The Mercenary Guild's outpost Calladan II was a far cry from the polished halls of the Imperial Academy. The building was squat, armored, and humming with the energy of a hundred restless guns-for-hire. Inside, the air smelled of ozone, sweat, and ambition.
Leonidas stepped throught the reinforced doors, Titus at his side. Who now had put on civilian clothing to bland in. The lobby was crowded- bounty hunters, ex-military, smugglers, and thrill seekers all waiting for their shot at legitimacy.
The room instantly went quiet. All eyes were on the two strangers who stood at the door. Sizing them up, was all it took for every single one of them to know these were not locals. Too clean. Not a scratch on the smaller of the two. Probably some rich kid who thought he could play at mercenary.
The two strangers ignored the hostile glares of everyone. Not paying them any mind. This was the quickest way to avoid potential trouble. But this seemed to enrage some of of them.
A few snickers could be heard from nearby mercs. One of them - a bulky man with a cybernetic arm and a jagged scar across his cheek, stepped forward.
"Look what we have here boys. A half-ling thinks he can play dress up and pretend to be one of us" he sneered.
'A merc. Three stars on the patch of his left shoulder. He's a vet.' Leonidas thought to himself.
"It's been a while since someone called me that to my face. If you want to find out what happened to the last guy. I suggest you move or I will make you move."
The man grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I'm going to enjoy teaching you some respect half-breed."
'He's bigger than me. He thinks this gives him power over me, but he made a rookie mistake, he got too close'
The man lunged-fast, but not fast enough. Leonidas sidestepped, grabbed the man's arm, and twisted. A sickening crack echoed through the room. The Merc dropped to the floor, howling.
Titus raised an eyebrow, "Why not kill him?"
"He's not worth the effort. Now gentleman. Your friend here finds himself in need of medical attention. So before you draw your blasters, ask yourselves if he is worth your lives"
Before the other two mercs could react, Leonidas and Titus had already drawn their own weapons.
A grizzeld man from the counter shouted, "Enough. You've made your point. State your business."
The room once more was eerily quiet, only hushed whispers could be heard moving about.
"My, I nearly forgot. Me and my companion are here to register as mercs.." he smirked.