The Old Imperial Bar (open)

The Old Imperial Bar is a classy kind of bar. The kind that you could eat, have a drink and sit back. The lights were dim and easy on the eyes but not dark, and the stools along the red oak bar where adjustable, accommodating for the smaller kind of people aboard the Lux.

Soft music played in the back ground and a pair of pool tables were in the back, as well as a small arcade and game room was off to the side in an adjusted room, out of sight and out of mind for those who just came for food and drink.

The bartenders and the waiting staff, where dressed in blacked and usually greeted customers with a smile.

Rejan sat on the cushioned stool while sipping his brandy from the short glass. It was a long day after the meeting on the lux and he had to admit, it was nice to kick back and have a drink. He was still deciding on weather he was going to get smashed or not. That depened on how he wanted to start his day tomorrow.

A bowel of yam fries was set in front of him, an appey to start his dinner. A rare steak* with a side of veg and a bake potato was cooking while he finished his drink and ordered another one.



*What ever is the closest thing to a cow in this world setting.

Mishka was tired from such a long day. A lot had happened and he was ready to have a smooth drink and hearty dinner before going to sleep. Entering the Imperial Bar, he located an empty seat at the counter, sitting down on the stool, he let out a breath and motioned for the bartender.

"A Jack Daniel's please, light on the ice if you would." The bartender nodded and went to prepare his drink. Looking over the menu, it didn't take long for Mishka to find just what he needed; meat and potatoes with a lemony-garlic sauce. He licked his lips just thinking about it. Glancing up to get a look at his surroundings, Mishka recognized a fox from his earlier meeting.

What was his name... R- Rejan? That sounds right.

"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be Rejan would you? I believe we shared a meeting this evening." Mishka gave the man a soft smile in hopes that he wasn't wrong.

The Fox smiled a bit as he looked over to the young Malamute. "Mishka Foreniur. I remember you from the meeting." Arthin said before his attention was briefly taken away to the bartender who served him another drink. From what little they met at the one meeting, Rejan like the Malamute. He was green but they all had to start somewhere in life. If the dog took to the life of security, he'll do fine.

"What brings you to Imperium? Food and drink from after a long day at the office." He sipped his drink "I know I am."

Mishka grinned, happy to know his memory hadn't failed him this time. His hand found it's way to the glass that had just been put before him, taking a good sized sip, he turned back to the lieutenant.

"Most definitely, Sir. I heard that this bar had some of the best food on board and I figure, if I'm going to a bar to eat, it couldn't hurt to have a drink or two with my meal." Laughing gently, Mishka took another sip. "You seem to be the kind of man to have a lot of experience under his belt, how long have you been in the service?"

"I heard it was good food here too. An old friend told me that he knew the cook from a luxury cruise liner, the Columbus 4." Rejan put down his drink for a second and had to think on how long he's been in the service. Long time.

The fox turn his head to Mishka and said "Long time. I was part of my town militia when I was sixteen and that job carried over into the Pan Am wars, when most of my militia was contracted by IDEF to fight with them. I was twenty then and then after the war was done I was twenty two or three. After that, I joined the IDEF marines and became a land and star navigator aboard a few ships. Hunting pirates mostly."

All the while he was telling the husky, Rejans left arm was moving as if he was scribbling things up on a invisible board, trying to get things added up right in his head. "I did that until a year ago, when I went for my officers course to get the job I have now."

"Oh god, fourteen years. You sure know how to make fox feel old." He said as he took a drink. "What about you kid? how long have you been in the services?"

Mishka laughed nervously at the question aimed towards himself, he'd been so intently listening to Rejan that he was prepared to give back an answer.

"Ah, funny story there, I've never been in an organisation or service like you have, that's part of the reason I'm here right now. For the most part Wera is pretty peaceful so we don't exactly have wars going on... except for what's happening within our cities though I suppose. That's where all of my "training" comes from, when I was about 17 I started making trips to the shadier sides of Wera to protect people. My parents are a couple of rich fuddy-duddies that couldn't care less about the less fortunate really, but I felt like I needed to be there dissolving fights, helping give to the families, protecting the kids who would've gotten jumped by gang members otherwise. I just wanted to feel wholly appreciated I suppose."

Mishka paused and took another swig of his Jack, "Oh dear, look at me rambling on." He smiled from behind the glass, but his eyes didn't seem to be focused on the present, though his ears were still listening intently about those around him.

"No don't worry about it. Ramble all you want." Rejan said to the young Malamute as he took another drink. "Sounds like your inching to do some good, but be careful it doesn't get you killed. I'm a little surprised that you didn't join the police on Wera, you would do the force some good I'm sure."

By this time Rejans main course showed up and he began to dig in. But non the less, he still talked between eating. Rejan swallowed some steak before saying "War can be hell, depending on what you do and whats your job. Ninety percent of the time your doing nothing and the other ten percent is action. My sisters are police officers. Wera and Atoka respectfully, and there job shares the ninety percent nothings happening. I imagine the lux will mostly run into domestic and drug problems more then anything."

Mishka laughed when at Rejan's comment about him joining the police on Wera, "Maybe I could do some good if I was a commander or managed to be the adviser for someone up the food chain I could do some good, now I mean no disrespect to your sister on Wera, but majority of the police force abandons the low income side of town unless something huge happens. Like if the "peasants" want to cross city borders and come into the wealthy side. I'd be better off breaking up trouble as I go and starting my own crew to help. Huh, there's an idea, maybe I could make my own police force for those areas."

Finishing off the last of his drink, Mishka motioned for another just in time for his food to arrive as well. The aroma was heavenly, who know a dish so seemingly simple could look like a five star plate? Beginning to eat, he made sure not to wolf it down like he usually did and actually savor a meal for once.

Rejan shrugged at Mishka's comment on Wera and his sister. "I wouldn't know too much. I don't talk to my family that often, so you would have to be my insight on these sort of things." He paused for a moment to eat more of his rare steak and found it hard to continue talking and not to just finish the plate. "But a community watch would probably do the area some good."

Mishka nodded, "A watch would be good, though it'd be a little more difficult actually getting people with enough skill to join. But I suppose that's a ways down the road still."

Flashing a smile, Mishka turned back to his food. He was amazed at the skill put into making the dish, the aromas and flavors were absolutely perfect; needless to say, it would be hard for another restaurant on board to top this.

Looking back up, Mishka wrestled with the thought of asking a question, "Ah, why did you decide to board Lux?"

"There where officers spots open." Rejan said before finishing his bake potato. "I've been trying to get into a decent officers job for a while in IDEF. But Most of the opening they had where bases on frozen plants they had satellites around watching Mining companies freeze their asses off. Places where you send some to be punished."

"The Lux was the first real opening on a ship. A chance to put some time under my belt and if I like it here I'll stick around."

"Ha, definitely sounds like the better alternative there." Mishka paused to polish off his plate and take sip of his fresh drink. "I think Lux is a good ship, not that I know much about mechanics of such things, but the company is pretty nice from what I've seen so far. I think it'll make a wonderful adventure." He flashed a toothy grin, "Don't you?"

Kaiden slowly walked inside the bar, taking a glimpse to look around as he headed over to the Arcades section of the place. He sighed a breath of relief, as he finally walked over to a game he liked, he didn't want others to think less of him just because he liked Video Games. In fact, his work colleagues on Henta would repeatedly mock him for doing so and after limitless tirades and tauntings he decided to keep this a strict secret.

He spent most of that time playing some Shooting and Fighting styled games, once in a while saying "Heck yeah, High Score!" with a fist raised a little higher than social norms would allow. He didn't seem to care back then, as he was in his little world of the game, without noticing anyone around him.

"I think so." Rejan said to his companion. His long foxs ears faintly picked up somebody cheering somewhere. "The Lux is a good ship. I did some studying before joining. I'd hate to wind up on some rust bucket with a skeleton crew, taking tetanus shots every week because I brushed against something."

"I little off subject, tell me Mishka. You any good with gun? You ever hear or read the story of Cue Pole. From the Pat Am war?" He grinned a little as he drank some more. He remembered when he got that story published in the soldiers magazine 'Men of war.'

Mishka laughed, "Ah, I suppose that would be quite unpleasant. I guess I should have done a little more research than I did but I was satisfied with what I read so I decided not to take another look." His look turned a little sheepish, "I suppose just that statement could show how new I am to this."

Putting a finger to his chin, he thought about how often he'd shot before, it definitely wasn't something he was used to. "I had a small firearm bake on Wera that I used more for intimidation than practicality, but it certainly packed a punch when it needed to. But I guess my answer to your question then, is no, I'm not to amazing with a gun." He smiled, "Chalk that up to my list of things to do on my stay here; sharpen my shot."

"Cue Pole... Cue Pole... the name rings a bell but I can't say I know of it personally. Sorry..."

"Come I'll tell you over a game of pool." Rejan motioned of for Mishka to follow him to the game room. Where they met officer Kaiden playing some games, "Officer Kaiden, fancy meeting you here. I was just about to tell some old war stories of the Pan Am wars. Care to join."

"Anyways, where was I." Rejan said as he set up the eight balls and grabbed a cue pole. "Cue Pole is the name of a sniper that haunted fort Tuskin for about half a year. He earned the name Cue Pole because the only thing he ever shot was cue pole during a pool game. We think he was trying to shoot the commander across the street but miss him." Rejan knocked the white ball scattering the colorful balls on the table.

"The worst sniper in all the Pan Am wars. So bad he never hit anybody." He said as he waited for his turn. "If you heard a shot in an odd time of the day, it was Cue Pole. We sent counter snipers out to get him but Cue was a master of hide and seek." "The Commander got particularly fed up with him one day. We think Cue Pole shot a bottle of brandy of his. Ordered a Drone to find him and send a $80 000 dollar missile up Cue Poles ass."

The fox lined up shot and sent a colorful orange and white stripped ball into the hole. "It missed. We don't know how but the next day Cue was back to business." "So the commander sent out and entire team after him. We called ourselves the eight balls. I was number 5 and my spotter Thomas was 6." He showed a picture on his phone of the team lined up. "Any ways. We took up four sides of the base and waited for Cue pole to show up."

"I waited four days on a jungle hill, getting eaten by bugs waiting for him. Then it happened, that monkey fucker showed up. I lined up my scope and adjusted to Thomas's directions. And took the shot. I turned to Thomas, 'Did I get him'. He turned back and said 'Oh yah'. I watched on the replay and I split his head in two. And when we got down there, you could close his head like a book." Rejan used his hand to re-enact closing Cue Poles head.

Kaiden blinked heavily and almost jumped out of his own skin upon hearing Rejan's voice coming from the side, as he looked over to him leaving nonchalantly to the pool table. "Well shit..." He thought for a moment, as his attempt to enjoy his little hobby without anyone knowing suddenly went to hell on day one. He decided to go along with it, and not make it much of a deal, just in case Rejan did not pay much attention to what he was actually doing.

He walked over to the pool table as he ordered a drink from one of the passing-by waiters, Martini with lime juice and ice, just like he liked it back on Henta. He really didn't like strong alcohol, as it made him lose his normal self-control and clarity of the mind, something he didn't particularly like losing at all. Not even while off-duty.

"Sounds like a lot of spite, towards someone who barely killed anyone." Kaiden pointed out as he leaned on the pool table with his side, opposite of Rejan, while taking a sip of his newly ordered drink.

Mishka followed Rejan into the game room, drink in tow, he honestly hadn't played pool in a very long time, years he'd say, but hopefully he could keep up. He saw Kaiden in the room, playing some sort of shooter or something, he never would have guessed that the lion liked that sort of thing, but he chose not to touch on the subject.

Rejan's story was incredibly interesting, he had a pretty good way of telling it too, though the outcome seemed a bit foolish to the Malamute. "I have to agree with Kaiden, I mean, I get that he was sort of a danger to the squad but he could have just been discharged right?" As he spoke, Mishka looked for a good shot, "Ah, I should ask, are we taking turns playing one on one or should we play Cutthroat where we have assigned balls we can't hit in ourselves." He may be rusty on his skills but his knowledge of the game was still sharp.

"I suppose its easy to poke fun of cue pole in hind sight, for a man who attempted to kill officers at a base for a while." He sipped his drink while Mishka played up his shot. "He got a mile long slug discharged. If I didn't do it, somebody would have died. I had my orders" He didn't seemed bothered by the fact.

"I cant remember what's it called. You take the balls of your first hole in. I got the stripes, so your full colors."

Kaiden continued leaning on the table, not joining the game itself as he was drinking his favorite drink. He nodded at what Rejan said, agreeing with him. "True, after all, an action is better than none... and he -was- a threat." He spoke quite coldly, taking a sip and looking down at the game.

"Reminds me of that one time I was stuck in a hostage situation. The boy, for I doubt he was even close to his twenties, was holding a gun against the head of an innocent civilian. He was clearly scared, but he would not back down when I tried negotiating with him." He spoke, setting the story's feel and grimacing a little while taking another slow sip, finishing his drink. He placed the glass on the plate of a passing-by waiter, not really noticing him, as he continued his story.

"My back-up was to arrive in half-an-hour, I simply didn't have enough time... he was going to shoot her any minute..." He let out a sigh, and rubbed his face in a tired sort of way as he spoke of his reasons. Whatever they seemed to be at the time, he didn't seem to enjoy to be very convinced himself as the case hanged heavily on his conscience.

"It had to be done. A quick shot, right in head... a quick and painless death." He finished finally, ordering another drink from the waiter, nodding to him a grim way as he looked back to the pool game once more.

Mishka nodded and began to recall the rules of eight-ball, aiming for the one, he attempted a bank shot but struck the cue ball too hard and just ricocheted the one around the table, knocking it against almost every other available ball. Geez, I really am rusty at this.

He listened solemnly to Kaiden's story and suddenly felt a little out of place. He'd never served in the military or even been on a proper police force, all of his endeavors, though some nearly just as gruesome, paled in comparison to those of these seasoned vets. Thinking he must look as uncomfortable as he felt, Mishka corrected his posture and took a seat to allow Rejan his turn, motioning to the closest waiter for another drink, "This time a Kraken rum and root-beer please."

Taking a moment, he looked around the game room and peered around the corner back into the bar. This place was quite nice, it reminded him of a gentleman's study or lounge; muted but deep colors, soft lighting, everyone spoke in a manner so not to bother other patrons. It was a very pleasant scene and the young Malamute hoped to visit this fine place more often.

The Fox listened quietly as Kaiden told is story. "It was taken out of your hands Kaiden. You did what you have to when you had too. Its hard for some people understand and even harder to act on what has to be done, when your at gun point." A head shot with a pistol with a hostage in the way, fuck that no small feat.

"The shit I had to put up with from Pan Am. How many times I got stuck in a ditch waist deep scummy water, getting shot at by muzzle flashes. You have to do some pretty crazy shit when push come to shove." The fox bent over and finished their game of pool. "I find Pizza arrives faster then back up when you need it."

Kaiden decided to keep quiet on Rejan's comment, as he instead turned his head towards the Malamute almost hiding there in the corner of the conversation. "What about you, what's your story?" He asked, as he leaned against a nearby pillar of the section within the bar.

He has now finished his drink, as he placed it on the plate of a passing-by-waiter and refused the offer of another one. The waiter simply gave him a strange look and walked away, tending to some other customers nearby.