The City

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

The tavern door slammed shut, though the noise was all but swallowed by the din of the establishment. The pale Prime stepped through the crowd wordlessly, carefully eyeing the crowd around him. Vincent had learned by now that Coruscant was as unpredictable as it was loud; more than once he had been accosted in the streets with no provocation. He kept a gloved right hand on his firearm, obscured by his tattered cloak as he slid past the bar.

“What can I get ya’?” A tired-looking grey humanoid called to him from the other end of the bar. Vincent ignored him, striding steadily past. Receiving no response from the newcomer, the creature went back to polishing glassware “Tch, suit yourself.”

The ex-Turk took a seat at an empty table, pushing aside the empty plates and scraps of food from the last diner. He unbuckled the top of his cloak, allowing the lower half of his face to be seen. It was not often than he visited such establishments; his nightly treks normally took him through back alleys and past such activity. Tonight, however, he desired a change. The pale gunslinger had reached a dead-end in his research; no one he spoke to seemed to know more than basic knowledge of this realm, though they were fine going about their lives normally. Such was civilization.

“I need information.” A voice from behind him asserted. Vincent directed his attention to the booth behind him, remaining motionless.

“Yeah, and I need another beer,” his co-patron responded, slugging down his current brew. “We all need,” he cackled.

“I’m serious; I need to find out where my brother is being kept!” Person A snapped, slamming his fist on the table. “The Empire can’t just take my family like this!”

“Yer brother was a traitor,” Person B responded, “Or, at least that’s what they’ll tell ya’ if ya’ ask Dredd’s men.”

“I’m sick of their lies!” The first man yelled, slightly louder than he should have. “I need information, and I’m not getting it from the Empire.”

“Ya’ want my guess? An upstart like yer brother probably wound up in Impel Down,” The second man said flatly, placing the empty bottle on the table. “He knew too much and pissed off the wrong people. He’s as good as dead.”

The first man slumped back into his seat. “Impel Down?! It can’t be; he doesn’t deserve that! I need to get him out of there. I need to save him before it’s too late!”

“Even if he’s not toast already, ya’ can’t just walk into Impel Down and ask nicely to have a snitch set free. Trading in information is a dangerous game. Just let it go, kid.”

The duo fell silent. Vincent thought for a moment; he was not normally one to butt into someone else’s business, much less someone of whom he had been eavesdropping. Still, the mention of a man that traded in information had struck his interest; could this man know of a way to obtain what he had desired? At the very least, the pale Prime thought, it would be a start. Anything would be better than spinning his wheels where he was. It seemed his options were to take this dangerous lead or continue to walk the streets of Coruscant hoping for something that may not come. Normally, Vincent was not the type to make such a rash decision, though the circumstances were far from normal. Tonight, his frustration and restlessness got the better of him. The ex-Turk was on his feet in an instant, facing the pair that he had been spying on.

“I can help.”