix Wing/mSSD AtrusVEN/VE (=A=) [VC:B]

Taylsha got up from one of the chairs by the pool that she was sitting in and ran over to Art.  She gave him a hug a looked up at him, seeing a look that seemed distant.

"What's wrong Corran?"  She asked, shaking his arm to bring his mind back to what was going on.

"Nothing."  He replied a second later, recieving a skeptical look from Taylsha in response.

"I need a drink, want to go into the city for a bit?  Apparently this place has some fancy places to eat despite the fact it is not a very well known or visited planet."  Art commented.  Taylsha nodded and the two quietly left the squadron and made their way back up to their room.  Thirty minutes later, both had showered and dressed up for a nice night on the town.  Art unplugged his datapad from the computer terminal in the room.  He had downloaded the tourist information and a couple of maps so that he had them handy.  He slipped his blaster into the shoulder holster under his suit coat and tossed Taylsha hers which she put into her purse.  "I called down for some transportation, should be here by the time we get downstairs."  Art said softly.  Taylsha looked over at him, whatever was bothering him hadn't seemed to have past.

"Listen, you ever going to tell me what's on your mind?"  She demanded.

"Once I understand, I will."  He replied, causing Taylsha to raise her eyebrows in confusion.  "Don't ask.  When I know, I will explain."  He said.  "Come on, let's go."  Art urged, drapping an elegant silk shall over Taylsha's shoulders.

"I really need to buy some new clothes."  Taylsha thought out loud as they headed towards the door.  Art laughed and turned to her.

"You wear a uniform almost all of the year, what possible need to do you have for more clothes?"  He asked rhetorically, laughing as he did.  Taylsha gave him a mock frown.  "Hey now, I was kidding.  Whatever you want I'll buy for you.  In places like this, I can tap into the money I made as a smuggler.  Might as well make use of it."  He commented.  Art opened the door and locked once both were out in the hallway.  He quickly attached a small seperate electronic piece to the lock which would cause anyone who entered to input a nine digit password in addition to the access card for the room.  Once he was done the two made their way down the hall and downstairs towards the entrance.
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

Darius was ready for a night out on the town.  He slowly walked up the stairs.  Shazam, Jaden, and he had just come back from their skydiving adventure.  This time, Darius was in the lead.  Obviously, Shazam and Jaden were first timers.  They slowly wobbled to turbolift doors.  Jack had stayed behind with Alexia and DJ did some exploring of the town after the swim.

Darius opened the doors and gestured with his hands, "Ladies first."  He had a massive grin on his face.  Enjoying this greatly as they waddled past him, he closed the door.

Shazam made a remark to Jaden under his breath, "at least he's smiling."

Jaden gave a slight nod.  They had no clue what they were getting to when they saw the brosure and agreed to go with Darius.  Being pushed out of a flying ship in a flight suit and a oxygen tank and parachute strapped to them at 20 kilometers above the ground wasn't what they had in mind.

Darius had certainly done it before though.  He practically ran out of the door with a big yeeha to fair well he squad mates.  He immediatly stiffened himself like a grav board and shot down to the ground.  Jaden and Shazam weren't as eager.

Darius had waited a full fifteen minutes before they touched down.  They weren't as risky as Darius and released there parachutes at 5 kilometers instead of 3.

They touched down in the designated area and Darius ran to them, trying to coax them to do it a second time.  Jaden was winding back to punch Darius square in the face but Shazam calmed him. 

Darius made a comment in the lift, "hey you guys, you still look a little qualmy."

Once again, Shazam had to calm Jaden.  Jaden took his finger and put it an inch away from Darius' nose, "one of these days, I'm gonna get you.  I don't know how, or when, but you'll regret taking me skydiving."

Darius replied, no longer smiling but rather serious, "good luck, and you suggested in the first place anyway."

Shazam gave a look at Jaden and commented, "you know he's right, you did suggest it."  Jaden gave a glare at him and he didn't say another thing.

The doors open and they went their separate ways, not another word was said.

Darius walked past Art's door and noticed the extra hardware.  He gave a little shrug and proceeded to his door. 

Upon entering it, he checked for any traps or tricks.  He was sure DJ was going to try something.  Upon a full inspection of his room, he figured just to be ready.

Darius decided he was going to do some exploring so he jump in the suprisingly luxurious `fresher.  He then decided to shave before going.  He looked at his vibroblade laying on the nightstand next to his bend and remembered he wasn't in the jungle anymore so went to the electric instead.

Darius then dressed in a semi-formal tunic and pants and his black custom fit military boots.  In addition, he put on a hooded cloak.  It was a nice night so he didn't plan on using the hood.

Of course, he was armed.  He had one of his DL-44s clearly strapped to his hip, hangly loosely close to his knee.  His other was behind his back.  A vibroblade was in his right boot along with his fly-high throwing knives concealed inside his tunic vest.

He settled in his room a little bit more before departing, making sure it was the he wanted it to be.

Stepping out the door, he made sure it was locked and headed for the turbolift.  In five minutes, he was walking the streets of Venesee (that's the name of the city we're in if that's ok). 

In a short walk, he was downtown.  Venders crowded the night street, trying to sell useless objects most gullable tourists would buy.  Darius could care less of the junk they had.

He found a decent bar that carried some of his favorite drink, Alderaanian ale.  It was hard to find these days since the planet no longer exists. 

The bar itself was what Dar considered medium sized.  You could order food here and not just alcohol.  In side, it was smoke filled and dark.  Just the kind he liked.

He sat down in the far corner, away from the door but could still clearly see it.  A sullustan waitress came up and he ordered a whole bottle.  It was very expensive but the bar must have stocked up.  He had previously looked into the black market for some and found it to be a thousand credits just for one bottle.

The waitress returned with the bottle and a glass.  He paid her and gave her a small tip.  She chattered a thanks and he chattered back to her in her own language.  Her lip folds swelled out of surprise.  She obviously didn't find too many people that knew her language her line of business.

She thanked Darius again and he thanked her again.  The sullustan gave a little not and walked off.  He poored himself one glass and slowly savored the tangy taste of this treat.

DJ walked in, obviously still exploring.  He went up the bar and ordered a drink.  He looked around the room sipped on his drink.  Ten minutes passed and he finally noticed Darius in the corner. 

He hopped off the stool with drink in hand and came over and sat next to Darius.  "You're still not mad at me are you?"

"No, what's happened has happened.  No use holding a grudge on a friend."  He showed a hint of a smile.

The comment seemed to melt DJ heart, "you serious, we're buddies and everything?"

"Sure, it was just a little thing that I didn't appreciate.  She's new and I didn't think you needed to be hitting on her."

"One quick question though."

"Yeah?"

"Why are you sitting in this corner all by yourself."

"I have my reasons."  The hint of the smile was now gone.

"Ok, well I better get back to the room, I've got some big plans."

"Ok, I'll see tomorrow."

Darius finished sipping on his drink and decided that he'd seen everything he needed to see of downtown.  He made his journey back slow and laid back.  He absorbed his surroundings and the feelings of this vacation.  This is just what he needed.

Upon arriving at his room, he ran into Jen and wished her a good night.  She said the same and went into her room.

Darius entered and did his usual sweep.  Feeling comfortable, he stripped down to his boxers and watched some Holonet.  The week, for the most part, forecasted good weather.

He felt tired so went to bed, relaxing his mind, feeling good and relaxed for once in the past three years.

(later that night)

The door silently slid open.  DJ crept in, making sure to be as silent as possible.  He was in Darius' room with a can of shaving cream in his hand. 

Before the door closed, he got his bearings on the layout of the room and where Darius was.

He decided that Darius was deeply asleep and dimly turned on the lights.  He looked at the sleeping man and thought he was awkward.

Darius slept very unnatural.  He slept flat on his back with his hand crossed over his heart.  He had no bed covers over him; the man just slept on top of everything.

DJ approached even closer, getting a weird shiver down his back.  He had a feeling that he should get the hell out of there.  He looked around even more at the dimly lit room.  A vibroblade lay on the nightstand.  He could see one blaster hanging in its holster on the wall.  The other could not be found.

"Darius' isn't gonna shoot me." he muttered to himself.  He was now next to Darius.  He slowly reached for his hand.

"You know that isn't a smart idea DJ," Darius said.

"HOLY SHIT!" DJ jumped back, dropping the can in the process.  Darius still laid in the same position, not even opening his eyes. 

DJ couldn't even control his shock.  He sprinted out the door and Darius drifted back into his light sleeping state.

(I encourage you guys to write out the rest of your day.  Even though I brought it to beddy bye time.  This was Darius' first day.)
 
-----------------------
Feed a womp rat a food ration, he'll want an energy stim.  Give him an energy stim, and he'll rip your throat out.

----------------------
FM/CRW Darius/Nazgul 3-2/mSSD Atrus Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=)

(Hmm...  I can work with this...)

Shazam had washed up and was now dressed in his regular blue work pants, so very loose and comfy; also he wore his  double t-shirt, black on white.  To his direct right was a guitar he liked to call 'Hansel' thats coat simply reflected kick-ass solos.  Now there wasn't anything like a tap solo in the middle of a reletively calm flute duet...

Knock, Knock...  There was someone at the door.  The young man cracked his neck from side to side and spun his hands around on thier axis attempting to get some more movability out of them.  A wisp emitted as the door slid to the side, allowing for a clear sight of Jack with his mechanical arm,(why he kept it, Shazam couldn't be sure...  Sentimental attachment probably...)

"Hey man, whats up?" Shazam questioned, his arms crossed, denying Jack the chance to walk into his room. 

"Oh, not much, just thought I'd hang out with yea, and..." he kicked the ground a little with a sheepish gaze.  "Well, I just wanna know there weren't any hard feelings..."  he couldn't even look Shazam in the face.  This kid really felt like there was something being lost.

"Dude, no...  You see, that's just my way of going about with shits and giggles.  Yea its no problem man, I actually tried to make myself seem upset, just part of the act, man..."  Jack appeared to be relieved and Shazam decided to allow him entrance into his domain. 

"DUDE!  You brought the guitar?  Did you bring your amp then too?"  Jack had ran over to his guitar, noticing it had been recently polished.  Shazam had nodded to both of his questions.  "Well, you think you'll play anything for us?"  Oh crap.  Why do they do that?  Oh well, Shazam couldn't fight that thought when others were around.  He got excited...

"Hey, how bout we forget that for a little while and go grab something to eat man?" Shazam turned Jack towards the door and followed him...


*Later*


"Then maybe my friend Shazam can play for you?"  The man across from him with the full beard that outlined his entire chin looked into the ceiling for a moment as if pondering.  After some good acting he said-

"AH, what the hell, sure." He stood up and shook hands with Jack who'd just finished speaking to him for the last five minutes about how talented Shazam was.  The 'talented' fellow entered the room from the right with two drinks, it was now turning dark and the people in the bar were becoming restless for entertainment.

"Shazam, this is Ziggy, says he'd like to see you play..." 

"OH, cool.  Like when?"

"NOW!!!"  Jack was excited and appeared to be trying real hard to make up for something that hadn't even bothered Shazam in the first place.  What had he done...

"Uh huh.  Right, so you want me to play...  Now?"  Shazam was about to turn it down just before he noticed that three pretty young things had found there way to the front of the room for front row seats.  ALSO, Jaden had mysteriously found his way to the bar, probably after getting board playing with the jukebox in the lobby at the resort.  This would actually work pretty good.  Now, Shazam only had his one guitar, so Jack wouldn't be able to play with him, but Jaden probably had his bass and they could just hook into the PA system...

"Jaden!  Get over here, we're going on in two minutes..."  The man from across the bar seemed shell shocked, struck by lighting if you will.  There was excitement in the same yield though...

*About a half an hour later*


Shazam was now chatting away with the three young ladies who had been watching intently from the front, now Shazam was looking cool because he'd pulled his hair back to show his bare fore head and his strong features were much more definite...  This worked best for the ladies... 

About two feet from him was Jack and Jaden, the two of them talking about musical experience while Ziggy, the manager of the bar watched the whole event occur. 

The whole thing had gone pretty well, because they played some well known songs from about fifty years back, which they loved...  And, Shazam put in a few solo's of his own as well as newly invented songs he'd played around with while Jaden just so happened to be with him.

"Do you think you could teach me how to play guitar?," the lovliest of the triplet queried with one of the most suductive looks Shazam had ever seen.  The pilot had been directing most of his attention toward her and it was rewarding to see it had not been in vein, for the other two were basically as lovely but just wern't showing quite the cleavage of thier friend.  He didn't even smile at the notion by the young lady though because he was already pulling her up on stage and sitting her on the chair to his left.

"Yea, so you put it in between your legs like this..." Shazam began, his tounge kind of hanging out beyond his lips as he placed the guitar confortably...

Shazam was putting on his best attempt to teach his lady friend to play like he'd done only moments before when a sharp tap could be felt on his shoulder.  The squadron commander held his right hand up and a single pointer finger issuing the 'one minute' sign. 

"Calleigh!  What are you doin with this jerk?" a rough, steriod induced, madness asked from just behind Shazam .  Now Nazgul 1 turned to look into the face of the imminent, he knew, adversary.  He should have known better.  "What are you doin with my girlfriend?  I'm ganna take you apart little man..."  He was nodding, yes that was what he wanted!

Shazam did the same thing though and let his head go from side to side just before Calleigh screamed," Tommy, I don't love you anymore...  We've been over for a month!"  Shazam began to crack his neck...

"Why do you say that baby?" Jaden and Jack noticed the burly man but did nothing but continue to talk.

"You barrow money from me, and you won't give up that worthless band to name a few..."  Now he was cracking his knuckles...

"Listen, the bands ganna make it!" he tried his hardest to say it with believing eyes and the emotional guestures of a cheap holo movie.  Shazam coughed to clear his senses and wound up...

"SIR!" Now Shazam had his attention.  "STEP BACK FROM THE LADY!!"  He launched a punch towards the huge and overly-ripped looking man, but it was stopped in its tracks by his hand.  Without even flinching he had caught the attack with a single movement and continued to plead with his 'ex-girlfriend'...  "Some help guys...  HUHA ahahah haa" Shazam stammered as the grip around his knuckles continued to grow stronger. 

His two squadron-mates suddenly realized the parral and ran up behind the large man.  Jack looked around for something...  AH HA, of course, a beer bottle...  He grabbed it, lifted it high in the air and smashed it against the backside of his foe.  It shattered and the big man became an angry man with an abrupt silence...  They had moved from the stage to next to the bar where orange neon light was showing down on them, so any idea had probably seemed like a good idea in the drunken, hazy atmosphere of the bar.

Tommy turned and Jack was picked up off the ground about two feet and forced to stare into the menacing eyes of a very angry rocker.  Shazam's hands were now released and he was aloud to actually fight now.  The punch he'd thrown was an over-exagerated one, his attempt to impress his woman had failed miserably and now it was time to get serious. 

Shazam jumped around like an idiot, thats just what he did, scratched his head and suddenly switch-kicked the back of the muscular leg propping up Jack.  The big man went down to the ground, forced to release the XO.  Jaden stepped forward and as the screams went out in the surrounding crowd.  The surprise in Tommy's face was genuine, for he had underestimated the guitar man and was now being kneed repeatedly in the face by a bassist. 

"DON'T HURT HIM!!!" screamed Calleigh.  "I LOVE HIM!!"  Shazam looked at her as if to say,"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" slapped his forhead and gave Jaden the 'no more' look...  She's hot, but she's a ditz, concluded Shazam.


Shazam returned to his leaning position against the side of the stage and took a drink of sun drop as Calleigh kissed Tommy's wounds.  What a bunch of crap.  Oh well...

"So then, you wanna learn some guitar," Shazam said to the Calleighs best friend Katrina... 

(And that's Shazam's first night...)
 
-----------------------
*Flash Was Here...*

CMDR/WO1 Shazam/Nazgul 1-1/Phoenix Wing/mSSD Atrus/1VENF/VEN (=A=) (=*SA*=) (=*MA*=) [LoM] [LSM] [VC:B]

Jen Knight was curled up on her bed as she watched TV. The silk navy blue sheets covered her torso, but her long, tan legs were exposed, loosely hanging off the bed. She yawned and pulled herself so that her head rested on the floor. She hung there looking for her bag in the dark abyss. Pulling the bag from its spot her arms strained, since she had managed to stick all of her things into it. Jen slid herself from under the covers and landed on the floor, unzipping it, looking for something. Soon, she pulled out a thick gray book with black bold letters on the front and a soft, and a lime green beach towel.

Jen went down to the lobby, where most everyone was talking.
Hey guys,I was going to head down to the beach.. if anyone else wants to come..."She stood against the wall, her hair in a high ponytail, book in hand and towel slung over her shoulder.

"Ah, I don't know about us, Jen. Darius took Jaden and me out skydiving today, and we're still shaken up."" Shazam laid across a couch with his hand covering his eyes. ""So, maybe tomorrow we can all trek down to the beach. I don't think anyone has anything specific planned..?"" Everyone shrugged.

""Sure, tomorrow's destination is the beach!!"" Jack declared.
I'll go with you Jen, if no one else will."" DJ stood up from his seat next to Art and stretched.

""You will?! Thanks DJ. I didn't want to spend this really beautiful day by myself." She beamed at him and clapped her hands together. Alright, lets go!!" She grabbed his hand and led him out the front door.

DJ looked over his shoulder, with a big grin on his face, as he waved to everyone in the lobby. "Bye, bye guys!!'

Jen and DJ walked to the beach, getting there very fast.

"This is great! I can't believe how close this resort is to the beach!! Way to go, Shazam!"" Jen put down her things and sprinted into the ocean. The water felt perfect. Staying up by the sand, she let the waves rush up and gently hit her legs. She shivered with delight.

"Come on in DJ, this is like heav-"

""YAHHOOOOO!!"!!" DJ did a giant belly flop into the water. When he came back up, lying on his stomach, Jen waded over.

She shook him gently." Hey DJ, you ok?"" 

DJ grabbed her foot and she was immediately taken under.

"AHHH!!" Jen thrust her bangs away from her eyes. "You are soo lucky we are on vacation!"

DJ laughed so hard, tears were coming to his eyes. "I can't--I can't-- believe you actually FELL for that one.
Hahahahahhah!!! Get it!! FELL!!"

"Ha...ha..ha..That was really funny. I thought you actually hurt yourself. It looked pretty painful to me..."" She pushed herself off the ocean floor and scowled.

When DJ stood up, Jen couldn't help but laugh.

  "What?"

""Your stomach!"

""What about it..?""

  "You must not have any nerves in your body what so ever to have done a belly flop that looked so painful then come out looking like someone gave you a huge hicky on your stomach."

  DJ glanced down. "It isn't too bad"

""Look again.""

He slowly tilted his head down, afraid of what he might see.

Jen pushed him over with a forceful side kick.

"""Gotcha."

DJ gasped for air and shook his head. ""You are so going to pay for that..!"

"Noooo!! You can't get mee!!" Jen ran, her arms flailing towards the beach.

*Later*

Jen sat on the beach, her lime colored towel wrapped around her waist. She held up the book to the setting sun, trying to get as much light as possible to fall upon the small text.

"The sun is going down..it must be atleast 9:00 already!"

"Oh shoot. Really? Well I better start heading back to the hotel. You comin?" He stuck out his hand to help her up.

"Naw, its alright. Go on without me. I like the beach at night. It's very calming."

"Oh, ok. Suit yourself! Cya later!" DJ winked and ran off.

Jen sighed and broke into a smile. His company had been very entertaining and enjoyed the day greatly. Now she needed to catch up on her reading of the TIE fighter's manual.  She had finished a couple chapters but stopped because her light had disappeared. Now, she laid out her towel and layed down, waiting for the stars to slowly start appearing one by one.

"I love this part of day." Feeling like she was still in grade school, she giggled to herself and searched the sky for her favorite star.

Smiling, she scooped up her towel and shook it, sending sand everywhere. She tied it around her waist and picked up her book with both hands and walked back to the resort, looking towards the stars.

(Jen's first night)

-----------------------
Jen Knight
Vast Empire Navy
FM/CRW Jen Knight/Nazgul 12 (3-4)/Wing 1/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE(=*A*=)

Darius lay there in his light, peaceful state of sleep.  At 4:30 in the morning, the door silently slid open once again.  DJ, RM, and LJ stood at the door way, examining the room.  They both had agreed to get Darius.  On the way to Dar's room, DJ had filled them in on what had happened.

RM whispered to DJ, "so this little wimp here is the guy who almost broke your arm?"

DJ quizically looked back, "sure.  Now, it's not so easy to sneak up on this guy.  Trust me, I already tried and practically pissed myself.  He is one freaky man."

LJ made a remark, "he is kinda sleeping in a weird position."

RM eyed the blaster hanging on the wall and the vibroblade on the nightstand.  "I can take this little shit."  His massive tendons in his neck visibly flexed as he pulled an even bigger vibroblade from his boot.

LJ and DJ just looked at each other and replied simultaneously, "we've got your back."

RM slowly approached approached where Darius silently slept.  His massive hand slowly reached to grab Darius' hair.  It was stopped by a voice, "I didn't expect you back so soon DJ.  You even brought company."

DJ didn't run this time.  His friends could take Darius easily, he thought.  He just a little wimp who hides behind his weapons anyway.

He had to regret his thoughts, for Darius awoke with lightning fast reflexes, snapping the blade from RM's hands with one sweeping kick.  He was immediatly on his feet in a fighting stance.

"I'll teach you to mess with my friend," growled RM.  LJ and DJ watched at Darius was swept into a massive bear hug, his muscles revealing themselves as he stuggled to escape.

Darius knew he couldn't over-power the man.  He had to out-smart him.  He drew his head back and swung into the man's nose, crushing the fragile cartiledge.  The man loosened his grip enough for Darius to wriggle out.

The man gave and yell and approached again.  This time, he swung a massive fist.  Darius met it with his own extended palm, grabbed the fist mid swing, and twisted.

Darius expected to hear a scream of agony but only heard himself being thrown against the wall.  He could have sworn he heard something crack but didn't have time worry about it.  This man was going to kill him.

He dove for the nearby dresser and snatched his throwing knives.  Instead of aiming for RM, he hit LJ's sleeve as his arm reached for the light switch.  Darius needed every surprise he could get. 

He threw once more to close the door, leaving DJ out in the hallway.  It was know totally dark in the room.

Darius could hear the heavy breathing of RM and LJ struggle to free his arm.  This was his only chance.

Darius slowly backpeddaled until he hit the wall.  He felt around for the closet and found it.  Inside was his E-11.  RM was approaching.  Darius fumbled to open its case and succeeded. 

The grip of the gun felt as though it melted into his hand.  He aimed to where he knew RM was and fired.  The flood light from below the barrel blinded RM as he moved his hands to protect them.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Darius exclaimed to the blinded man and his friend.  "I don't know what DJ told you, but it's not worth busting in on the worst person of you nightmares.  You obviously didn't know that I now own the records for most weapons to go through the spaceport check point."

"You don't ever mess with DJ again, or I will kill you," RM growled once more at Darius.

"You just don't get it do you?" Darius growled back.  He lunged, making the first move this time.  The light left the man's face momentarily so he could receive a gun but to the jaw.  RM acted as though he were going to lash out but was stopped.  Darius kicked him in solar plexus, taking the wind out of his lungs.

As the man fell to his knees, the door burst open.  DJ burst through the door, followed by Shazam.  He loosely clutched in his hand a blaster.

DJ turned the lights on and the room was instantly illuminated.  There stood Darius, his E-11 was pointing straight at RM's forehead.  His gaze never left his assailant.

Shazam immediatly took Darius' side, "do we need to call the police?"

Darius cold voice replied, "no, but I need to talk to DJ alone.  Go get a medpac and patch up this guys broken nose."

DJ was way ahead of everybody.  Just then, a combination of police and medical personnel.  The lead officer raised his weapon, "SIR, drop the weapon or I will shoot!"

Shazam intervened, "sir, I can han--"

"Sir, step aside or I will apprehend you too!"

"Too?  You're not taking anyone to jail."

"Are you threatening me sir?"

Shazam had forgotten about the blaster he had in his hand, "oh dear."  He dropped it and the other officer grabbed it off the floor.

The lead officer commanded Darius to put his weapon down but stopped in mid sentence.  Darius was standing there, the weapon was back in the case and had RM standing up.

"This is the man you want, he attacked me in my sleep, I won't press any charges though."

"You're still in trouble boy, than weapon you were holding is illegal on this planet."

"I have the proper licensing, check your records."  Darius tossed his on his dresser to the officer. 

The man caught it and handed it to the deputy to scan.  The deputy now joined the conversation, "sir, are you trying to start a war or something?"

"No, but I have my reasons to be armed."

DJ pulled the knives out of the door panel and LJ's sleeve and tossed them to Darius.  He caught them and they disapeered in his hands.

"Alright, everybody, out," Darius started to order.  Surprisingly the didn't argue and everybody left except Shazam and DJ.  "Shazam, I would like it if you kept this quiet.  It's kind of imbarrassing for two noobs to be squabbling like this."

Shazam gave both Darius and DJ stern looks, "I"ll be talking to both of you later."  He walked out to catch the officer who still had his blaster.

DJ started to leave, but Darius stopped him, "we, need to talk."

An hour later, DJ left his room to catch a little sleep.  He and Darius had set a truce for the rest of the vacation.  They both figured that the police investigation later that day was going to be punishment enough.
 
-----------------------
Feed a womp rat a food ration, he'll want an energy stim. Give him an energy stim, and he'll rip your throat out.

----------------------
FM/CRW Darius Pursius/Nazgul 3-2/mSSD Atrus/Defensive Fleet/VEN/VE (=A=)

(OOC: If you think my character is just a slight bit paranoid, he has a damn good reason to be which I will explain later :P)

***During the commotion in the resort***

Art awoke suddenly from what sounded like shouting and commotion outside.  "Taylsha wake up."  He said, given her a quick shake before reaching over to grab his blaster.

"What is it Corran?"  She asked groggily, shaking the sleep out of her head as she did.  When she noticed the gun in Art's hand she grabbed hers as well.

"I don't know, sounds like something is going on out there.  When I woke up I heard what sounded like furniture banging followed by shouts and commotion."  Art said as he put on his robe.  Art tossed Taylsha hers and she quickly slipped it on and tied it up.  "I'm going to open the door and see what's going on, you cover me from bathroom door."  Art instructed.  He walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a crowded hallway of hotel patrons, medical staff, and police.  Art asked one of the bystanders what happened and he was told that some kind of fight had taken place next door and that some people were injured.  That is Darius' door.  Art thought immediately to himself.  He looked around, it looked as though the police had the situation under control so the attacker, assassin, or drunker hotel guest was not a threat in the immediate vacinity.  "Alright it's ok."  Art called into the room.  Taylsha joined him out in the hall a moment later.  Both had their blasters in their robe pockets just in case.  The two made their way through the crowd, which the police were trying to break apart, and into Darius' room.  Shazam gave them a quick run down to which Art simply shook his head in disgust before heading back to his room.

"You going to go down to the police station with them?"  Taylsha asked when they were inside.

"Nah, Shazam can handle that.  I'd rather not deal with the authorities unless it's absolutely necessary."  Art replied, tossing his robe on one of the chairs and climbing back into bed.  Taylsha followed suit a minute later.

***That morning***

The shrill of the alarm clock blared through the room.  "Dammit that thing is loud."  Art mumbled sleepily as he turned it off.  He had contemplated shooting it but thought better of it.

Forty minutes later, both of them were dressed and down on the resort's patio have breakfast.  It was a warm morning but a soft cool breeze kept it comfortable as the sun beemed down brightly on the umbrellas over the tables.

"So shall we check out some of those ruins today or do you want to stick around the resort today?"  Art asked as he finished his coffee.

"With this thing with the police, might be a good idea to stick around just in case.  Besides, it's a wonderful day for to go for a swim."  Taylsha commented.  Art nodded in agreement.  "We could even head out into the city later on during the day, find some of the less formal areas and just relax amongst the people."  She continued.

"And shop?"  Art asked playfully.

"The thought had crossed my mind."  She teased in response.  Art gave her a quick kiss and signalled to the waiter for the bill.
 
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FM/ESN Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/Nazgul 2/Phoenix Wing/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu