[Niall Organa]

It was a very sober Niall, in every sense of the word, who made his way to Zane's ship once more. Unlike previous visits, where he was dressed up at least a little. This time, he wore tank top and undress fatigues.

Matching his informality of dress, he decided to also decided to make another change. He finally accepted Z's word that he didn't need to call ahead each time. Instead, he came right up to the door, knocking heavily, although the very precise way he did so might give away his identity.

[Zanebry Varliss]

It did give him away, and the door slid open a few moments later, giving the Captain leave to enter the ship. "Come on in, Niall." Zane called from the common room. They had talked about getting together like this for a while, and it was about time they finally did.

[Niall Organa]

Niall didn't quite manage a smile, but his lips did twitch. "Thank you, Z." He said.

He walked slowly, appearing more fatigued than casual. "It's been..." Niall let out a slow sigh. "Quite a time, hasn't it?" He stopped, turning to give the older man a sharp look. "Are you alright? Were you wounded in the fighting?"

[Zanebry Varliss]

"Yeah, it has." Z replied, his lips twitching into a wry smile. "It's hard to imagine how some people actually seem to thrive at times like this." The older man mused,as he strolled across the floor, heading towards the bar. "Drink?"

"I'm fine and dandy, don't think the Mandolorians ever saw me coming. You? Make it through alright, or did you manage to collect a few more scars?"

[Niall Organa]

"Indeed." Niall said dryly. "Believe me, I know. I command a unit of them. And yes, please." He said with a sigh. "If you have a whiskey to recommend, I'd like to try it."

He didn't quite follow Z all the way to the bar, but he slowly walked over, swinging his arms as he did. "Oh, yes. I'm fine. Just the one scar worth mentioning so far still." There were little ones. And the ones on the inside, of course.

Niall let out a slow breath. "You... heard about Luth, I'm sure."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"For a night like this?" He pursued his lips and looked through his bottles, finally settling on one from Corellia, a single barrel whiskey at Cask strength, if the younger man was paying attention. Z took a moment to select a glass, and pour two fingers in each glass, not bothering with any ice. "This will do." Zane said as he walked over to hand Niall one of the glasses.

"I'm glad you made it through alright, I wouldn't of been surprised to hear a few Mandolorians tried to draw a bead on you." the glass was brought to his lips, and Z took a small sip, taking a moment to enjoy the flavor as well as the comfortable burn as he swallowed.

"I did, wel lI heard that she disappeared, but not much beyond that." He let his eyes settle on the Captain. "I'm sorry, Niall."

[Niall Organa]

Niall watched, interested, as Zane went through the process of carefully select a drink. "Thank you." He said, accepting it with a faint smile. "I assume that means this is the good stuff, rather than that it doesn't matter what we drink tonight." He joked softly.

Raising the glass to his lips, he took a small sip, letting it burn pleasantly down his throat. "A few did." He said. "I've gotten better at avoiding that. The shield helps." Zane might have seen the large half-cylindrical barrier Niall had started carrying into combat. In Republic colors, of course. "And Vera had the rest."

Leaning back against the bar, Niall shook his head, but didn't say anything. He took out his datapad, handing it to Zane. "She left a message for me."

Niall -

You were a great friend... maybe one of my best friends, even when you were questioning me. So, thank you. I'll never forget that. Be safe out there, and remember - balance your own needs and the needs of others. Just focusing on the latter is a fast route to burnout and depression, and I don't want that for your life. I want you to be both happy and satisfied with your contribution to the Republic and Alderaan.

[Zanebry Varliss]

"Oh, a few of these and you'll sleep like you haven't since you were a child." His lips quirked into a amused smile. "So yes, it's the good stuff."

"That's good, it's nice to hear you've learned to keep your head down." And that Vera had his back. "Not all of us can look too damn good to shoot after wall." There was a small pause. "You know, Eralynn said my teeth were so pretty, that she'd let me keep em if she had to kill me?"

As the message was passed his way, Zane paused to read it, wondering what the Traitor could ever say. A frown made it's way onto his features as he brought his glass to his lips for another sip. "You should toss that out, I have half a mind to shoot her just for writing it."

[Niall Organa]

"I didn't sleep especially well as a child." Niall said blandly. "Or... not a very small one, anyway." His expression softened, just for a moment.

"Did she, now?" Niall raised one eyebrow. "Is that meant to be a compliment? Perhaps it passes for one by her standards." Niall's lips twisted again. "Does this mean you think it's your turn to be on recruitment posters?"

Niall watched Z's face as he read, taking another sip of the scotch himself. He cleared his throat afterwards; he wasn't so used to scotch as Z was. "Actually, I forwarded it to SIS. Will have an analyst look at it, just in case." He tilted his head. "You think it doesn't mean anything? Just trying to instill doubt? Twist the knife a little?"

[Zanebry Varliss]

"Well, then you have something to look forward to. Sleeping like I did when I was a child." The dreamless sleep of exhaustion.

"Oh, it was a compliment, no doubt about it." A bit of a weird and twisted one, but still a compliment. "Only if you want a stream of attractive young ladies joining the army." Not that there wasn't already plenty of those. "And they'd probably want me to join up again first."

"Good idea." Z offered with a small smile, they likely wouldn't be able to find anything though. "I think she is a bloody selfish idiot that doesn't know what friendship is. If she was in trouble and didn't tell us, it just goes to show she didn't trust us. If she wasn't in trouble? She was playing us all along. Either way this letter is for her not you."

"She's trying to convince herself she really cared, when the facts tell it different." He let his eyes look towards Nialls. "So yes, she is twisting the knife."

[Niall Organa]

Niall took another sip; each was small, but he seemed to be working through it rather steadily. "I keep trying to get you to join up again." He said, shaking his head and smiling.

As Z gave his assessment, Niall crossed his arms, the one holding the drink on top of the other. "I suppose that's true." He said with a sigh. "All of that. I spent some time yesterday trying to look for a reason, but I suppose there isn't one. Not that would satisfy me." He swirled the whiskey in his glass, shrugged, and took another sip.

Looking up, he met Z's gaze. "I'd guess this isn't your first time?" Being betrayed, that is?" Niall sighed. "It is mine."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"I know" He offered his friend a warm smile. "Maybe we'll touch on that a bit more later." There were after all complications.

"Not really no, I could maybe understand if someone was threatening Arali. But leaving like that won't save that pretty twi'lek." He shook his head. "If it was some sort of blackmail she gave in because killing is what she is in love with."

Zane let his grey eyes meet Niall's. "No it isn't, and believe me, it never gets easier." His lips curled into a smirk. "You just learn to hide the pain better."

[Niall Organa]

Niall let that go with a raised eyebrow, but no other comment.

"Arali's a Jedi knight." He said, grimacing. "And we're in the middle of an army. If someone's capable of threatening her as blackmail, they hardly need Luth's assistance to achieve their goals, I would expect." He grimaced again, before washing it away with another sip of the whiskey. He was already starting to run low.

Niall's grey eyes were serious as they met Zane's. "I believe you." He said softly. After a few moments, he sighed. "I don't suppose you have any tips on it?"

[Zanebry Varliss]

"Aye, what they wanted all along was to watch Luth fall, and she was more then happy to oblige." There was a lingering pause. "She wont be the women we knew of we meet her again."

Taking a sip from his glass, Z walked to the bar to fetch the bottle, moving to offer Niall a refill before topping off his own. "I like whiskey, it generally takes the edge off." His lips curled into a frown. "Other then that dont gi off the deep end looking for revenge... if you feel you need it, let me take care of it."

[Niall Organa]

"Thank you." Niall said, lifting his glass as Z poured. He didn't drink right away, though, instead just studying the auburn liquid. "I wonder if the woman we knew was even real. I suppose we'll never know. That message she left me certainly doesn't tell me that."

Gently, he shook his head. "Don't worry. I don't intend to. It's... not that bad." He sighed. "I won't deny that it hurts, but hurt isn't going to drive me to kill." He hesitated a moment. "Or, at least, I haven't been hurt like that yet." He took a sip of the whiskey.

[Zanebry Varliss]

"Does it even matter if she was? Real that is?" It was probably easier to believe she was fake the entire time."

"Killing is generally a very poor form of revenge, Niall. It doesn't make the other side suffer." Z replied softly before shaking his head, to dismiss that line of thought.

"But you're right, it hurts. But pain fades if you let it might just take a bit of time." Bringing the glass to his lips Z took a sip. "If all we talk about is this, we're going to become melancholy."

[Niall Organa]

Niall grimaced, taking another sip. "I have it on good authority that she was being blackmailed. It's just hard for me to believe. Why didn't she tell us? Why didn't someone tell us?" He shook his head. "But you're right. It doesn't matter."

He grimaced again at the mention of revenge, shaking his head as well.

Niall's lips quirked. "Mmm. I'm afraid that melancholy is my usual mood when drinking. I should have warned you about that." He sighed, looking over at Z. "Lyseil and I split up last night."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"She should of know better then to let herself get caught up in that. Once you let someone start blackmailing you, it never ends." He shook his head. "I take it, it was the sith?"

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to deal with it then, I can be chipper enough for the two of us, I suppose." Zane replied flashing a grin, though his expression turned more somber a moment later, even if his heart rate increased a little. "You did? Why?" Z asked wondering if perhaps his actions had changed the relationship. He hoped not.

[Niall Organa]

For the first, Niall nodded acknowledgement, not willing to say any more.

For the second... Niall leaned more heavily against the bar. "I... was being unfair to her." Niall said. "I wasn't giving her everything she deserved. Because I was holding some of it back. I wanted to change that..." He paused a moment, pressing his lips together. "But I couldn't, not until I'd sat down and spoken to Aly."

He took a drink of the whisky, grimacing less this time. "But I didn't know how long that would be. I still don't. I couldn't ask her to wait in that state of uncertainty for so long. It would be cruel. So..." He shrugged, studying the liquid in his glass.

[Zanebry Varliss]

"You're a good man, Niall. Not a lot of people could make that decision, certainly not with a woman like Lyseil involved." His lips curled into a wry smile as he shook his head. He certainly wouldn't of been able to.

"I could probably learn a thing or two from you there, about commitment."

[Niall Organa]

Niall closed his eyes, nodding. "It wasn't easy. It wasn't easy at all." He chewed his lip for a few moments. "A large part of me didn't want to do it. I think we could be happy together. If things had worked out differently..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I still care for her a great deal. And that's why I couldn't do that to her." He stared at his drink a few moments before taking a generous sip.

Glancing up, he managed a smile. "I don't know that you need me for that, Z. You just need to find the right person. I'm sure that'll happen someday."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"Maybe, though I'd say I'm not much the marriage type..." He sat his glass on the bar, looking at it for a few moments. "More and more people tell me I could be though." they had been pushing him in that direction for years now. "I guess the key would be to find a lady who could put up with me."

He picked his glass back up and brought it to his lips. "Mmm... Before I forget, I got something you might be able to use." The older man offered as he moved across the room, apparently intent on fetching something from his room. "I'll be right back."

[Niall Organa]

"I am." Niall said with a sigh. He smiled wryly. "As to the second part, it sounds like we have the same problem. Or... not exactly. But similar."

"Oh?" Niall's eyebrows went up. After a moment, he waved his free hand casually. "Very good. I'll be here." He turned towards the bar, resting his hands on it. Alone, for the moment, with his thoughts.

[Zanebry Varliss]

"In a way." Z agreed with a smile, before disappearing for a few moments to fetch a couple things from his room. The first he kept hidden as he returned, the second was in his hands and quite obviously a blaster,a rather fancy one at that.

"Thought you could use this, it's former owner doesn't need it, and with things starting to come to a end here..." He smirked. 'Well, you'll be able to take better care of yourself with this at your side." Z held out the blaster offering it to Niall. "Just don't go shooting yourself with it."

((Handing Niall this.

Eralynn's Pistol: Raider Arms Model-1 "Nova Viper" Blaster Pistol: Ranged (Light), Dam 10, Crit 3, Range Medium, Encum 2, Hard Points 1/2, Special: Accurate 2, Pierce 4, Stun Setting (Increase the Difficulty, to repair or mod by +1)
Blaster Actuating Module: +3 Damage, +2 Pierce (1HP and adds a Setback) ))

[Niall Organa]

"My word." Niall said as he accepted the pistol, leaving the glass on the table. "This is quite a fine piece of equipment." Carefully, he checked to make sure the safety was engaged before taking a closer look, his experienced hands checking over the different parts of it.

He glanced up, giving Z a wry smile. "I haven't shot myself yet. I don't think I'm about to." He sighed, shaking his head. "Who is the former owner, anyway?"