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Post by Eliana Shan on May 6, 2015 18:50:05 GMT -8
"Hmm. Let me think."
Her eyes narrowed.
You were always his, weren't you. When I met you for the first time, when I met you for the last time, always his. I'm standing here in front of you, alive, and you just care about him.
This was the first time the two had exchanged words in seven years, the first time that Na'an had been made aware of the fact that her temporal shenanigans had had life-altering consequences -- or had they? The space-time continuum could have already accounted for this.. -- and all she could focus on was the other life she might have saved. Was hers meaningless, then?
The attraction she had had for this woman temporarily broken, it only took a moment for her to regain her composure. It was a bit of a stretch to imagine someone being dragged down a couple inches by the front of their shirt regaining composure, but somehow, Alena managed it.
"I'm glad you're able to tell lies apart now. Force knows we were fooling you the whole time. And no. He's not here. Hasn't been for at least a few months."
Her eyes flitted over to where 03 stood, a single eyebrow raised, the bright blue orbs cold as steel. For an AI that was quite literally programmed around facial and emotional recognition, the subtleties would be obvious: Elly was offended.
What 03 chose to do with that knowledge, however, was up to her.
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on May 6, 2015 19:58:24 GMT -8
Months. Not years. Months.
This was bad. This was incalculably bad. Leigh felt her processers jolt with alarm as she heard her companion's biometrics spike. Aherk Formidonis, mad scientist and Sith dabbler, was someone the droid had only met once in her life. That time had been in the rain-soaked laboratory in Kamino, on a half-mad errand to destroy him before his time. Somehow, impossibly, despite being overwhelmingly overpowered by his assailant, he'd escaped the blade. Although escaped not entirely accurate. The only thing that had saved him was his ability to get under Vidalu Na'an's skin and cut to her heart with just a few words.
Vidalu Na'an's time with Aherk Formidonis had amounted to much more than a few words. Those months had echoed in her mind and actions for years now, elevated to near-mythic levels by time and painful experience at his hands. The idea of him, still living, still wandering the galaxy so close to where she stood now, and not even the only monster anymore, would be...
Fear. Worse than fear.
The hand twisted in Elly's shirt had gone bone white, shaking slightly. The muscles in the back of Na'an's neck had jumped, straining to the point where to Leigh they looked at risk of snapping entirely. In that instant, she was almost the strange, unbearably unhappy creature of three years ago again.
In the same instant, the droid bent over Na'an's thin shoulder, angling one of her smaller speakers at Na'an's right ear.
"It's fine. Breathe," she whispered. "Remember your runs. Breathe, focus, it'll kick in."
She reached forward, and with almost absurd gentleness prised Na'an's fingers loose from the thin fabric. Na'an nodded, letting her. She then inhaled deeply, a great sucking gasp of oxygen that seemed to fill her frame to bursting,. She held it for a second, her eye fluttering closed, and when she exhaled it was slow, measured. When her chest settled, the shaking had stopped. She was able to open her eye and look up at Leigh with gratitude.
"Right. Right." She breathed again, and pulled her lightsaber out of her pocket. She did not light it yet, only held it at the ready. "Where's Adelle?"
Leigh's calculated quickly. Na'an intended to go after Adelle if she was in danger--immediately and without hesitation. Now that she was calm, the moment of terror suppressed, her priorities had resettled themselves in their proper shape. She'd be able to come back intact--maybe even get by without using Babylon. Granted, this meant that she'd be leaving Eliana Shan here alone, with a budding teen prodigy, her shell-shocked brother, and freedom to do whatever it was she wanted.
Which meant that wherever Na'an would be running to, she'd have to do it without Leigh.
The droid's attention returned to the woman who had made her. Clearly, LE-03 was learning new things about her mother all the time. For one, she'd learned quite a bit from Aherk Formidonis about how to cut at the heart of someone who loved her.
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Kent
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Post by Kent on May 7, 2015 22:56:54 GMT -8
Kent sizes up this new guy. She notices his skin first, very light pigment, he doesn't spend much time outside. His eyes squint with the candle light of the place, he has trouble with natural light. His bloody hands actually look looked quite strong, despite the rest of him being rather frail. Works inside, in front of an artificial light source, and uses his hands and fingers a lot. Hacker! He was clearly in trouble, not with the woman that brought him in here. His fear wasn't directed at her, and he got more afraid when Na'an dragged her outside. So someone else who hadn't made an appearance yet. So... Who did you hack? And are they or the people that hired you the ones that kicked your ass? She looks over at Cao and feels the need to justify the question. What? I cant get all the answers.
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Post by Eliana Shan on May 9, 2015 6:55:59 GMT -8
As Na'an's hand tightened, she could hear a subtle crack from beneath her shirt. When the woman had gripped her, she had unknowingly grabbed the orange pendant that rested comfortably around her neck.. And unfortunately, its normally pristine surface had just been broken. There was nothing to do about it, but thankfully its purpose had already been fulfilled. It was just a minor annoyance that another of her devices had been destroyed.
Still, under the circumstances, it was understandable.
Her left hand came up, pointing back the way she had came.
"Follow the Force usage. It'll lead ya right to her. The sounds of blasterfire and lightsabers are good clues, too."
She brushed the front of her shirt off as she stood back up, then straightened her jacket and once again regained her aloof and confident air.
"Good luck. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a life to save."
Her eyes flitted up to LE-03, a single eyebrow arching upward before she glanced back down to her left wrist. In her eyes, the holographically-projected keyboard opened up over the implanted emitter, and her right hand began typing a fury of keystrokes as she started her work. The keyboard was only visible through her visor, and as she started walking and glancing up, it became invisible to her eyes as well, but she had been doing this for years. She almost didn't need to see it anymore.
She turned on her heel and once again entered the bar.. Hopefully, this time it would be without any interruptions.
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Caoimhin Shan
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on May 9, 2015 9:03:30 GMT -8
Someone with Leigh's face?
He turned to look, but Na'an and Leigh had moved too quickly. They were already blocking the view. He caught a glimpse of a clash of colours before whatever woman Kent had seen was dragged out the door, her place in Palecki's taken by a rather frightened-looking man who, upon a rather strict gesture from Leigh, came and sidled into one of the empty chairs.
Cao turned back to the table, picking at some of the bits of discarded sausage that had fallen onto Na'an's plate, his mismatched eyes finding their way up to Oz, the grin once again settling on his face.
"Sorry, burc'ya, I don't think she's interested. Although, you wanna keep trying with an armoured AI, more power to ya."
His eyes slid back over to Kent, an amused glint sparkling in their depths, before assessing the newcomer. When Kent spoke, he chuckled, then poured a shot of the tihaar that they had all been nursing and slid it over to him.
"You look like you need this, mate. Enjoy."
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Kairos
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Post by Kairos on May 9, 2015 9:47:01 GMT -8
His head came up at the girls words, forlorn face rising from behind the curtain of his bandaged hands. As his widened eyes flickered around him like darting squirrels both hands rose to drag the tips of the fingers through the matted and disheveled hair, the look of horror and shock seemingly a permanent fixture of his features at the moment.
His mind was still spinning from his hectic flight, with drama after drama littering the last hour or so of his life, barely giving him a second to gather his shattered wits. He was numbly aware of the fact that he could be tracked, the knowledge that the implacable Mando would be coming for him the only constant in his life. As he took in the scene around him he despaired again to be surrounded by strangers of whom he could not attest to their intentions. At least these people weren't faceless maniacs seeking to sell him to the highest bidder.
Finally allowing his hands to drop he dropped his gaze to the glass of liquid offered to him, seizing it and swallowing the fiery liquid with barely a grimace to set the glass back down on the table. He exhaled a breath as the Tihaar burned its way down his throat to spread warmth through his chest, eyes finally alighting on the young woman who had spoken.
"I... What do you mean?"
How did she know that he was a slicer? Was she part of some elaborate ruse? He suddenly grew hugely suspicious, maybe paranoid was a more accurate term. His mind suddenly turned to the drink he had just ingested, the easy smile of the man with mismatched eyes suddenly partaking a shadowy, sinister gleam.
He stumbled to his feet, knocking over the chair he was sitting on to stagger backwards.
"Who are you...? Eyes flicked to the man. "What was in that drink...?"
He backed away further, legs becoming entangled in the legs of the chair he had knocked over. With a squawk of protest that quickly turned into a yelp of fear he fell back to crash down on an adjacent table, scattering drinks in the laps of several rough-looking patrons. His legs kicked feebly as he landed on his back, rolling to his side and falling into the lap of a dangerous looking, and wet lapped Trandoshan...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
A level above where the cantina resided, crouched on a shadowed walkway, Valus watched as the girl with the dual hair colours was unceremoniously ushered back out of the bar by a short brown-haired female. Lex had ferried him across from where he had waited, shadowing the mark and his escort as they fled the confrontation between the Jedi and the Mando. He had had agents ready to drift into the cantina and get into position to reclaim the prize, having called in several favours and spread around significant coin in order to cobble together the resources needed to reclaim this calamity of a deal and save his neck from reprisals.
Shifting his feet under him as cramp made an attempt to encroach upon him and add further discomfort to his pose, he cast a glance over his shoulder at the hulking shadow that lurked behind him.
Heavy shoulders sat beneath a horned and tattooed head, heavy armour adorning the chest and arms. The Zabraks services had been the majority of the expense paid, Gorta and his mercenaries one of the better units in the outer rim. Gorta was here to deal with Priest should the implacable Mandalorian catch up to them but in the meantime the thug would be a powerful ally in the reacquisition of their target.
"What do you think?"
The Zabrak gave a grunt and glanced at a screen set into his gauntlet, studying it a few seconds before raising his yellow eyes to look down at the cantina. The girl they had tracked her was just smoothing the front of her tunic and saying something to the other woman, a dangerous looking droid of unfamiliar design hulking behind them.
"Two minutes..."
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on May 9, 2015 11:47:44 GMT -8
She turned on her heel and once again entered the bar.. Hopefully, this time it would be without any interruptions. For a genius, Eliana Shan made quite a few assumptions. Before she could finish turning, Leigh lurched forward over Na'an and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Oh, no you don't. I'm not done with you," she said, her synthesizers almost growling. Na'an may not be able to process the implications everything Alena Karso had said right now, but Leigh could--and whatever shady business she'd gotten herself into was indicator enough that this conversation would have to be immediate, short---and brutal.Na'an had stepped out from between them, looking uncertain. There was a noise, something crashing inside the bar; about 200 yards down the street, a blaster sounded rapidly. The girl swung her head to hear them both, momentarily shaken in her resolve between helping her friends in the bar, or her friend outside. Leigh cut her deliberating short. "You go on ahead and fend off this Mando. I'll take care of the problem here." She resisted to urge to echo her friend, and tighten her grip on the woman's arm until the bone would start to protest. It would not do in this moment to let herself play out her anger fully. She'd have to rein it in...at least until her partner again.Na'an nodded, but hesitated again, though for another reason. This time, it was her reaching out with absurd gentleness, placing her open palm flat on Leigh's cannon arm. The look in her eye as she regarded Leigh's still-blank dome said everything that needed saying. "I'm coming back, okay?" she said quietly. "You don't have to..."
"I know." Leigh gestured out towards the street. "Go."
And Na'an went. *** This wasn't the moment to worry--not about Aherk , and not about Leigh. The pair had their rules, established for these kinds of situations. Handle the problem first. Talk about their feelings later. Leigh had known it, when she'd reminded her friend to breathe and wait. and Na'an knew it now. Kent, I need you out here, Na'an shot back towards the bar. Kent had sent her some dim impressions of her surroundings earlier, clearly trying to help, and she knew the area. If she were still attempting Force communication at all, she'd hear the order--and if she were as eager as Leigh had said, she'd come running. Speaking of hearing...Elly had mentioned something about blasterfire and lightsabers. Na'an tilted her head towards the dim sounds echoing in the distant street. If she strained, she could hear what may be a blaster, but nothing indicating a lightsaber yet. It didn't help that this was Nar Shaddaa, reigning scumhole of the Mid-Rim--blasterfire could be coming from anything out here, and the background noise of distress made hearing Adelle through the Force difficult by herself. She needed the sounds to be clearer, to be more sure. So for the first time that night, Na'an sighed, and opened her left eye. The minute the eyelid was open, the dark alloy of the medical implant twitched back into Active Mode. The white LED and audiovisual array snapped on, rolling slightly out of sync with her right eye, and suddenly Na'an's ears could back the bluff she had made earlier--she could hear everything. Eliana Shan's heartbeat, the huff of her annoyed breathing, and beyond that the rising tumult of noise backed by the drumming hearts of the people in the bar, were clear as if they were pounding inches from her head. The lines and shadows in the surrounding area clarified, sharpened, took on new depth and detail that was almost dizzying; the colors in Elly's new hair deepened, the blue distinguishable from the green, and line between them and the pink half so sharp it was unreal. Na'an scanned outwards, trying to block out what was immediately around her and reach towards the sounds she wanted. The Force helped a little with this one; the blasterfire in the distanct clarified, too. She could make out the direction of it now, and she could make out alongside it... Adelle? Adelle!
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Kent
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Post by Kent on May 11, 2015 20:52:22 GMT -8
Kent smiles and laughs at the man. Don't worry, neither of us want to hurt you. I don't know about him, but i am just along for the ride at this point. I know what you do cause its written all over you, that and you are obviously on the run from someone. The drink is fine, well nasty I think, but safe. Why don't you explain whats going on and we can see if we can help? Or do you think a little 15 year old girl is the head of some massive criminal enterprise? She chucks again, and take a bight of the now cold food. Oddly she liked it this way. Probably form years of getting used to cold meals.
Kent's mind was filled with the request. Like earlier, but this time more pointed. It was from Na'an. that much she knew. Stay here. This man will keep you as safe as anyone else. Plus, I think he is related to your friend that brought you in. There are enough familiar lines to indicate close family. Securing her baster where she could get it fast, Kent jogs out to Na'an, gracefully dodging the hulking droid. What is it? She should be mad about Na'an getting into her head, but Kent wasn't. Na'an was in trouble, and Kent needed to help. Agh!! why was Kent so drawn to this woman, it didn't make sense. There was however no denying that she was connected and drawn to her.
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Gavin Phoenix
The Dark Jedi Order
"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body"
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Post by Gavin Phoenix on May 12, 2015 5:52:43 GMT -8
*Gavin turned to watch the events take place, finally leaving only one of the group behind with a new man. Turning back to his glass, he realized her had drunk all that was in the bottle. Deciding it was time to take his leave, he stood, grabbing the necklace and shoving it into his pocket. Making his way out side, he heard the commotion a bit down the street. He had gotten involved with one event this day, no need for a second. Turning the opposite way, he headed back towards his ship.*
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2015 6:00:40 GMT -8
Things had become quite entertaining with the arrival of the dual colored haired girl. She didn't know the story with her or the man that she brought, but could tell they were trying to hide or to run, most likely from the events happening down the streets. Her keen sense of the Force let her known something was taking place. She figured that she'd have to make her exit soon so as to avoid getting caught up in anything should the ones coming for them found their way to the bar.
Adding to the sudden interest she had was when one of the women at the one table and the droid had approached the new woman and drug her outside. She only chuckled as she took a sip of her drink, her attention quickly being redirected to the one table where the guy that was brought in fell across another table. She had missed what exactly happened, but she assumed things were getting a little crazy. It wasn't long before Kent ran out of the bar, Gavin soon standing to his own feet and progressing onward outside. Was he following her or was he finally leaving, possibly thinking the same thing she did?
Finishing off her drink, she put her hair back into a pony tail once Gavin was out of sight. She quickly made her way after him, heading out the door. He hadn't gotten too far, letting Kia know which direction he had taken. Going to where she had left her sword, she retrieved in and placed it on her back. Continuing her quick pace, she removed the sword as she approached Gavin from behind. Quietly, she brought the sword above her head until she was close enough to Gavin before bringing it down to cut him in half.
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Kairos
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Post by Kairos on May 12, 2015 8:52:34 GMT -8
Looking up with eyes transformed into huge bloodshot orbs of trepidation Eryl scrambled and squirmed to remove himself from the precarious perch he had found himself in. The young girls words had been lost in his tumble and even her presence, and that of those that had seen him here, faded in the face of the calamity that had befallen him. He was aided in his quest to escape his position by the slow and menacing rise of the two meter tall Saurian humanoid, spilling from the creatures lap to sprawl on the wet floor. Making it quickly to his hands and knees, palms sticky from the spilled liquid, he crab-walked sideways and back a few feet as the lizardman towered above him.
=Varssk= "Choy jah kark, stoopaza nek..." {{What the hell, foolish man...}}
The Trandsoshans eyes blazed red like twin balls of magma as he glared down at the offending human. The front of the jumpsuit, stretched and torn to fit over his huge frame, was soaked with the sticky fluid that had been knocked all over him as he sat. There was a huff huff huff from across the table as a Wookie with matted and patchy fur chuckled at the scene, earning an equally murderous glance from the scaly being. Returning attention to Eryl as the man crouched frozen in horror the alien extended a huge, clawed hand to seize the man by the throat, lifting him from the floor and into the air, tiptoes scrambling for purchase on the slick floor.
=Varssk= "Chuba hasazza Varzzkz yokola!" {{You spilled Varssks drink!}}
The words were roared in Eryls face, the Huttese barely recognisable due to the creatures strange rasping drawl. There was a murmuring of advice on how best to make him pay from the other four people who had also been affected by his clumsiness, only the Wookie still seated at the table, adding the occasional growl to the proceedings. The Whiphid to the lixardmans right bellowed something intelligible, pounding a huge fist on the table to send the Wookiees drink spilling to the floor too. The two Rodians laughed and jabbered at each other while a Gran at the next table burbled something to the Wookiee causing the hairy arboreal creature to roar back savagely. Soon there was a blazing confrontation going on between the Wookiee and the Gran at the next table, other dangerous looking antagonists rising at the tumult.
The remaining member of the first table, a tall human with burn scars marring the side of his face, pulled a wicked-looking hooked knife from a sheath at his side, the back end serrated with vicious barbs running from tip to hilt. He stepped closer to Eryl and the Trandoshan with an evil glint in his eyes, testing the edge of the blade with a dirty thumb.
=Massik= "You spilled our drinks, little man..."
He glanced down at his own stained trousers before setting the edge of his blade under the silently working jaw of the terrified man, the blade pressing up against his jugular.
=Massik= "I hope you have the creds to see the situation right..."
The scene seemed to pause with the threat, the air of impending violence thick in the air as everyone seemed to draw deep breath for the madnes to come...
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Post by Oz Griffin on May 12, 2015 18:58:05 GMT -8
"I do! I have creds!" Oz offered as he elbowed his way into the cluster of ruffians with terrifyingly little regard for his own safety. I blame the booz. He'd been about to sweep the gorgeous robot off her feet and, well... honestly he hadn't planned that far ahead, but he was damn sure he was going to get a look at what made her tick until that weird chick with the bi-colored hair rushed in and interrupted everything. Now the robot, he'd heard someone mention "Leigh" (or maybe he'd just plucked that out of the aether... that happened sometimes), was over by the door partaking in something very near to fisticuffs against miss two-tone, and he'd missed his chance. Missed?! It was stolen from me! I demand recompense! Well too bad. All you're gonna get is the tauntingly juicy hint that two-tone's brother just dropped. Wait... Did he just say AI? Yup. Whoa...
Once his brain had more or less finished sorting through that little tidbit, Oz managed to pull himself together enough to ever-so-helpfully intervene in the newcomer's predicament with the trandoshan, none-too-subtly imposing himself on the situation whilst waving a datapad around. "I've got creds all around! Buckets and boatloads of 'em! All I'm gonna need are some account numbers and I can get the transfers going right away." He was really just trying to be helpful. Really, he was. Was it his fault if they had terrible account security and someone happened to demonstrate that at a much later date by clearing them out? No. It was not... Okay, so maybe a little. "Who wants to go first? And what do you fellas think would be a good number?"
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Kairos
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Post by Kairos on May 12, 2015 20:09:16 GMT -8
Several of the potential combatants reared back at the antics of the man with the spiky blonde hair, watching in amazement as he bounced among them like some hyper loon. Heads turned from the next table where the Wookiee was in mid-rant with the four Gran, violence momentarily forgotten. Eryl twisted his head awkwardly as he spluttered in the clawed grip, hands wrapped around the scaly forearm to stop from being throttled.
Varssk gave off a growl as his snout twisted into the approximation of a sneer, leaning forward slightly to peer down at the strange man waving the datapad. With deft efficiency Massik had removed the blade from Eryls throat and stepped back slightly, moving with subtle motions to place himself behind the newcomer. Knife still held in his right hand with the blade extending downward, he loomed at the blond man's right shoulder, somehow managing to look every bit as dangerous as the lizardman.
=Varssk= "Nobata bargo, weermo." {{No deal, chump.}}
The creatures eyes burned with a fire that would only be quenched with blood and it swung its free hand to smashed the datapad out of the man's grip. As soon as the blow was thrown the Wookiee gave a bellow and upended the Grans table, knocking the three-eyed humanoids back into yet another table...
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Adelle Bastiel
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Post by Adelle Bastiel on May 12, 2015 20:35:11 GMT -8
Meanwhile a few blocks away...
The tip of the sword crashed down into the ferrocrete street with terrific force only to spring back up to point at the Jedi with a somehow accusing glint as the street lights suddenly flickered on at the onset of night. Priest had torned the beskad from the sheath on his back and brought it straight down in an attempt to cleave his opponent in two. The blaster rifle had left his hand to spin rapidly over the Jedi's head as she ducked beneath the improvised missile before dancing back with nimble ease to avoid his assault.
Priest grimaced slightly beneath his visor. While he had been hoping to end this contest quickly he hadn't really expected the distraction to work, well aware of the Jedi ability to sense impending danger. He had often trained for such encounters with Cassus, in another life, by attempting to be unpredictable even to his own mind, seizing on slight moments of opportunity rather than a steady, planned attack. It was difficult for one such as him to do as it required him to let his mind wander and move by feel rather than thought. This Jedi was too quick to be caught by such a ploy it seemed. While Priests own agility and quickness were often underestimated due to his size and the bulk of his armour he was obviously the slower here. As she had danced back the enhanced imaging on his HUD had struggled to keep up, prompting Priest to disable it, keeping only the tracking signal from the beacon alight in his displays.
Held in his right hand, the heavy weapon easily wielded by the huge man, he began a slow and measured walk to the right. The basic that came from the helmet speaker was heavily accented, so much so that it was probably difficult to make out the words of the low growl.
Stand aside, ad'ika. I have no use for another saber trophy... Adelle mirrored his movement, keeping herself between him and his quarry. She lowered her blade to a more relaxed guard. Feeling returned to her hands with pins and needles and her white-knuckled grip on the slender hilt belied the impassive calm on her face. The Mando spoke, the words slurred and thick with accent. She could barely make out his meaning. Saber trophy? What, did the Jedi hand out participation trophies now? An incredulous eyebrow raised in response but she bit her tongue. Once the saber was out, words were useless. Also, Mandos shouldn't be provoked. That was just one of the laws of the universe. The heavy sword the Mando held twitched but the rest stayed stock still. Adelle could hear her own heartbeat as she waited. Adrenaline and tension made her head buzz, throwing off her judgment.
He moved his sword back for a swing. Adelle raised her blade to deflect it but a half-second later she felt his intentions and motions change. Heat and exhaust filled the air as the Mando rocketed up over her head without so much as a growl. She hissed through her teeth and pulled the Force to her to follow him. Metal clanged as a round cylinder dropped to the alley, a small red light blinking. Kriff. Me. There was no time left. The shockwave hit first. Adelle closed her eyes against the blast and focused on absorbing the kinetic energy. Her teeth ground together when the explosion followed, tearing at her clothes and whipping her hair about. She could feel the energy her body contained like some weird organic battery, its violence; could feel it trying to tear her apart. Adelle used it to propel her jump up past a couple walkways, and the remainder to throw and guide her saber to the Mando's jetpack.
For a brief moment, she allowed herself to slow her heart down. Her limbs shook from so much Force use; her vision was both too bright and blurry and sharp all at the same time. Everything sounded far away and underwater. And she could feel Na'an's terror the moment it spiked. Not your problem right now. Adelle reduced her awareness to the Mando and the immediate area. She needed to focus on the here and now. Na'an, for all that she'd been through, could handle herself. Adelle steadied herself and chased down the Mando, hurdling rails and leaping over gaps in the walkways.Adelle shut out Na'an, throwing up mental walls to block every distraction. When she could, she'd explain everything.
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Corr
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Post by Corr on May 13, 2015 10:59:43 GMT -8
As he soared away from the Jedi he called a topographical map of the area onto his HUD, studying the layout as he rose on a column of orange flame to streak down the canyon-like street between the flanking buildings. Such was his attention directed, and such was his underestimation of the Jedi, he paid no heed to her counterattack, giving a grunt of surprise as the glowing blade struck.
Sparks erupted as the weapon made contact, severing a stabiliser jet and making his flight wobble and waver through the air. With the flames sputtering suddenly only to flare powerfully then die down again, his flight became haphazard and barely controlled as he veered this way and that. The beacon pulsing steadily in his vision came from within a building ahead and to the left slightly as he meandered around trailing a tail of smoke, like some drunken demon. He cancelled the overlay of the map and looked down at the startled faces peering up at him. Turning his attention ahead he veered sideways and scraped savagely against a wall there, the friction of his armoured flank against the durasteel sending a shower of sparks dribbling downward. Swerving back into open air, narrowly avoiding the support strut of walkways above he heard a splutter and a bang as the right jet died, sending him into a counter-clockwise twirl.
He frowned as he heard the word 'warning' being repeated over and over as the world spun rapidly around him in a dizzying kaleidoscope of duracrete and dirty sky. Still calm despite the calamitous events he switch his view to a previous scan of the area, plotting his projected course and the terrain ahead. A window on an upper story of the building where the beacon flashed caught his eye as he calculated his line of flight, speed, and rate of descent.
With grim efficiency he sent a burst of extra power through the single jet, causing his spin to increase but also adding to his velocity, then cut the power to the jetpack all together. Hurtling forward in a dropping arc he raised his arms and tucked his legs as he crashed through the window, tucking through a roll that he soon lost all control of. Clattering and grunting he careened across a floor covered in disused furniture, crashing through piece after piece before coming to rest against the far wall...
Kad haar'chack!
He growled and rolled over onto his hands and knees before struggling to his feet. Once up his right hand groped for and found the release to his jetpack, allowing the device to clang to the floor at his heels. He glanced around the near-destroyed room and noticed his beskad lying among the debris of a large table, striding over to scoop up the weapon and raising his eyes to the jagged hole he had made in the window.
It wasn't just the window but the entire frame too, as well as a good portion of the surrounding wall. Dim light gleaned through the gaping wound, allowing dust particles to be seen drifting in the rays. The rest of the windows appeared to be either blacked out or covered, the entranceway Priest had created the only source of illumination.
He stepped slowly towards the gateway, beskad held loosely in his right hand...
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Adelle Bastiel
Member
Right or wrong? I can hardly tell. I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell.
Posts: 338
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Post by Adelle Bastiel on May 13, 2015 17:35:53 GMT -8
Smoke poured into the tangled alleys of Nar Shaddaa as her saber hit home. Adelle didn't allow herself a smile and called her saber back to her hand, shutting off the blade. Her calloused soles pounded the catwalks and duracrete rooftops as she followed the pluming trail of smoke. Ahead of her, the Mando spiraled out of control and crashed through a building. Adelle leapt across the alley to her right, tucking and rolling as she landed on the walkway. The few people in her immediate vicinity cursed and shouted as they jumped back. She sprinted forward, never missing a step, and tapped into the Force. It burned like fire and filled her lungs like fuel. Her surroundings blurred further as she ran faster than her physical body was capable of; The path ahead made a sharp left turn and she needed to jump that gap. She needed to land in that building before the Mando escaped. With a bound, she leapt from path to railing and Jumped. Neon lights of a bar below. Rising hostility. The Mando coming towards the hole. Adelle set her jaw and sent her right foot crashing into his chest as she landed in the hole.
"Ol'val," she said, igniting her saber. "You missed."
She darted forward and jumped left, swinging her blade at the back of his left knee. The swing was not intended to cut through; she wanted to slow him down or cripple him, not maim him for life. Although really, a lightsaber wasn't good for much else beyond mutilating and killing.
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Corr
Member
You can lead a fool to knowledge but you can't make him think.
Posts: 940
Affiliation: Clan Vhett
Traffic Light: Orange
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Post by Corr on May 14, 2015 11:01:33 GMT -8
He had barely got to the window before the view was obscured by a healthy dose of Jedi, her foot leading the way as leaped through the opening. The dull clang of her foot impacting upon his breastplate echoed around the darkened room, the clash forcing the dustmites to swirl with a bit more intent.
He fell backwards to complete the destruction of the table, armoured back crashing down on its remained to reduce the kindling into splinters. His head bounced as it cracked backwards, the helm protecting him from the impact but the motion still enough to jar his senses some. His arms splayed to either side as he slid back a few meters, beskad held in the death grip of his right hand. A grating screech accompanied the friction of his backwards slide, the noise somehow drawing his attention back from its wandering daze.
With the 'chin' of his helmet resting on the top of his breastplate he watched as the Jedi darted forward, cutting to her left before swinging her buzzing blade towards his left leg. With still a little momentum in his backward slide Priest pushed against the floor with both arms, a grunt accompanying his effort, and forced himself over into a backwards roll. The saber licked angrily against the floor as his lower leg was pulled out of the path, preceding his upper body over and allowing him to finish in a crouch a couple of meters away with his left arm already rising to point back towards her. A gout of orange flame burst forth from the nozzle in his left gauntlet, roaring out a fiery inferno at the annoying Forceling.
The debris on the floor quickly caught alight in the intense heat, the flammable fuel eager to spread its flaming offspring wherever it could. The floor also began to smoke and blacken under the assault, the whole place likely to go up in flames. Unfortunately for Priest, as he readied himself to track the Jedi's movements and turn her to ash, her earlier strike at his jetpack had severed one of the fuel lines and damaged the device...
The initial burst of flame roared forth but then the stream spat and hissed. Flame trailed back from the nozzle as leaking fuel dribbled along the line, bypassing safety measures and causing the whole device to erupt in flame. A cough a splutter and a thunderous bang accompanied Priests right arm detonating in a blinding flash, the explosion enough to send him staggering to his right, bits and pieces of broken flamer pinging off of his armour.
The wrist and hand were protected somewhat under the beskar armouring of the crushgaunt but his elbow and upper arm took a decent pounding. Shrapnel had gouged a nsity cut in the meat of his bicep and the elbow area was singed painfully. Smoke and flame still permeated the area between where they had stood but it looked like the fires would die down.
With vision so impaired Priest activated his thermal enhancements but with the flames lciking at the floor and furniture its was still difficult to pick her out as he scanned the room...
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Post by Vidalu Na'an on May 14, 2015 18:09:49 GMT -8
As Leigh turned her attention back to Eliana, Na'an jolted as her eye picked up an explosion much closer than normal. She turned back towards the building, zeroing in on the neighboring building to the right. Something had just come from that direction to plow through the bar windows, smashing half the wall of the building's second floor and sending rubble spilling into the alleyway below. Before her eye could focus, though, she Felt Adelle fling herself in after it, just barely catching a flash of her hair in the neon lights of the bar. Some of the chunks of wall bounced out into the street, resting inches from her feet and nearly hitting Kent as she skittered out of the bar's entrance.
Adelle moved fast, but so did the something, which turned out to be a Mandalorian in full armor. As Kent made it to Na'an's side, both Jedi and Mando disappeared into the buildings depths, soon to be replaced by the distinctive orange glow of a rapidly starting fire. Whatever the fight was that Elly had started, it was now at risk of burning the whole of Palecki's down...not the ideal way to end what was supposed to be a simple scrap mission.
"You want me to teach you?" She asked of the teenager at her side. She didn't wait for Kent's response, or turn to see what the girl would make of her now-open metallic left eye; in her experience, Leigh's assessments of people were almost never wrong. Instead, shoto still in hand, Na'an shrugged the strap of her blaster rifle over her head.
"Let's start with cover," she said, her metallic eye scanning the surrounding area quickly. She had to get up there as fast as she could, without using up too much power. Handing the blaster rifle off to Kent, she marked a set of handholds that would serve as a path. "I'm going up. Make sure anyone who comes out of that hole has a bead on them. If you don't know how to use this, bluff."
She crouched, feeling the Force build in the muscles of her legs, then jogged and Leaped for a landing on the building next to the bar. Swinging her body over the side to land on the rail, she reached for a nearby pipe to pull herself hand-over-hand until she reached the same height as the opening. She Leaped again, landing like a spider on the neighboring windowsill, and allowed herself a breath before looking inside. From here, she could see inside the abandoned second floor of Palecki's. Adelle had kicked the Mando a good ways, her back towards Na'an. The Mandalorian was the source of the fire; he'd pulled a flamethrower from somewhere, and was now spewing fuel and flames at the floor, the furniture, and presumably at her doctor. As he aimed again, the device seemed to malfunction, suddenly bursting into flames itself. If someone didn't stop the source--or at least get it away from the furniture--these two would send the entire street up in smoke.
Na'an reached, feeling the fingers of her mind close around the strangely-warm muzzle of the flamethrower, then Yanked it sideways and up out of the soldier's grasp. The fireball of twisted metal hurtled back, past Adelle and Na'an to smack into the safely non-flammable duracrete of the opposite wall. As it passed, Na'an swung herself off the windowsill and into the hole that used to be the second window.
"A flamethrower?!?" she said loudly, disgusted. "I thought Mandalorians were more honorable than burning down a barful of bystanders."
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Caoimhin Shan
Member
Posts: 112
Affiliation: Jedi Praxeum of Yavin IV
Traffic Light: Orange
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Post by Caoimhin Shan on May 16, 2015 21:13:39 GMT -8
Stay here. This man will keep you as safe as anyone else. Plus, I think he is related to your friend that brought you in. There are enough familiar lines to indicate close family.
His eyebrow raised as he spared a single moment to glance back out the front door. From what he could see, there was a bit of a resemblance..
Which made him roll his eyes. There was only one explanation for this.
Another Elly lookalike? What is this one, an HRD? By the Force, how many things did she make before she died??
Her attention started to turn elsewhere as the nearby table hung on a well-balanced thread, and he could only shake his head.
"Whatever. I don't have time to deal with this.."
He stood as the blonde man moved to try and ease the tension. Cao rounded the table as Oz's datapad was knocked to the floor, the Wookiee flipped a table, and everyone involved was moments away from injury. As a bystander, he would have preferred to stay out of this. As a Jedi, however, he felt obligated to intervene and forego the potential loss of life, limb, and property. So, he reached into the Force, using it to augment his movements.
One step forward, and the table was still in midair.
Two steps, and he was between Eryl and Oz, his hands moving out to either side, one over Eryl's head, the other across the blonde man's shoulders.
Boom.
He smiled as two waves of Force power erupted from his palms, moving out to encircle around both the "innocent" -- the term used loosely, since Eryl did knock over the Trandoshan's drink -- parties in this brawl, and then moving outward to push all those others back. The Trandoshan and the heavily scarred human were knocked back two feet, which unfortunately sent the lizard back into the Whiphid, the two Rodians recoiling away from the larger beings for sake of their own safety. Massik, on the other hand, was sent sprawling onto the floor, the circle of energy catching him full in the face as an unfortunate side effect of having been so close to his target.
"You're going to want to stop," he boomed, his voice amplified by the energy field he was tapping into, "and take a moment to breathe. Do you want to fight them?" He flicked his eyes down at the frightened man still on his hands and knees, then over to the obviously drunken man, then back over to the Trandoshan. "Helpless, harmless, and weak?"
His smile grew wider as he tugged on Eryl and Oz's shoulders with the Force, silently urging them to get away.
"Or would you rather have a real fight?"
As if to emphasize his point, there was a loud crash behind and above him, the sound of a window breaking, but out of view.. It was most likely the second floor of the building they were in, and that meant that there was another fight taking place already..
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Post by Eliana Shan on May 16, 2015 21:31:27 GMT -8
Her eyes rolled behind the visor as her youngest daughter grabbed her and once again kept her from going in the bar.
"Everything is about to go to hell, and you want to stand out here and talk?"
She finished the first bit of typing, and a progress bar appeared in the corner of her visor, indicating that it was isolating the signals emitting from the bar. A caution flashed that there were multiple signals and a small amount of interference, and that decreasing the distance would allow for a stronger and faster connection. But, seeing as her daughter's metallic fist was latched onto her shoulder, that wasn't about to happen.
"Go ahead. Say your piece. Get it over with."
There was a loud crashing noise from down the street, a clear indicator that whatever conversation they were about to have was going to be cut very, very short...
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