Fandom Star Wars Roleplay: The Old Republic

[The Suspicious Eye]

Nara smiled as she made her way to her only love, her baby, her ship. A XS stock light freighter class ship. Larger and faster than others and 100% capable of keeping any type of cargo safe. Equipped with a gorgeous set of heavy Lazer turrets and mutual concussion missile launchers, thus ship is the epitome of perfection. She smiled as she got closer to it, my beautiful home. Sure it had nothing on her father's battalion of pirate ships, but it was her's and she loved it. She turned to their complements on her ship and smiled, "thanks, it was a gift from a good man." As the doors opened she ushered those who were with her in.


As she came in there stood her good friend and partner in crime. She smiled at the giant next to her and shrugged. "I'd call them temporary allies. Try not to scarw them too much hot stuff. They needed a lift, and they already know I'm Jedi. I thought it was my personal duty to help them." She Glace at him, hoping he got all the subtle information. He would need to treat her like a Jedi and keep his guard up, she had plans for this group. She patted Jigris's chest as she walked in. She being a good two feet shorter than him, she couldn't kiss his beautiful armored face. She turned around and looked at her guests. "Please allow Jigris show you around the ship, while I slip into something more comfortable." She winked at Jigris, her signal for 'don't show them our cargo,' and walked off.


@Bullet Tooth Tony

 

[Christopher Pyne MP]

Corellius senses had been dulled by the alcohol, as had his comprehension ability, when Nara walked off he looked at his fellow compatriots "By slipping into something comfortable, did she mean shes gonna sleep with us?" he asked, cocking his head and depositing his gear on the ground, before stretching "Cos thats what a gamorrean whore said before we did the dirty, and I'm sure that my artillery laser could use some polishing." he smiled drunkenly at the others.

 

[jole875]

Walking aboard the ship Daren gazed at the large bodyguard and said,"Ya know I've fought a guy your size I won ofcourse but only because I shot him in the foot." Daren smiled and looked past the bodyguard and into the ship,"Show me where we're staying bud," Daren asked smoothly. Looking back to the guy they picked up he smiled and said,"I don't think you understand the situation you drunken fool. She'd kill us before anything of.. That sort." The thought was fitting to Daren but he always strayed away from getting his emotions too involved with others, though his grip on his anger was loosening.

 

[RedTimbre]

The dark room flickered with the power of tainted lightening. Purple impulses bred wayward shadows and each of the Jedi scrambled to evade the corruption in fear of the seared flesh it would leave rent across their figures. Shaen's right hand swung in a half-arc as his own light saber sprung to life. Green light was reinforced by the dusty gold of something ephemeral as a series of electric tentacles collided with his blade. Both hands gripped the metallic hilt as his mind redirected the energy of the Sith's Force Lightening down across his body and into the rubber souls of his high leather boots. It was like being hit by a freight shuttle, yet the momentum of the woman's assault failed to move the Consular.


A deep breath caused Master Shaen's nostrils to flair as the Sith suddenly disappeared. "One has to appreciate her skill nearly as much as they are confounded by the pure dereliction of the Sith to allow a woman of her stature to come to Coruscant unaccompanied." His saber hand lowered to his side, and once again his mouth hinged open to speak, yet only silence followed. Two opposing forces tugged at his senses. He felt the aftershocks of the flare that was the singular, powerful source that had been present after the lights went out. The signature of the Sith hardly permeated the walls of the Grand Hall, and if he remembered correctly, her trajectory was towards a landing platform that was too close to give proper chase.


However, that flare of unique energy could not go ignored.


"Jesslean," His voice retained the deep confidence necessary for brokering a strategy between allies. "If you would be so kind as to take the rest of the Knights in attendance and investigate the South West exit. I suspect our Sith will be long gone by now... however, the council will be expecting a full report on the source of power that I'm sure each of us just felt." Shaen didn't need to turn his head in order to "look" at the half dozen Jedi who had stood to reinforce the presence of the Peace Keepers on Coruscant. Shaen's light saber flicked off and he turned on his heel. "See to it that she's the one to report to the council," he said, as he passed another Jedi only two years his junior. Shaltnal was a good man, and he would understand more than anyone that everyone deserved their chance in front of the elders.


Those thoughts quickly fled his mind as brisk steps took him down an empty hall. Something opaque with the fog of malcontent had reached out to flick the back of his ears just before the Sith had vanished. Something dark, yet disconnected from the sensitivity necessary to manipulate the Force. His mind's eye stretched down the corridor as he walked, seeking every turn and corner in order to see what it was that played tricks across his senses. Little did he know that he followed directly in the footsteps of Astrid's would be assassin.


@Shimakage Thunder @Alistair

 

[BloodThunder27]

"Of course. It will be taken care of." She disengaged her Lightsaber and clipped it onto her belt. It didn't take Jesslean long to rally up the Jedi Knights that were accounted for and they all went to investigate the south exit and help reinforce the Peace Keepers that were present. The Dark Jedi must be gone by now, but she still felt a strange presence within the Force, which left her worried, seeing that it was a dark presence. "The Council is going to want answers..." she muttered as she and her fellow Jedi looked around. In her sole year as a Knight, she has never felt anything like what she was feeling now.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

As he ran, he realised where she would be heading; the Secondary Hanger. That was where her ship was, or at least where some form of escape was. He turned another corner and increased speed to a dead sprint, his leg muscle implants pushing him faster and faster. There was no time to lose if he wanted to claim this bounty.


Three more corners and he got to the hanger. Damn, the metal doors were shut. He tried charging it and pushing his strength implants to their limits, but the metal was only dented. Damn, these doors must be something really strong; strong enough to stop him, that's for sure. It would take something more, like his demo charge. He was planning to use it as a trap for Jedi, but it seemed like they'd not seen him.


He removed the demo charge from its clip on his armour and planted it on the door. Hopefully this wouldn't be too loud. He skirted back along the wall; best cover he could take from it. BOOM! Half of the door got blown away, leaving an easy entrance for him. Inside there were eight droids and five humans, two with swords. It was still dark, as nobody had turned on the generator again, but the human guards had gotten on nightvision by then. A hail of fire came from the hanger bay, and he dodged it and dashed inside, taking cover behind a crate. He waited another beat and then ran out with a charge. His holdout blaster claimed the life of two droids and a human. Now for his favourite bit. He switched on the vibrorapier and danced among the guards, taking them out with easy slashes and stabs.


He flicked his head up, seeing his target between him and the door he had come through about to be escorted on to her ship, a magnificent looking one to be sure. His legs took him to the ship just in time to shoot the man escorting the target. She screamed and ran for the ship, thinking she could somehow get away. Darryn raised his blaster and took his shots, sending two blaster bolts her way.

 

[Sensei Fox]

"Sure, I can do that. I'm Adahi, just so we have a proper introduction." Adahi leaned back in his seat and engaged the foot controls, another of his personal modifications. It was for the purpose of freeing his hands to work on a small holoprojector. The projection helped him design his own technological projects. The idea to add the system came after a few long trips and long waits to land planetside. The addition had sped up his production of odd ends of technology significantly. It was hard to get used to flying and designing at the same time, but he could at least follow the freighter the Hapan woman had escaped on with several other members of the party.


Today's project stemmed from the limitation of his weapon as he observed just a few moments ago. The laser marking system on his pistol was a unique and invaluable feature, but it still had to be manually aimed. Just like before, if the targets were too close or in a crowd they would all have to be marked by the dangerous sweeping of the barrel around the area and possibly marking himself. The end result of a trigger pull would eliminate each of them. Being killed in the process of using the weapon would entirely defeat the purpose of using it. His solution was a new module for his optical implants. It was essentially the same laser on his pistol but fitted with a neural activation switch and hidden inside his eye. The modification would make the targeting with his pistol as easy as looking at his target and thinking them to an imminent destruction. The obvious obstacle in this piece would be the wireless connection to the gun itself as well as some kind of reset for the marking system so that the rounds wouldn't track previous targets. He spent a few moments looking through a catalogued list of parts and fitting them together virtually. Finally satisfied with the design, he saved it for later. On to the next design


The next one was simple. Since he had encountered force users and seen pistols pulled from their owner's hands, there had to be a way to counter that. For now he opted for a simple solution. He pulled the pistol from its resting place as well as a roll of blasting tape from his belt. He carefully wrapped it around the grip of the gun in a few layers. Surprisingly, it actually improved the feel of the weapon in his hand. It's true purpose, however, was to be a last ditch bomb. It could be thrown and detonated remotely by his belt or if it were removed from his hand by the force and into a new owner's hand, it could be detonated and end the face-off. Perhaps the detonation could be neural linked as well. Still, as it was the modification was finished and effective in theory. He hoped that it would never have to be implemented as it would certainly cost him his only real weapon. Perhaps he should acquire a secondary weapon of some kind just in case.


With his designing and speculation done, he turned back to the traditional starfighter piloting system involving a stick control. He followed along with the Hapan woman's freighter as the other person in the transmission, he assumed was another Jedi, had suggested. It wasn't like he had anywhere better to go. That meeting was supposed to fill most of the day. It was a shame that it turned out to be a silly auction and an even further shame that the event was abruptly ruined. Still, his day was free now and this Jedi Hapan woman interested him. The odd group she had attracted were a story in themselves. At any angle, it was exciting. If anything, he would have information to bring back to Hapes by the end of whatever adventure this was.


@Bullet Tooth Tony @Alistair @Blarg222 @Homunculus

 

[RedTimbre]

The absence of light failed to hinder the Consular as he pushed further through the mansion. He'd become a hunting massiff as the trail lured him towards its source. It was slowly growing more palpable. There was a sense of urgency and ill intent that lent it further density. His ears strained along side his perception of The Force in order to pick up any clues as to who - or what - he was following, where it was going and what its purpose was.


A small explosion sounded ahead and his suspicions were confirmed.


Shaen wrapped his lower body in The Force as he dashed forward. The unnatural speed that the technique lent him caused the muscles in his legs to burn and his joints to ache. The hall streaked by and his chest began to heave under the weight of a growing demand for oxygen. He could hear blaster fire close by. But, under the strain that The Force was placing on his body - coupled with the sound of a woman's scream - it sounded a galaxy away.


The door that had been defiled by the explosion granted the Jedi equal access to the hanger. His eye-less gaze swept across the relatively small compartment housing only one ship. He could feel the broken droids and lifeless organics that littered the ground. The man responsible for carving a bloody swath through so many guards now stood with his attention fixed on what appeared to be the sole survivor. It was her scream that had echoed down the hall, and now the interloper's pistol was rising to take aim at her back.


The entire scene caused time to slow to a crawl from the Jedi's perspective. His legs retained their augmented pace, but an artificial weightlessness gave the illusion that the woman's own steps were nearly suspended midair. The pain in Shaen's lower body was buried deep beneath decades of mental training. Had he gone on much longer: only a kolto tank would be able to repair his tendons. Every fraction of a second brought the Jedi closer to the woman, and the bounty hunter's pistol closer to execution.


He was only two meters away from the woman once the sound of blaster fire caused the small muscles behind his ears to tense. His body twisted sideways as his feet planted firmly against the ground. The sheer momentum behind his speed caused him to slide until she was almost in arm's reach: but, it wasn't enough. Shaen's decelerated perception of time touched both bolts of red energy as they traversed the space between the hunter and his prey. The Force that had wrapped itself around his legs wrapped up and around his chest before circling his left arm as he reached out towards the woman's back. A soft, muted thud sounded between them and a burst of energy sent her sprawling several meters forward. He would have grimaced over the notion of accidentally shoving her harder than he had intended. But, there was no time.


Shaen's posture when he slid to a stop had caused him to stand square with the woman's attacker, placing him directly in the line of fire. His light saber crackled back to life. It was everything he could do to time the upswing of his blade to reflect the first blaster bolt. The high pitched whine created by the impact sent the beam back up and over the bounty hunter's head in a wide arc. However, the second bolt had traveled just behind. He turned his light saber over in his hands to bring it back down.


No time.


Shaen's perception of time hurtled back into reality as the bolt nailed him square in his right shoulder. The impact caused his body to twist nearly one-hundred and eighty degrees before falling flat on the ground. His light saber hit the cold cement and slid off into the shadows. The searing pain threatened to shut his mind off from his body, and the rest of the world entirely.


@Fezzes

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

Turin hadn't suppressed his sensitivity for a while now, not realizing he even had it released, he was more worried about getting somewhere, Turin soon enough pressed a multitude of buttons, retracting the wings on the starship called Shadow Wing to give it a much more agile approach. An asteroid clutter was just ahead as he left orbit of Coruscant, in this form, Turin wouldn't need to worry about bumping into Asteroids, since the shape was much more smooth, flexible if you will. Reaching the Asteroid clutter he began to pilot the Shadow Wing fully now, evading and dodging many asteroids, some came too close for comfort, others stayed far away for a better ride.


Soon enough, Turin and HK were out of the clutter, and Turin re-activated the wings, they slowly shot out, and the sides sprung back into action. He decided it was time to get out of here, as a projected dashboard rose up from the control system, Turin simply pressed a few buttons in a combined sequence, and a small lever had appeared from the control system.Turin gripped it and pulled it forward while pressing the button, to activate an on-screen decision to activate lightspeed. Upon pressing yes, he put in the coordinates to arrive on Tatooine, he then switched the control system to auto-pilot. The countdown began, "5...4....3....2...1" an automated voice spoke, as he then shot into lightspeed, within a blink of an eye his ship was gone...


Turin then walked to HK, he would at least reward him for his work. "HK, I don't know if you have any need for money, but I can give it to you. Would you like an Oil Bath? Or anything to make yourself comfortable? You did a great job today...I'm also wondering if I could tinker with you a bit, see what possibilities could arise, more upgrades and weaponry."


He smiled, now that HK was his companion he enjoyed the ability to actually have a friend once more, even if it wouldn't or may not show the same emotions or thoughts. It had been a long, long time for Turin and he decided he wouldn't mess this chance up.


The Shadow Wing itself was a large set Starship built for galactic warfare. Speed, defense and artillery was its greatest feats, and with the upgrades given to it by Turin it would only become an even better starship. Painted black and dark grey and platinum, it was perfect for himself, he had grown accustomed to it for many years. And knew every nick of detail towards its crafting. Holding just enough weaponry for a space battle. It also owned piloted guns, making it much more fun. Inside it was large and held only colors of silver, but it was great for exploring and could hold around 20 people. It could be a home for anyone, but for now, it was home for Turin and HK.


@Shimakage Thunder @Blarg222

 

[BloodThunder27]

"C'mon Fate, let's go explore the ship." Jess said to her droid.


Jess couldn't help but stare in awe of the ship. It must have been a very massive pain to assemble and get it function properly. My, my, she thought. Being aboard the Shadow Wing was quite an honor. All she usually travelled in was her Jedi Star Fighter. For most of the ride, she was watching the view alongside her Droid. "Well, I can't say being in space was this relaxing before. Because I usually ride my own Fighter. Right, Fate?" She said talking to her droid, who started beeping and showed that he was happy. When Tatooine came into view, the Knight raised an eyebrow. What brings the Jedi to Tatooine? Is this where Turin tracked the Force Presence to? Roaming in the Dessert was going to be fun. A giant sandbox...Great, she thought.

 

[Blarg222]

HK-100 watched in glee as they approached their destination, though obviously it could not be seen. Tatooine was a lawless place, where the scum of the galaxy converse, it was the perfect place to indulge his need for bloodshed. His CPU was already calculating the different ways and situations where he would eliminate meatbags, his behavioral core glowed. However he also brought concern to the Jedi aboard, HK had killed his fair share of them but had never worked with them though he never wanted to. Referring to his master's request he said, "Statement: You may "tinker" master but I hope you meatbag body is suitable to do such surgery of my systems, I hope to be at max efficiency. Though is there really a need for the Jedi? I have seen much of the galaxy and those pseudo-pacifists are weak fighters." HK turned to the Jedi.

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

Turin turned around to the female Jedi. "How did you get on my ship? More so, who are you calling a Jedi? I'm a Grey Jedi. I'm not with your faction of people, there's also no force presence on Tatooine except ours, well...I'm assuming you are speaking about my force sensitivity.." He grumbled, he didn't notice the female Jedi had sneaked in, so easily either..


Turin then addressed HK. "I'm a mechanic, I'm more than suitable HK, I won't mess you up buddy. I don't know how the Jedi got aboard, but I'm assuming one of her higher ups threw her into this mess. I'm sure she's not going to be a problem." He looked over to the female, "Riiight?" He questioned her, one eyebrow raised and his arms crossed. He cared less of the fact she was a Jedi, but more so that she got on his ship without him even knowing...Damned Stealthy Jedi.


"Tatooine is a big place, I suspect we'll get there in no time but what's the rush? Sit down and make yourself comfortable..Jedi Woman. My name is Turin, Grey Jedi and what some would consider a powerful force user. That presence you're feeling is coming from me and has been since the blackout at the Manor, your master might not have clarified that easily with you.. But no matter, I have no idea what you want from me though."


Turin looked at Tatooine, he decided not to land or go into orbit, but instead he would allow Shadow Wing to just cruise its way towards Tatooine, it would take a day at most but both HK, Turin, and it may seem the Jedi and her companion would need some well deserved rest...


@Shimakage Thunder @Blarg222

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Darryn's shots were accurate, but from nowhere a Jedi sprang out, and suddenly his target was sprawled across the floor, and the Jedi was in her place. The first bolt get deflected easily, but the next was too fast for him, hitting him square in the shoulder. He reckoned that that would kill the Jedi, or at least put him out of action. Few men had the willpower and toughness to stand up after being hit by a blaster bolt like that. Instead he turned towards the target; she seemed to be unconscious. An easy kill. The Jedi's intervention was unfortunate, but it made the target no harder to kill.


Just as he aimed his blaster at the target a second time, several more droids leaped from the ship. "Hold it right there, scum. Put the wea-" It got no further before a blaster bolt burned a hole in its chest. He charged for the droids, but got hit in the chest by a blaster bolt. Yet another reason he was glad he had armour. It absorbed the damage of the shot, but not all of its impact. The charge faltered for a second, but he regained his momentum, slicing the one who had shot him. One droid tried to hit him with its blaster, but instead found its arms sliced off, followed by its chest being impaled.


The rest fell with a little effort, and he managed to get hit by another bolt to the chest armour. These droids seemed more advanced than the ones his target had defending her previously. When they all had falled, Darryn turned his attention back to his target, walking over slowly towards her to ensure no chance of a miss.

 

[RedTimbre]

Blaster fire and the sound of a vibro-blade cleaving through metallic exoskeletons rang throughout the hanger. The organized chaos struggled to penetrate the fog of pain that had began to suffocate Shaen's consciousness. He drew a breath of air in through his nose: it was thick with the scent of burnt flesh and leather. The bolt had failed to hit any vital organs, but the act of attempting to flex his right hand sent a series of sharp pangs up his right arm. Every motion caused his teeth to grind hard enough against one another so that he could hear his jaw creak inside his ear. His good hand reached into a small pouch on his utility before producing the adrenal stim he'd grown accustom to carrying while escorting diplomats.


Another deep breath was taken before the stim's needle was brought down hard against his left thigh. He could feel his pulse quicken. The notion that he was now in even more danger of bleeding out sent a fleeting wave of anxiety around the corners of his mind. However, that failed to compete with sense of responsibility he maintained in protecting Republic citizens against men like the one who had shot him.


Shaen's left hand dropped the stim before planting its open palm on the ground beneath him. He pushed himself up onto his knees as he felt the last droid fall in combat. The fair skin adorning his eye-less face had begun to go a clammy, unnatural white beneath his veil. He could feel the woman's heart beat with the slow, steady rhythm similar to sleep: she was unconscious. The distance between herself and the bounty hunter had begun to shrink, and the thought of what would happen next was enough for him to push through the pain and rise to his feet.


Without a word Shaen turned to face the man. His right arm hung limp at his side as he began to exert his will over The Force. The bounty hunter had left a cadre of permanently useless droids in his wake. His left hand stretched out as he wrapped each of them them in a thick strand of energy. That same hand clenched into a fist before wrenching back, as if he were ripping open an invisible door. An unholy series of piercing screeches echoed throughout the hanger as they each skidded across the hard floor before stopping in a semicircle before him. His left hand splayed its fingers again before pushing down towards his feet. A heavy wall of energy smashed down against the ring of droids, shattering their rigid frames into large, jagged splinters. The Jedi stepped forward with his left foot and his final hand gesture rose in front of his face: his index, middle finger and thumb pressed against one another as he focused on his target.


A burst of pure Force circled around Shaen before exploding out ahead of him. The metallic shards he had created were swept up into the path until a violent stream of shrapnel had formed. Each piece flew past his body with enough velocity that the larger ones created discordant whistles. The odd limb or head that had remained intact added a morbid element to the barrage as he attempted to embed every last piece into the mercenary's body.

 

[Sensei Fox]

Adahi finally left the planet and had the stars before him as an opportunity for limitless adventure. The Hapan woman's ship had been quiet so he assumed that she didn't require him. The Sith appeared to be nowhere in sight anyway, so he could safely leave with a good conscience. She seemed to have enough of an entourage already on board. A starfighter and an odd Hapan hanging around probably wasn't in her interests. Adahi looked out to the open galaxy and plotted his course.


There was still one other ship with a rather unique design that intrigued him. The owner had offered him a place on his ship to escape the mansion. Adahi had refused the offer because he had his own ship that he refused to leave behind. Still, someone that owned a ship like that had to lead an interesting life. The droid that accompanied him was a marvel as well. It was unique and, he assumed, deadly in function. Perhaps he could learn the actual construction of the droid and ship by following along. The owner of the ship seemed happy enough to bring along a small group to wherever he was going.


Adahi thought it over for a moment before finally locking his computer onto the strange starship before breaking from the Hapan Woman's course and following his newly chosen path. The asteroid field was easy to navigate with the nimbleness of his starfighter. Once the jump to lightspeed was made, he engaged his own systems to follow. The journey would take a while so he decided to work on the physical creation of the module he designed earlier. It was simple enough to out together, and he had nothing but time. In fact, there was enough time to install the module into his eye. It was a minor somewhat surgical procedure, but all it required was a local anesthetic as well as a kolto treatment to repair the displaced tissue.


Adahi dropped a few droplets of an anesthetic into his right eye before slowly positioning his newly created module and slowly pushing it into place. It was designed to do the work for him after a certain point and bury itself into the proper place. The painful part was the long needle that pierced the back of his eye socket and connected to his neural center. It was enough to make him cringe and tear up until he sprayed some kolto into his eyes. With the tissue slowly repairing, he closed his right eye and leaned back. The computer would handle the rest of the journey until he stopped. The other ship would no doubt know he was following and would probably send out a transmission once they both entered the space of whatever place they were headed to. With any luck, it would lead to a new world of knowledge to record and bring home.


@Alistair

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Just as Darryn was about to reach the target for an execution, a series of piercing screeches rang out through the hanger, and to his right he saw the Jedi he had just shot standing with his injured arm by his side and his other arm in a fist behind him. The pieces of droids Darryn had killed gathered around him. The Jedi splayed his fingers and pushed the hand down, and the droids smashed into sharper pieces. He began to realise what the Jedi was planning, but he was too late to do anything about it. The Jedi made another gesture and stepped forward, and the shards surrounding him launched at Darryn.


He tried to get out of the way, but got hit in the chest by one, the armour barely stopping it. He staggered back a step, dodging a few more, then lost track of one and got hit in the head. His helmet went spinning off his head, but no further damage was done. He sidestepped another, dropped his blaster in his left hand, and caught his helmet in the same hand, then turned just in time to see another shard flying at him. He raised his left arm to try to deflect it but missed, instead getting hit in one of the weak points in his armour, the elbow joint. A sharp pain coursed through his arm, and he was sent flying several metres through the air. He could barely move the arm, but he didn't need it to get up and into cover. The nearby crate would do.


He jumped for the crate, reaching it just as another shard sailed past his leg. Darryn was in severe pain, but adrenaline was helping to take a little of the edge off it. He dropped the vibrorapier and took his helmet from the injured arm, then slammed it back onto his head. After that he scooped back up the vibrorapier, making sure it was still intact. He removed the shard from his elbow, a painful operation indeed. He cried out in pain, but bit it off.


Darryn tested his arm for movement; his arm moved, but nowhere near as well as it was before. That's what happens when you get hit by a jagged metal shard. He thought over it for a second. He needed a way to get close to the Jedi. This one seemed to specialise in the force, so probably wasn't as skilled in lightsaber combat. Especially since he was also injured. He checked his memory for what he'd had, then remembered the thermal detonator. It was risky, as the Jedi could use it against him, but he hoped that he was hurried enough not to think of doing that.

 

[RedTimbre]

Shaen turned in place as his target moved to take cover. The river of makeshift projectiles continued to rip through the air until a crate came to obscure his view. A few seconds of aggressive pings - reminiscent of a scatter gun being fired against a metal bulkhead - pocked the barrier with lopsided dents and jagged puncture wounds until he ran out of ammunition. He could feel the bounty hunter kneeling on the other side, but the agony in his right shoulder had begun to cloud his mind's eye again. It was impossible to tell what sort of shape the other man was in, and without his light saber the Jedi was vulnerable if he rediscovered his courage and decided to take pop shots at him from behind the large metal box.


He knew he needed to end this quickly. Or, at the very least discourage the bounty hunter from claiming his prize in favor of a retreat. Shaen took a few steps towards the crate. Every footfall pounded against the barrier he'd formed in his mind. There was no way he would recover from this without extensive medical care. He took a few more steps as the thought was silenced and his left hand lifted to hold something invisible.


A loud, hollow thud voiced itself before a harsh crack split the air. Every bit of dust and debris that littered the floor ahead of him was sent flying to either side. The Force had clapped against itself, causing a directed shock wave to collide with the crate. Shaen's intent was to hit it so hard that the kinetic energy would transfer to the mercenary, either immobilizing him or rendering him unconscious. Two more throaty-booms echoed out, each sounding as if a bomb had gone off under the ground beneath their feet. He could feel himself grow light headed with every strike, but if the fight carried on much longer then the other man would win through attrition by virtue of having landed the first shot.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Darryn clipped his vibrorapier to his armour, instead unclipping the thermal detonator to throw at the Jedi. He couldn't throw with his left arm, as it had nothing like the motion range needed when it was injured. As he did this, he saw some dust along the ground fly up, and two huge crashes rang out in the air. He guessed what the Jedi was doing and rolled away from the crate, but the pain in his arm made him slower in mind and body. The flying crate slammed into his right leg, and he could feel the bone crack slightly.


As he came up on one knee, he armed the detonator and hurled it at the Jedi, then unclipped his sword and held it in his right hand. He pushed off from his crouching stance, his cracked bone in his leg flaring in pain as he did so. He reconsidered and went for his target instead. If he could just get to her, he could end it and make his escape. He staggered towards the limp body of the noblewoman, his leg burning with pain at every step. Closer... Closer...

 

[RedTimbre]

The Force relayed back to Shaen the way the mercenary rolled out from behind his cover. His left hand reached forward again, this time he would use what was left of the metal crate to trample the other man before he could act. He gripped the crate with enough strength that its frame groaned from the pressure. The throbbing sensation in his right shoulder howled against the shield he'd wrapped his nerves within. Every heart beat threatened to tear down his walls. He could feel the heat of the blood that had begun to soak his linen shirt.


Time nearly stopped again as he felt the mercenary's arm arc over his head. A sphere was sent lofting through the air and there was no doubt in the Jedi's mind as to the nature of its purpose. His mind raced as it summoned the anecdotal evidence accumulated by training under his master:


A soldier worth his weight will never set the delay on his detonator long enough for you to throw it back at him.


He released the crate and dropped to one knee as he scrambled to erect a barrier of energy between himself and the grenade. The familiar sheen of untainted Force manifested itself in a half dome just as the concussive blast reached him. The Force Shield fractured into a thousand tiny fissures before dissipating completely. The impact caused Shaen to sprawl out against the floor. His hood and veil were each ripped from his head.


The world swam around him as his senses strained to reach equilibrium. His head felt as if it were ready to split in two and every inch of him ached. Again, he was forced to grit his teeth and push himself past the pain until he thought he might snap. A pulse was sent out from mind's core and world began to reassemble itself within the view of The Force. The woman still lay on her side. The bounty hunter moved closer with every stride while Shaen's light saber lay in wait not fifteen paces away. The Jedi had been left in favor of executing the man's target.


He nearly shouted out a string of profanities as he rolled over. His left hand seized his weapon with The Force before locking its activation switch into the on position. The blade of light stretched out from the metallic hilt and another hand gesture sent it spinning through the air towards the bounty hunter. He knew he had acted with too much haste and that it would miss. But, what mattered was that his advancement was halted.


Shaen pulled the saber in a wide arc with his mind before catching it with his good hand. The vibrant glow of its rich-green crystal cast fractured shadows of the same tint across his face. Short cropped hair the shade of a dying tree sat above the unsettling sight of two empty eye-sockets. The fact that he was left exposed was ignored as he pushed The Force through his legs in order to come between the mercenary and the unconscious woman.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Darryn heard the detonator explode and smiled, that should put him down. Persistent bastard. His jerky and halting steps towards the body of his target increased in speed. Son it would be done. Soon he could rest and recover from this botch of a mission.


But it was not to be. From his right he heard the distinctive buzz of a lightsaber coming closer and closer. Darryn ducked, but it was more of a stumble. He looked up and realised he needn't have ducked at all, as it had missed him entirely. He wrenched himself upright once more, and his leg flamed in pain again. Suddenly the Jedi was between him and his target again. His hood and veil were gone, revealing two empty eye sockets underneath a small crop of hair of an unsettling shade. All in all, it made Darryn want to shiver, but he forced his mind to concentrate despite the pain and the sight of the Jedi.


Slowly Darryn reached to his belt and grabbed the hilt of the vibrorapier, unclipping it, and switching it back on. Vibrorapiers made no noise, leaving the long moment's only sound as the hum of the lightsaber and the heavy breathing of the two combatants. He readied to go forward, so as to not give the Jedi room to use the force. After a long moment he advanced with a quick swipe at the Jedi's body. He was using only one hand, as his other didn't have the necessary range of movement to participate.


Instead his other hand was somehow holding his blaster, as he had somehow collected it in his mad leap to cover and had instinctively held it with him.

 

[RedTimbre]

Shaen held his light saber in his left hand in a way that would have made the blade point towards the ground if he held his arm out straight. Close quarter combat was by no means his specialty - no more than he was afraid of dying. The Miraluka differed slightly in that tradition: it is an inevitability that they all must face, no matter what the Jedi code said. Should he meet his end at the hands of some semi-literate assassin while trying to defend the innocent, then so bet it.


Something amused - not dark - touched the corners of his mouth at the silent insult.


The unorthodox fighting stance was gifted by one of his mentors who truly was a master of the saber. It was utilized only when a Jedi lacked proper function of both arms. Shaen may very well not be able to pull it off - but, that wouldn't stop him from trying. The bounty hunter swiped at his middle and he elected to push himself back instead of parry. His left arm snapped out as if he were throwing a punch before twisting his wrist so the blade would whip out in its wake. The deep buzz of energy that accompanied every reckless swipe of his weapon was the only sound to fill the hanger until finally the bounty hunter parried. There was enough force behind the block to rattle what remained of Shaen's confidence.


The assassin was better versed in the art of sword play than he was, and he could sense it. He schooled his features into stoic resolve every time their weapons clashed: anything he could do to keep the other man guessing at his own level of skill was paramount. Shaen flourished wide in a seemingly fruitless strike before finally stretching his right hand towards a pile of debris. His eyes would have watered, had he had any, and he could feel the wound left by the blaster bolt tear even deeper into his torso.


"AH!"


The pile of debris spiraled into a disembodied lance before thrusting up towards the bounty hunter's chest. He would have followed the attack with a trust of his own, but he could feel the way his legs attempted to buckle in protest. The Jedi knew he didn't have very much left to offer his opponent. Had he not thrown himself in harm's way to protect that woman then it might have been a different story. However, that was the purpose of their conflict to begin with. He couldn't die, if only for her sake.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

The Jedi was wounded and weakening, that was for sure. The way he didn't seem to be fazed by it, either was unnerving, so Darryn kept himself in a defensive posture. Finally the Jedi made a mistake, with his wide sweep, but just as he was about to capitalise it hit him. Literally. His swing got interrupted by a spear of droid parts. He staggered back under the assault, furious that this Jedi was keeping him from his target.


Darryn was quick to re-engage him, and it slowly became clearer that the Jedi wasn't as skilled as he was trying to pretending he was. He flicked his wrist to turn away the Jedi's latest blow, then made a quick counterattack. It was blocked, but Darryn was now on the offensive, in his element. Another attack, then another from entirely the other direction, then a third from above rained down on the Jedi's defenses, probing for weak points.


He nearly found one, but it got turned aside as well, though not without some visible effort on the Jedi's part. Darryn span around to attack from another angle, forgetting his cracked leg. A mistake. He collapsed to his knee, and a strike came from above. He raised his sword well in time, and locked blades with the Jedi, pushing him up until Darryn was standing, then slowly pushing him back.


At that moment, a cry came from the left. Astrid had woken up, and had stumbled onto the ramp of her ship. Now that she was in view, Darryn could take a shot and finish this. Slowly he removed his left arm from supporting his blade in the bladelock and painfully extended it to point at Astrid. She stood, frozen in horror at what was happening. A hesitation that killed her. Darryn fired once, and the bolt traveled as if in slow motion through the air and burned into her chest. However, his attention was diverted from the Jedi for long enough for him gain the advantage in the lock. His injured leg flared again in pain at having to be braced against the floor for this bladelock, but he had to ignore it if he wanted to live.

 

[RedTimbre]

"No!"





Shaen had poured himself into keeping the wolf at bay. Every attack the bounty hunter threw against him was met with anything that ranged from a glancing blow to dumb luck. He could feel the way the assassin had begun to bully him in their physical combat. The odds were stacked so thoroughly against him that his life was forfeit. Except, it wasn't.


Her's was.


The hold out blaster gave its electronic cry and the beam of energy penetrated her chest. Sparks emanated from the friction of Shaen's light saber as it pressed against his rapier. As always, he didn't need to turn his head to witness what had happened. Shaen seized the moment of opportunity and pushed his full weight forward. His good hand - still clasping his weapon's hilt - snapped out to punch the bounty hunter in the soft spot where his helmet hovered above hist chest piece. The two combatants separated and he made the bold move of dropping his weapon entirely. Shaen's weight shifted to his back foot in order to avoid retaliation as his left hand jutted forward in order to invoke the raw power he'd been born with. Sound inverted in on itself as the air between them compressed into a near immeasurable density. He felt the way the Force rushed in to fill the gap before slamming into his opponent with enough catastrophe to knock a rancor to its knees.


Shaen left his light saber on the ground as he stumbled to the gang plank towards the woman. He fished the communication device from his utility belt. "This is Master Shaen Kenidai: I need med evac and an reinforcement team at..." he continued on to give the location of the evening's event. He was supposed to learn about the Eternal Empire. Instead, he learned nothing, suffered serious injury and lost the life of what he presumed was an innocent. He fell to his knees at the bottom of the ramp as he listened to the voice on the other side state that help was on the way. It was the last memory he had before passing out from the loss of blood.

 

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

At last, Darryn had gotten past the Jedi and completed his goal. He would have whooped with happiness if he wasn't so tired. Instead he got punched in the throat by the redoubled attack of the Jedi Knight. He stumbled back from the bladelock, watching as the Jedi before him dropped his weapon. Watching as the Jedi braced himself and readied for a massive force attack. Watching as he got sent soaring through the air, crashing into the hanger bay wall.


He could feel his body broken in so many ways after that fight. The pain was intense, and for a little time Darryn could hardly bring himself to move, but eventually he gritted his teeth and pulled himself up from the floor. He still needed proof of the kill. The Long Star. That was the only thought in his mind as he staggered back over to the body of Astrid Keblier. After three long minutes, Darryn reached the body and pulled the gem off her neck. His muscles strained as his beaten body struggled against even the weak material of the necklace. It was then that it occurred to him that he was still alive and didn't have a lightsaber through his chest. He peered over, and saw the Jedi collapsed on the ground, unconscious from the strain. It was strange. He was annoyed with the Jedi for getting in his way and making him go to these lengths. Yet at the same time he had a kind of respect for the Knight. It took remarkable willpower to fight like that while injured so badly.


Darryn fell to his knees from exertion, then dragged himself slowly, inch by painful inch, towards the Jedi's body. Reaching under his armour to the fabric of his clothes, while at the same time retrieving his dagger from its slot in them, Darryn cut off pieces of his shirt to give the wounds a makeshift binding. He remembered back to before the Jedi had lost his veil and hood. In what he thought was a mark of respect, he cut off another piece and tied it around the Jedi's eyes and head in a rudimentary hood and veil. That done, he dragged himself out of the hanger and back to the outside past the Jedi who were still around.


His ship wasn't far away. A Firespray 31 that he'd found and made his own some years back. He was proud of her, and named her "The Free Spirit". He didn't have the energy to do anything else but sleep, so he did so almost as soon as he'd stumbled into The Free Spirit and his room on it.

 

[The Suspicious Eye]

Nara made her way into her room and slipped the dress off her body. She stepped out of the fallen dress and Wales across her room naked. She found her pants first and slid them over her legs and let them rest on her waist. She looked around, "now where did I put my top?" Mid changing there was a small bleep on her radar, she brought it up to see a ship hailing her. Searching for her shirt she accepted the transmission. "This is Freighter, Flashlight, captain speaking. Unknown vessel please state your identification information." The com responded with static as she shrugged and turned it off. She smiled and looked around for a shirt and finally found a short dress. She slid it over her head.


The clothes fit tightly around her body and she smiled. She slid on the Jedi robe, that she swiped from some poor sucker. Gently she pulled her hair out and let it fall down her back. She looked in the mirror and twirled around, "much better." She put her lightsaber on her side and stepped out of her room and into the main control station. There Flo and the other astromechs were managing the ship. Nara smiled and moved into the capitan's seat and started the dngines. She lifted up and made her way out of the planets atmosphere in a matter of minutes. She watched on the monitors as the other men were conversing. She smiled and looked at some of the requests she had received while she was attending the party.


@Bullet Tooth Tony


@Lexielai (you can pick the planet.)