That Wasn't Me! (Dire)

Tahlia wore the face of an absolute professional as she walked into the expensive cantina. Where the elite of Nar Shaddaa meet to do whatever they do. A slinky black dress clung to her form as her hips swayed with the movement of walking and a large purse hung off of her left arm. The woman was far from a fan of the big, unwieldy, and feminine bags but she had to admit that they were great for concealing weapons. Namely her pistol and short lightsaber.

Her otherwise short, bright red hair had been concealed with a black wig and crimson eyes covered by dull brown contact lenses. These lenses were more than just a simple surprise, though. Through them she could see the soft green lines of a heads up display that would be useful if she had other pieces of tech linked to it. Sadly, though, it was good for little more than feeling like a secret agent.

As Danica turned to grab a kebab Tali stopped to asses the security that shadowed her. Two men. Both big and believing themselves to be the toughest thing since an action star. Perfect. None of them would expect a hundred and twenty pound cop sent to bring their boss in. That was her second disguise: a Republic Police Agent disguised as an adviser to a member of an Empress Tetan noble court. Complex, yes, but hardly difficult to pull off.

Tahlia took her time in following Danica. An near paranoid feeling in her gut told the Jedi that Danica had grown careful in her time on Nar Shaddaa for reasons that the black haired woman could only speculate. The Force also told her that the VIP lounge was largely empty and therefore few people would interrupt any scuffle that would occur. Five minutes passed before Tali followed her quarry into the lounge.

Once through the door her expression changed from the cold mask of a professional to the warm smile of a civilian woman. Tali viewed the woman that lounged about on the comfortable chair and took a seat on a similar one across the table. "Hello. Its good to finally meet you, Ms Liviana. Tessia Ralpheron," she reached across the table to shake the woman's hand. "How are you?" The question was, of course, rhetorical. There was always certain formalities and polite gestures to make before one manages to get down to the business at hand with these rich types.

Tali preferred to just get down to business.

She was finishing second drink by the time a dark haired woman appeared. Alone, with small bag and mediocre looking dress. Danica frowned, expecting at least couple of bodyguards around such figure. The woman's verdant gaze swept across the table to make sure her own security was in place. The older guard gave a silent nod and turned to watch the new arrival with blank interest, unlike Danica who vigilantly stared at the diplomat taking in angular features and rather pale skin. Dark hair looked neat but clothes seemed more appropriate for cocktail party than an official meeting unintentionally mimicking Dany's style of attire.

So, a semi business party for two it was. Deciding on that, Danica refused to pull herself from the comfortable seat and exchange formal greetings. A nod of the head should suffice which the former CEO did in a lazy gesture. Today the woman was in no mood to entertain any polite conversation, desiring nothing more but to find way back to the hotel. ”Pleasure is all mine.” Danica lied, smiling charmingly. ”Why did you request that meeting? I don't deal with art in the Core anymore.” She added bluntly, waving her slender hand to call a hologram of the menu.

Danica wasn't entirely sure yet if to be suspicious of this diplomat or thankful for a possible ally. When it came to Republic, she wasn't a wanted criminal there. Stealing from non existing assets of her father's criminal Empire didn't warrant label of a thief. Of course if someone discovered her connection to Sith Order, the personal matter between Cassius and his daughter could turn into political if not Jedi matter. But Dany knew how to be careful, had to be when raised in such family. Officially she had no idea of Nieraan's affiliation. The matter of Naboo was never investigated and culprits assumed to work with Sith Empire. Nothing a disowned heir like Danica could have anything to do with.

So why the sudden interest? As far as most of people knew she was just a small time Gallery owner who had a spat with her rich but strict father. The attractive woman before her didn't seem like a threat, not directly but something stirred in Dany, a feeling of threat began to gnaw at the girl's core. She had spent with the Sith assassin enough time to know how the Force worked and that none of the secrets were safe around such people.

Calm down, nothing is happening. Danica inhaled slowly, forcing her heart to slow its pace. Why she had so nagging feeling something wasn't right?

Tali withdrew her hand after it was refused with a practiced smile. She furrowed her brow at the woman's declaration, but that slightly disappointed expression quickly turned into a slightly mischievous one. Complete with a smirk. "Yes, we are familiar with your dealings, or lack thereof, in the Core. My associates would be interested in changing that, however." Tali could sense a small amount of worry in the woman's heart. Perhaps it was the flowing blue tattoos that dominated her entire right side from hand, to shoulder, and finally down to her lower thigh.

Perhaps it should have been covered. Oh well.

"The king would offer you serious compensation for dealing with him. He's prepared to pay you a considerable percentage right now. And all you have to do," the woman pulled her purse up into her lap and pulled out a small chit. She placed the chit between them and gently pressed a button on the side which would normally reveal the amount stored on the small piece of technology. Instead of carrying out its usual function a small hologram winked to life in the air above the circular disk. It was an image of Danica on Naboo with a few of the people who were murdered.

"Is answer this question truthfully: what do you know of this guy's death," the practiced smile remained, but before Danica could answer the rearranged itself into a new one. One that was a little bit more incriminating. She and the recently deceased were in the same shot. "Oh," her face seemed to mimic an apologetic one, "you know a lot." The image changed itself more times, each one with a date going back moderately far. "A whole lot, I guess.

"Oh, and no... the pleasure is mine," Tali drew a little badge out of her purse and tossed it on the table beside the holographic chit. It was that of one of the many Republic Agencies that dealt with possible criminals that attempt to defect. "Its funny how you're here," she placed a finger at the incriminating scene, "and then suddenly decide to run away from Republic space. There's definitely a reasonable explanation to all this..."

Tali trailed off, waiting for the woman's response.

The young woman hated when her feelings foreshadowing danger appeared to be true. The moment this supposed diplomat lowered her hand, Danica knew something was up. In a manner the other female changed her posture, demeanor. All the subtle hints only someone raised by a sociopath could notice. The disowned heir had to learn it to survive as Cassius' daughters and now she was cursing her lack of common sense. All his fault. Danica thought angrily, blaming the current state on her lover. He made her lower the guard, made her feel safe, nearly untouchable but also wasn't there to help now.

With blank expression the woman watched the hologram, trying to stop trembling of her body that slowly spread through it. Naboo...Everyone forgot about it by now, it had been weeks and she had been cleared. Maybe it was only one last desperate attempt to find a killer. Maybe a follow up. Danica's eyes narrowed slightly and she pushed away the badge. No matter the Service, it was Hutt Space and no Republic agency had influence in such place.

The picture...She didn't witness this kill, it was Nieraan's main target. Wave of revulsion crept up her stomach at the memory of the killings. A part of her conscious still couldn't deal with that, so stuffed it down, conveniently forgetting about the face, the names. She couldn't hide the reaction of dread at the sight of those pictures.

Nieraan did this.

But there was much bigger part of her conscience, that felt a sense of tingling victory. Retribution. A part that held her in such close affinity to Sith taint. And it would always show on Nar Shaddaa, especially here. It brought the worse in her, since she had met Jess five years ago. Since then darkness would always beckon the girl and Danica was powerless to stop it.

She just wasn't a good person at all.

”I know what other guests, that he was killed.” Danica composed herself, her emotions turning cold, flat. Hidden by superficial irritation. ”But I also know you have no power here.” The woman stated aloofly, measuring the other female with steady gaze. Recent months had hardened her and with growing worry she noticed too many similarities shared with Cassius.

”But I will sate your curiosity. I escaped from my father who threatened to kill me. Is this reasonable enough for you?” Danica added, gathering her things, preparing to leave. Whoever this lying skank was, it didn't matter on Nar Shaddaa. Always this dammn place. Danica could promise it was cursed, trying to ruin everything good that could possibly meet her. Every five years.

Was that rage that Tali felt as she watched the spoiled little brat of a CEO from through the hologram? A bemused smile met the woman's irritated look as this realization came to her. Despite the obvious build up of rather mal emotions, the Force warned the Jedi Knight of no immediate danger. At least from her. Those two guards would surely give her trouble once they realized who she was and her true purpose. She kept a mental note of their positions and temperaments so that they couldn't catch her by surprise with a headlock, or worse... a knife to the back of the face. Those weren't healthy. Like chocolate.


"I know what other guests, that he was killed," Tahlia's brow quirked slightly as the girl began to talk, and then full fledged grin broke out on her face at the next little addition to her speech. "But I also know that you have no power here."

That grin evolved into a slight chuckle as the girl continued to talk. Lies. Tali could smell them roll off of her like a shark can smell a pool of blood in the vast ocean. While she couldn't tell if they were complete lies, she could say that Danica wasn't quite telling the whole truth. As the girl went to grab for the last of her things the object seemed to leap from her grasp and into Tali's waiting hand of its own accord. It was then that Tali let her presence unfurl, and her aura stuck out like a great white sail on a black ocean... with neon lights. "I'm sorry, what were you lying?"

"See, I know when you're fibbing. I know if you've been naughty or nice. And honey, you haven't been very nice. I can smell the Dark Side on you. Its a lot like B.O. if you're at all curious." As Tali spoke she flicked a single finger down to press the girl back into her plush cushions with the power of her will. Just in case she decided it was a good idea to start to stand at any point during her little speech. Tali was done screwing around with this girl. Yeah, her cover didn't last very long... but then it was a stupid thing she had to do anyways. Some faceless republic agency didn't quite inspire the same kind of fear that the Jedi did. "Just so you know, I do have jurisdiction here, and no matter how far you think you run... I can run just a little further. Or someone else can. If I'm busy... but chances are I won't be. Meditating is boring," she shrugged as a man came with grapes, and the Jedi popped one into her mouth before speaking again.

"Mm! These are good!... Now, the guys who sent me seem pretty convinced that you killed this poor sod, but when I look at you... I don't see a killer. I see a spoiled little rich girl who thinks the world is hers because some people like the pretty paintings she peddles. So, tell me again, what was the real reason for you fleeing republic space? It was obviously because these pics are incriminating," Tali motioned her head towards the hologram, "but a rich girl like you could buy her way out of anything more than a slap on the wrist. Oh, and while you're at it tell me who really killed this guy so I can get you off the hook. 'Cuz by the way its lookin' right now I'm gonna be dragging you back to my ship kickin' 'n screamin' in about thirty seconds. With or without tweedledee and tweedledum over there."

The girl pointed back to where the two guards thought they were hiding before she leaned back against the plush cushions, propped her now shoeless feet on the glass table, and popped yet another grape into her mouth.

A Force user! Danica's eyes widened and she quickly took her hand away, as if a venomous viper was going to bite her. As if on cue, something pushed her back on the couch and with a small yelp Danica fell on the plush cushions. The guards were on their feet in a matter of moments but the dark haired woman raised her hand to stop them. If this woman was a Jedi, two non Force users wouldn't be enough to stop her. But how? Why?

Danica's expression showed anger as brow furrowed darkly. She clenched her fists, tempted to scratch the Jedi's eyes out. Damn you Nieraan, never here when needed. Could he stand up to someone like her? Dany took a deep breath, forcing her airways to relax, slow the hectic pace. ”I don't use the Force, if you look for some Dark Side, wrong address.” The heir stated flatly, feverishly trying to figure out if it was some idotic bluff or spending increasing amount of time with those that dwelt in the dark side could leave a mark on her.

”And so far you are the first person here to lie.”Verdant gaze followed every little movement the other woman made, wrinkling her dainty nose in disgust at the sight of devoured grape. ”Watch out or your ass will get even bigger.” She snapped, narrowing her eyes, before letting a theatrical chuckle to roll off her lips. The picture showed nothing more what the police had. Few shots of her on the party, and one on which she was kissing Nieraan shortly before the murder. The Firrerreo's face was obscured though, he could be any male guest there. ”Nice try, but you have nothing to warrant my arrest.” Danica snorted, crossing arms on her chest in a haughty manner. ”You know what I see? A desperate Jedi that apparently didn't do anything useful in a while so now is grasping at straws.” The former CEO pouted slightly, turning her head away aloofly. Danica added with a shrug, thanking the Maker Nieraan was still an anonymous being in this Galaxy. Unless of course the Jedi was looking specifically for him and just wanted to scare her into admitting she knew him.

”I don't know what are you trying to do but I did escape from my father who wants to kill me.” She said with growing irritation. It was the truth after all – everything she had done had no other purpose but to get free and Nieraan finally made it happen. There were few deaths along the way but the end game was all that mattered and first time in a decade she was her own master. No Jedi would take it away. ”Are we done?” The woman asked coldly, feeling her emotions raging to get free from the tight, controlled leash.

Tahlia couldn't help but let out a deep, hearty, and unbridled laugh at the tongue lashing she got from the angry brat. If there was anyone secure with herself it was Tali, especially when it came to being fat. Constant speed conditioning tended to do that to a person. So instead of acting hurt and vindictive like most of her gender surely would the woman leaned forward, made it a point to pop a third grape in her mouth, and up a clenched fist with the back of her hand facing Danica.

"Three things, Dani," Tali held up her middle finger, "one: I might be fat, but you're ugly and I can diet. Besides; I saw that hunk of greasy meat you were eating and I could hear your arteries cry out in pain. If I listen close between your bratty comments and my witty retorts, I can actually hear you getting bigger." Tali was a good percentage Hapan, and night blind because of it. Yeah. She was pretty sure that Danica didn't hold much of a candle to her as far as attractiveness went. Her ancestors were bred to look a-maze-ing, after all.

Her index finger was the next one to rise. "Two: okay, idiot. Remember when I said that you weren't a killer? Yeah. Dark Jedi kill. You might be Dark, but you're no threat. If I thought you were, I wouldn't have started with the whole 'I'm a harmless art collector' act. The taint I sense in you does smell like body odor, though. You should really look into that, honey." It wasn't anger or irritation that could be found in Tali's voice, but rather amusement. This girl's anger bemused the Jedi to no end.

Finally, her ring finger rose up next to the other two, "And, finally, three. You want to get away from your dad, right? What was his name? Cashous? Crasshous? Whatever-... listen. My bosses seemed pretty convinced that they had enough evidence because I'm supposed to bring you in. Charge you. Put you in jail. All that wonderful stuff. Who do you think is the first person to be contacted should that happen?" Tali stopped speaking for a moment to allow that to sink in, "You guessed it. Daddy dearest. Now, do they really have enough to keep you? I don't know. They have more though, I know that. But that's not the point: you don't tell me who this cat is, the one who killed those folks on Naboo, and you're going back to Clashious. I can virtually guarantee that much. If you do help me, though, I'll do my best to keep him off your trail. I'm pretty good at that stuff. Trust me, a Jedi I am.

... We have a deal?"

Despite the seriousness of the whole situation, Danica's irritation quickly turned into competitive bemusement. Apparently her remark did stir something, since the other woman reacted to such blatant provocation. She knew at least two Jedi and what was infuriating about them had been this terrible calm and refusing to raise for verbal jousts. But this one seemed much more delightfully stupid. The girl always felt strange pleasure coming from getting into petty squabbles, especially with someone so intellectually beneath her. Dany had to admit before herself that she was a bully like that.

”Even when fat, I will be much more feminine than you. What was that awkward hip swaying? Maybe you were born a man.” The former CEO snorted softly, as a very self assured woman and who had undergone many operations to soften her features giving them perfect, oval shape - Dany had no doubts about her looks. On the contrary, angular features, strange, almost caricature walk that was supposed to be feminine and histrionic theatricality didn't make attractive. But what a Jedi raised tomboy could know about such things? Maybe she was compensating for something in such hilarious display of forced ...whatever the Jedi considered ladylike.

Dark, dainty brows went up at the Jedi's comment. That was getting better and better, though Danica still tried to figure out a way out of this mess as the gnawing jaws of apprehension wouldn't let go. It was obvious the Jedi grew agitated over constant failure to scare her into confession. Maybe that was her way out. ”What? Jealous?” Danica commented, not really worried about the taint the dark side could leave on her. She wasn't trained in the Force, so it was irrelevant to any Jedi. ”Maybe I passed a dark jedi in an elevator.” The woman smiled and titled her head, wondering how far she could push before the guards would have to step in. One of the bodyguards made the proper call.

Though her expression changed briefly at the mention of her father. No, that would be bad. The Jedi would serve her to him on a silver platter. Bastards. ”Oh, you want a name. Fine. His name was Lord Pinky and he flew away on a broom.” Danica's eyes narrowed maliciously before two dozen of mercenaries started to surround the bar. ”I am an important guest of a Hutt Lord, I don't think she would appreciate my disappearance. I am sure you don't want any diplomatic incident here.” The dark haired woman sighed, not really convinced if the Jedi was smart enough to know what was going on.

”Now, lets start again. What will you give me for that information?” Danica ordered another drink. It was time to make some use from this situation.

((Sorry for adding npc but didn't want to end thread so had to even their chances and put in some interesting plot point for later ^^ Hope it's ok!))

Tahlia listened to the girl with a little quirk in her brow. To say that she was uncooperative would be a massive understatement. The woman had just begun to speak when her stomach began to tumble and her heat quicken. Danger roared at her from within the confines of her mind, and her (artificially) brown eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. If she stayed the current course there would be death. Lots of death. Tali would be among the death toll. She glanced out of the window and saw a rather armored man simply waiting to breech through the door to the executive lounge. Shucks. Tali's eyes darted about the executive lounge, which was now filling, to formulate a plan of escape. About two seconds later she thought one up.

One of those brown eyes viewed the plate that the grapes sat upon, and a small smirk formed on her lips were a surprised expression had been moments before. She believed herself to be in control of the situation. Danica believed that she knew what Tali looked like, and furthermore that she had power over the Jed. Dani was wrong. "Well, Dani, its obvious that you don't want to cooperate," the woman spoke through a smile while her elegant hands found a blaster within her handbag. "So I will see you in ten minutes. Sound good?"

Danica didn't have time to react before the woman's elegant fingers wrapped around the grip of her blaster pistol and then were thrown to the ceiling. Her index finger violently jerked the trigger back, sending a red blaster bolt into the roof. Without missing a single beat her other hand found the porcelain plate and whipped it at the first guard's face. Sped by the strength of her arm and aimed by the accuracy of her will, the whirling porcelain frisbee of doom slammed into the man's forehead. It shattered into hundreds of pieces and caused the big man to recoil back with his hands over his now bloody face. The screech of Tali's blaster discharging quickly followed. Its red bolt screamed into the second man's knee, and before anyone could blink Tali leaped over Danica's head (not forgetting her purse) and across to the bar.

The little shoeless woman was little more than a blur as she snatched up a coat from the bar table. Tali's actions caused quite a stir within the vip lounge, and the cantina as a whole. People began to practically sprint for the door while the mercenaries meant to protect Danica attempted to storm in. The Jedi quickly found a glass of water, splashed it across her face, and threw the coat over her tattoos as she walked out of one of the side doors. This wasn't the exit, though: the exit was a mere twenty feet away from her. She shook the wig off to reveal her brilliant red hair, and pulled her brown contacts away to reveal the blood red eyes beneath. A great smirk was on her face as her makeup ran with the water, giving her the "terrified crying" look just in time for the mercenaries to appear.

Tali flipped a switch, and fell to her knees in the corner of the room. Tears ran down her face as she screamed and yelled about how the Jedi was still in there, and she killed two big men. The mercs rushed straight past the cowering girl. After she was sure that they were passed her, the woman rose to her feet and strode out of the cantina with a determined mask on her face. Once she found her way outside, the girl slipped the blaster into her purse and was sure to keep a low profile. Danica would appear soon enough, and when she did... well... Tali would wait about seven minutes before nabbing her... or whereabouts.

”No, it doesn't” Danica muttered, ducking below the table. She could hear the fight erupting, blaster shots and broken glass. The dark haired woman didn't look back though, fear on the verge of panic. She felt her heart freezing, everything altered by sudden adrenaline rush. By now Danica was no stranger to violence, to environment that forced quick decisions and demanded peak physical resilience. But stil, she was untrained with no skills to protect herself which only left one solution – run. To get as far as possibly whilst the Jedi kept her arrogant, obnoxious self busy.

Though recent experience had taught her to think, not flee mindlessly like a typical flock that only pushed toward the main doors. And so Danica sprinted toward the kitchen, kicking away luxurious high heels – a fact that had happened all too often in the last year. I need to buy cheaper shoes. Flashed in her mind as the woman pushed the door open, stepping into a steam filled kitchen. All staff had already fled which meant another way out.

Splendid.

Danica looked around, finally spotting small, inconspicuous pair of doors, almost blended with the wall. Only tiny flickering red light betrayed something was off with that part of the kitchen. Wiping sweat off her brow, the young heir darted toward the exit, on her way crashing in a table with large, creamy cake on it. She fell face down into a sweet pastry, sticking to her face and hair. What the... Cursing violently under her breath, Danica wiped the ivory cream off her eyes, leaving plenty of it in other places. Including hair.

I hate the Jedi...

Inmere moments finding herself outside of the restaurant, covered in cake and sweat. A lone service droid loitered there but no one else. All the fight happened in front but the sounds suddenly died down. Not willing to bet the terrible female was dead, the young woman began to run toward the safe haven – a Hutt palace she had been doing business in.

But first...the speeder. Danica was a bad at it – having drivers her entire life, the woman wasn't really skilled when it came to to this thing. Still, better than running on foot. In an act of desperation she walked over to the nearest machine she would find. A large Twi'lek was seating there, preparing to take off when a cake covered human leaned over his speeder.

”Hey, you. Give me a ride!” Danica demanded, wiping more cream off her hair and face. The alien looked at her flabbergasted before exploding with laughter. ”Please?' The woman added pleadingly, changing approach. To her mild surprise the red skinned male agreed, opening the doors. One thing had to be said about Danica, she looked positively nonthreatening.

A small smirk formed on the woman's face as she walked out of the bar with nothing between her feet and the rough duracrete floor and a purse chocked full of useful stuff on her arm. The makeup around her eyes that she had spent so long perfecting had run down her face in long black streaks, but she didn't care how wretched she looked. Tahlia simply didn't have the time to worry about her outward appearance, especially after her acute ears heard someone shout for a ride from presumably a driver just around the corner.

The Force began to swirl around the barefoot woman's body like a whirlwind of emotional strength and will power. This energy surged into her muscles so that they could perform far beyond anything they could hope to accomplish without it. Tali turned into a blur as she sped forward, yet each fall of her foot was barely louder than a whisper as she sped forward. A tear began to form at the Jedi's eyes and the edges of her vision blurred as buildings and objects flew by her. The wind tore at her face and roared at her ears even as the door to the twi'lek's car opened to Danica.

At best, the speeder would have time to just lift off the ground before the carrot-topped smudge that was Tali reached it. The Twi'lek saw Tali coming, however, but didn't have time to react before the Jedi was upon them. When Tali reached her quarry she slowed to a stop and threw her hand out at the end of Danica's long black hair. There was more than hair, though. Something slimy and white clung to her skin, causing her to recoil... until she smelled it. Frosting. Gorram frosting. Tali's hand launched at Danica's hair once more with a disgusted look on her face as she clenched her hand into a fist around the frosting laced hair. A heartbeat later she yanked Danica back violently. A blaster rose from her purse of its own accord and pressed into her free hand. She didn't have to point the blaster at the Twi'lek for him to speed off as fast as his vehicle would carry him. The woman threw the purse up on her shoulder and turned with Danica in tow.

"So, there's something I need to get off of my chest," Tali began to walk back the way she came. Her speeder was a very short walk from where the two were located, "I lied to you. I'm really sorry. I wasn't ever going to wait ten minutes. I think this just a small setback, though. Do you still love me, Dani? 'cuz I love you. In fact," a pair of flexi-cuffs rose out of the purse as Tali quickly spun while lowering her hand to the ground. Danica had no choice but to cooperate with Tali's movements, and once she was laying on her belly the woman put her knee into between Danica's shoulder blades. After the flexi-cuffs were slipped over her wrists, Tali briefly tasted the frosting.

"Mm. Is that vanilla," Tali asked before grabbed at a fist full of Danica's frosting encrusted raven hair. She jerked the girl around pretty roughly, "you have good taste in cake... though next time I'd suggest a fork. Or any kind of cutlery, honestly."

The doors opened and Danica's heart skipped a beat from influx of joy. Rarely men did refuse her anything, even when she was covered in cake icing. Smiling happily, the girl gathered her dress and prepared to slide on a front seat when her lucky streak ran out. Violently and rapidly in a form of menacing grip entangling in her raven hair.

She screeched like a furious banshee, her anger increased by the speeder leaving suddenly. ”Coward!” Danica yelled out after him, before strong pull choked another curse down her throat. The human stumbled back, losing balance and falling on the ground.

A familiar voice, which Danica hated already, broke through her loud protests. Sticky frosting clung to both of females in thick patches. Some of the cream landed on the ground, making it slippery enough for the girl to land ungracefully on her bottom, tearing off half of her long dress in the process.

Maker, that was embarrassing.

But not a new situations for sure. Less than a year ago Devon had hires a bounty hunter to drag her to his office, showing how insignificant and weak she was. The memory resurfaced quickly and when tight cuffs closed on her slender wrists Dany yanked her head up, trying to turn – biting down on the Jedi's uncle.

”You b^tch!” The young heir screamed, feeling hard knee pressing against her shoulder blades, squirming helplessly as large bruise formed on her pale skin. Nieraan would cut that Jedi skank into pieces. Danica's eyes narrowed as hateful thought formed in the haze of fear and adrenaline rush but she didn't voice it, keeping her lover's anonymity. But the Sith wasn't here, busy with his own things, and as much as Dany didn't want to admit it – the situation was dreadful.

”Let me go! Nebulo! Spurce ructabunde! “ The woman threw all the most vile cusses she knew in High Galactic, still refusing to entirely comply and subdue. Danica wasn't trained, nor truly a fighter but she had always been feisty and non conformal, fighting against any tries to oppress her with everything she had. The girl's hands were bounded but legs were free and so Danica tried to trip over the now awfully orange haired hag of a Jedi.

((Feel free to haul her into a speeder ^^))

Tahlia stopped the minute that her suspect began to spew high galactic insults as if they were fire and she was a dragon. This pretty much laid any ill conceived attempt on Danica's part to trip her flat on its rear end. A slight smirk spread Tali's lips thin as she released some pressure off of the girl's hair, and drew in a heavy breath through her nose. "Oh comon. That's not even a complete sentence. How much did those high galactic classes cost daddy, anyways?"

Danica didn't have a chance to respond before the Jedi's fist clenched around her hair and forced the girl back down. "Comon, my little lovely. You've got a date with daddy." A disgusted look appeared on the Jedi's face as she felt the slimy frosting against the soft skin of her hand. Thankfully the short walk to the sleek and sexy speeder that she had confiscated from a drug lord a few years prior. It sat low to the ground while it rested, and was designed to remind one of a nexu beast preparing to pounce while in the engine was off. The car shone in a midnight black hue save a deep crimson around where the light shone on its aerodynamic surface.

A strange looking rectangular device appeared from her purse and floated its way to the Jedi's free hand as she "guided" Danica around the front of the vehicle. After her thumb clicked against one of the few buttons on its surface the racer hissed like a serpent and hummed to life. It gently rose a few feet from the ground as its fuselage opened up to reveal two opulent seats. "I already know what you're thinking. Yes, its awesome. Yes, you can mess with the inside all you want. I have covers." The Jedi smirked lightly before retrieving another pair of flexi-cuffs from her bag to slip them around the girl's ankles. After that little task was done Tali backed away for a moment with her eyes closed.

The Force began to whirl around the two women. It tugged gently at their hair and clothes at first, but it was mere moments before Danica found that she was lifted from her feet and placed on the passenger seat. Seconds later Tali was beside her, the fuselage was closed, and the Jedi began the ignition sequence. "This should be a fun trip back, no? I think I'll enjoy the verbal sparin-" a blaster bolt splashed against the left nose of her Supernova speeder. "BALLS," the woman screamed as her foot slammed on the accelerator.

There was no gentle take off. No subtle lift from the ground and elegant arc towards the dock where she had docked her ship. Oh no. The two women were all but crushed against the soft, luxurious leather seats as the buildings and vehicles around them turned into little more than a blur. Red bolts screamed past them as they buzzed off, but oddly enough Tali was a fount of calm. Her crimson eyes were directed down at a small datapad connected to the speeder as she zoomed against the flow of traffic.

Headlights flashed on and off as the woman averted danger and head on collisions with narrow movements and that signature smirk. The Force told her when to move, and the rush of danger had her adrenaline adequately pumping. "Finally!" The Jedi found the song that she had been looking for on her datapad, and with the single press of a thumb activated it. Music soon played softly through the speakers, "ever hear this song? This is a cover. So awesome."

The final syllable barely left Tali's mouth before an elegant finger pressed against the volume button until she could feel what little bass there was in her very soul. Afterwards that same hand found her blaster, reached out of the window, and began to fire blindly at her pursuers. Those lips mouthed along with the song all the while, "all that counts is here and now. My universe will never be the same. I'm glad you came, I'm glad you came."

(((Link) played loud enough to burst eardrums))

The amount of screaming, spitting and biting didn't stop the Jedi skank from pulling her toward the speeder. Danica's panic was growing but it wasn't a fear of consequences or the Order but Cassius that made the human girl to fight for her life in such desperate manner. A fair number of hairs had been torn out of the girl's skull before reaching the expensive looking speeder. Danica didn't really care for such things, especially now so she kicked the doors viciously, leaving a large dent in the impeccable, black surface.

But it didn't really serve her well – the Jedi was well trained, or Danica absolutely helpless which resulted only in more pain and frustration. This didn't mean the feisty woman gave up, not her. There was something to be said about Danica's stupendously stubborn idiocy that would rarely server its purpose, though in most cases looked like bashing head against the wall. Even as her ankles were being tightly tied down, the girl tried to kick her tormentor, by accident ruining the door again. From the inside this time as being lifted with the Force was absolutely disturbing experience. She could feel her insides squirming in the response of change in gravity.

Not even Nieraan was this evil.

Of course, Danica refused to stay quiet – spewing all manner of insults that would make a vile smuggler blush mixed with creative usage of metaphors. ”You goatish, toad-spotted harlot!!!” The woman shouted out, before the speeder darted up, almost immediately reaching full speed, choking the last of the word 'wart' back in her throat. The acceleration caused a wave of nausea flooding the young woman and normally pale skin turned slightly greenish under the already drying icing.

Bright flash exploded in front of Dany's eyes when the pressure rapidly changed, causing massive headache. ”You will kill us, you cretin!” She yelled, trying not to choke on her own lungs pressured by the insane speed.

I don't want to die. Danica thought in desperation, refusing to be killed in a speeder crush by a nutty Jedi with a deathwish. Especially not when she wasn't alone anymore, first time in a long while. The disowned daughter began to shriek, letting out long, furious screams that were suddenly drowned by the ugliest, the most distasteful music she had heard.

”You fu....i...ng...AH! Who...re...AH!” The woman on the back seat fell on the floor during one of the more violent evasive maneuvers. I am going to puke...” Danica thought, feeling her consciousness was slowly fading.

A flurry of multi-colored bolts screamed Tali's view port as she soared through the wrong lane high above the surface of the Smuggler's moon. Despite the fact that her speeder was half a million credits on the market, sported an engine two sizes too big for its frame she still gained no ground on the mercenary speeders. Tali spat a curse to herself as they spewed from her unwilling passenger's mouth like fire from a dragon's maw. One of Tali's two blasters met her palm of its own accord as she twisted her torso so that she faced backwards. Her remaining hand was latched onto the wheel, and it would suddenly jerk away from a speeder that the Force told her she was about to strike. Her outstretched arm reached over the tied up woman, and leveled on one of the three speeders behind her.

Crimson blaster bolts launched from the blaster and slammed through the rear view port as if it were paper. The time between her shots were quick, but only accurate enough to keep the targeted speeder from moving comfortably. After a few moments of this death defying adrenaline rush, the Jedi Knight's blood colored eyes slid shut and she began to trust what the Force said to her. Tahlia's eyes were keen, but they weren't nearly as sharp as the Force's perception of things. The trigger of the blaster in her hand slowly made its way back until her pistol kicked up in her hand, and one last lance of plasma was launched from it. Time itself seemed to slow to a stand still as the woman opened her eyes just in time to see one of the speeders angle its nose up to avoid an oncoming speeder.

Her shot struck the capacitor that had been located underneath the speeder's chassis. Instead of blow up or do something fantastical, the speeder's power simply puttered out shortly before it fell out of the sky like the unaerodynamic brick that it was. A soft smirk appeared on her face as she watched it fall from the sky, but that smirk quickly turned into a grimace as her prisoner wretched out a slew of vile liquid over the floor beneath the back seat. The fetor from the stomach acid and half digested meat caused Tali to wretch as well, and she barely made it from the oncoming lane alive.

"I'll exp-HECT-" he was interrupted by a harsh wretching that was caused by the loathsome liquid within her speeder. It took every iota of her skill to find the button to roll down both view ports to allow the fetor to escape her nose. While the smell certainly diminished, it hardly left. Nor would it, but it did at least allow her to go more than a few moments without dry heaving. "Excuse me," her nose scrunched in a disgusted look, "I'll expect a check in the mail for the upholstery."

Tali twisted her torso back around to the front viewport and slammed her feet against the brake lever at her feet. The blaster and drivers wheel switched hands just before she spun the wheel as far as she could to the side . Her Supernova speeder whirled around until it faced the spun more than a full circle. Tali's viewport faced the oncoming speeders. A circular object rose up from the center console and soared through both her open view port and her enemy's closed one with complete ease. A few scant seconds later a gout of flame blossomed from the speeder and consumed its plastoid frame. There was nothing left but shards of chassis falling to the surface of Nar Shaddaa.

After the grenade had been thrown through the window of her pursuer Tali leveled her blaster pistol on the final speeder and unloaded everything she had at the driver. All of her bolts peppered his windshield, and even crashed into the passenger's torso, but none actually hit the driver. Fear found its way into her eyes after she realized that the driver had begun to scream and speed his vehicle to ramming speed. Tali placed the pistol on her lap and both hands on the wheel in response.

At the last possible moment she mashed her foot on the accelerator and darted away from the multi-hundred pound missile just as it flew past her kicked and pockmarked beauty of a speeder. Instead of crashing into his quarry the speeder crashed through a duracrete wall and quickly caught fire. All while a small smirk formed on her lips once again, "I'm glad you ca-"

Jedi Investigator and Watchman Tahlia had begun to enjoy her song, and travel just down the roadway, when the corner of her eye caught a flash of light and a great black thing. Her head had just enough time to turn and see the front end of a midnight speeder slam into her side at full force. Time slowed yet again as the world turned into a tumbling mess of shattered plastoid, broken glass, and the many odds and ends she had placed in her speeder. Years seemed to have passed when her demolished Supernova slammed into a wall with a great crash, and then fall on a rooftop in a twisted mess of car frame.

Tali's view on the world seemed oddly inverted: the rooftop seemed to be above her head. The Jedi Knight had no time to mull on the possible answer to this, though, as darkness had begun to creep at the corners of her vision.

The woman always despised those problems that made her violently sick in a speeding skycar to the point all the velocity and spinning rendered her unconscious after terrible moment in which Danica thought she would spew her insides out. The world went black and maybe it was the sheer thing the saved her life. Relaxed muscles molded under pressure of mangling speeder forming large bruises, breaking few ribs but avoiding most of the damage when her body curled on the floor, avoiding most of torn metal.

With gasp, the dark haired woman woke up, smelling foul, burning odor. Still impossibly sick, she tried to move, but pain in the spinning head stopped any attempt of that. She sobered up immediately, however, when strange heat inside the speeder grew. In panic, Danica began to flail her arms, trying to grab something above, finally closing her fingers on warm piece of metal.

The safe cocoon of metal that formed around her could be the deadly trap, when Danica realized they had been in an accident. ”Idiot.” The woman hissed, hoping the Jedi was burned to a crisp, though she took several minutes to process fully what could have occurred in the past moments.

Growing pain in the ribcage stopped her from attempts to pull out something hard and bash the other female to death, it wasn't even anger by now but a blind fury. Annoyed like a crazy wasp, Danica found an opening to crawl from the wreckage. Angry screams of pain and insults followed the every push, the adrenaline helped to numb the pain – there was an upside to intensity of feelings that ran through Dany so often.

Free now, bleeding profusely from a wide cut on her forehead and barely breathing, the Coruscanti woman fell on the ground away from the wreckage. I am alive... Went through her dazzled mind before she tried to get up only then noticing her dress was torn in most places, hanging loosely from her bruised body. Cake frosting still clung to her hair, now mixed with blood. Horrible, black mark formed were ribs had been cracked.

Danica was on her feet already when a powerful explosion threw the woman back on the ground. Soft whimper left her lips along with few droplets of blood . Gritting her teeth, the woman pulled herself again, rising her hand to protect herself from the skin searing heat. The speeder turned into a raging ball of fire. Despite pain, a wicked smirk danced on Danica's features. ”Serves you right, b^tch!!!!” The pile of misery screamed out before yet again dropping to the metallic floor. Was the Jedi dead? Maybe she had crawled out from the other side? No! That Jedi tramp should die in fire!

The smell of sulfur caused Tali's eyes to jerk open and her hands to instantly search for her lightsaber. Or any of her blasters. Nothing. A heavy groan wracked the woman's frame as she attempted to open the twisted plastoid door that trapped her. It didn't budge despite her best efforts, and the crushed window was too small to crawl through without being eviscerated beyond repair. A growing sense of danger rose in her gut as the reactor came precariously close to overloading, and the Force rushed into and around her muscles.

A simple push ripped the twisted door off of its hinges and caused it to skid across the duracrete rooftop. Her fingers pressed against the seat belt release latch, but she still remained suspended upside down in the wreck of a sports car. Fear. Fear coiled around her heart like a chilly snake as she lost her nerve, and ripped the seat belt from its fastenings enough for her to slip free from its grasp. She slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes and crawled her way out of the burning speeder at a snails pace. Shards of glass and twisted bits of chassis tore into her hands and arms as she clawed forwards, and she only stopped once she could no longer feel the heat of the conflagration attack her back.

Just then a sudden burst of heat and the deafening boom of the detonation caused by the car shoved her forward. She rolled to a stop just shy of the edge of the roof, and did her best to bite back the immense pain that nipped at the corners of her consciousness. Her tattooed arm seemed to be dotted with cuts, her left eye stuck shut thanks to the blood seeping from her forehead, and she felt as if multiple bones were broken on her left side. The side that got struck by the large speeder.

And what do we say to death, Tahlia? The voice of her old master echoed in her head a thousand times before finally falling silent. "Not today." An ethereal force flooded her body and filled her with a light that allowed her to seal the pain away in another, darker part of her mind. One bloody, broken, and bare foot met the deck before she rose to her feet and locked her crimson eyes on the woman that had caused her so much trouble. The chilly grasp of fear was quickly replaced by the heat of rage. A new fire stoked in her heart as she walked towards the woman with a stoic mask and a malicious fire burning in that blood red eye. Tali looked almost like a wraith as she walked towards the girl, and the area around Tali seemed to darken with her fury.

Danica had cost Tali her speeder and her two blaster pistols, and possibly her lightsaber. The blaster pistols were replaceable, but held a certain amount of sentimental value. Not only did she learn to shoot with her two broken pistols, but they were also given to her by a man that lived on a world that was now occupied by the Sith. He was probably dead. The lightsaber was built alongside her late master. The speeder was among the best in the galaxy and her pride and joy. Yeah.

She was a little mad.

Normally some snarky or sassy comment would be thrown by the woman, but instead only silence was offered as she drew nearer. She ignored the pain that her body felt with every step. Ignored the lights of the large speeder that had hit them, and the whine of it setting down. As far as Tali was concerned there was only one object in her universe: Danica. Once she reached a moderate distance away her form turned into a blur as she rushed towards the woman, latched her hand around the woman's throat, and carried her towards the edge of the building. The Force allowed the woman to raise her quarry up with one hand well above her head, and off of the side of the building. There was nothing but air below Danica's feet, and a look of cold fury was on Tali's face despite the searing heat in her heart.

"Any thoughts," she said with a cool, emotionless voice despite the half ring of mercenaries. Every man had his gun leveled on the jedi, but if they fired their employer would surely die. The Jedi was covered in blood and a dark aura clung about her form as her malevolent eyes bore a hole through to the woman's soul. Danica would surely die this day.

A string of curses was all that she received in response, and for a trice the woman considered casting her off of the roof in her rage. But something stopped her, some little warning deep within her soul that this would be the first step down the short parth that led to the Dark Side. The moment that the little idea formed in her head, her rage began to cool and with it the power keeping her numb to the pain. As did her superhuman strength.

The last of Tahlia's strength was spent bringing Danica close to her face, where she sneered, "your life isn't worth my soul. Go then. Live your pathetic life and wallow in the dark side." She cast the woman aside, towards the roof, as powerfully as she could before collapsing to the ground. Pain. Searing pain gnawed and burned at her mind from every last pore of her body, or so it felt, and so she did nothing even as the small troupe of mercenaries circled her.

Tali didn't care: she had the knowledge that if she died, she would become far more powerful than anything the savages that killed her could possibly comprehend.

"Tahlia"

A gust of wind would pick up to flutter the overcoat worn by a man that didn't seem to be there a moment ago. Men didn't often look up to see what descended towards them. Green eyes would survey the group around the roof top. On the opposite side of the rooftop from the women stood Levin Caelum, Jedi High Councilor. Though Tali did not technically fall under his wing, she was still one of his, and lucky that he had returned to Nar Shadaa to follow a lead on the Enemy.

He began to stride forward, his expression calm and confident and his eyes locked forward. The gun men seemed to recognize a man not to be messed with, as they backed away from him. Lev would occaisonally look at one of the men if he sensed they might try something, but his verdant gaze always seemed to stay their hands. Never once did he blink, a trait many seem to find unsettling about the man, but he could never explain why it was so. The man was nearly to the crumpled Tali when one man did step out from the group to intercept him.

"Stand aside."

Levin commanded. The human responded with an obscene gesture and his hand went down to his vibroblade. Lev waited to see what the man would do, and if he would give the Jedi an opportunity to teach a lesson and ensure the peace of this situation. The man didn't back down, but instead lunged forward with a swipe of his weapon. Lev's expression didn't change as he tilted his head back to avoid the brunt of the attack, but not enough to fully dodge it. The man laughed as Levin righted his posture and blood seeped down his cheek from a fresh cut.

"Seems Jedi DO bleed easy!"

He bellowed to his comrades. Several laughed for a moment. Until they noticed Levin. Still stoically stood there with barely a motion. He inhaled slowly and let the Force pull into him, and without a word sealed the wound that was just given. His hand moved to his cheek and with a wave used the Force to pull the blood into a little orb of crimson that hovered in the air before Lev let it drop to the ground with a small splash. His face now blood free, and cut free. As if nothing happened.

"You can not harm me."

Lev simply stated before he continued to move forward. The man with the vibroblade merely stared at Levin as the Jedi walked pass. Few men could comprehend what the Force was truly capable of. Fewer men knew what to do with themselves after experiencing the miraculous. Levin walked straight for Tali, though his eyes did slide down to look at the dark haired woman he didn't know. She was tainted. The woman may have been beautiful, injuries aside though, Lev would not be able to see it. Her skin looked ashen and cracked, as if it would just fall with another gust of wind. Like she could just dry up and fall into a pile of salt and dust. The Darkside had indeed begun to entrench within her. But she could still be redeemed.

Or she would die under the skies of Nar Shadaa.