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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
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*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
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Oct 3, 2011 15:29:47 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Oct 3, 2011 15:29:47 GMT -5
If there was one thing that Jack despised about the claustrophobic sprawl of urban squalor in which he now found himself; one thing that above all else gave Jack the sense of having been permeated and infected by the crush of life around him, it was the smell. There was something ironic about a world so teaming with life being afflicted as it was with the stink of death, but it was exactly this juxtaposition which made Metellos a prime location for business... at least, for the kind of business a man such as Jack engaged in.
Striking out on his own for a while, Jack had decided that after the failure on Ralltiir perhaps it was time to relax the standards for his targets a tad. Force sensitives could be found virtually everywhere, though actually identifying them was a task that required equal parts skill and patience. Jack liked to believe he possessed both, but this was pushing it.
One could not take so much as two steps in the slums of Metellos without walking right into another person. The heat of the day only exasperated the misery, transforming the surface into a suffocating soup of humanity. A local dive cantina provided some relief from the midday sun, but there was no where to hide from that smell. Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat, attempting to nonchalantly maneuver his hand into a position over his face that might provide him some minor relief. Seated across from him was a Quarren, stroking the tentacles that hung from its face as it eyed the chess board between the two of them. Jack referred mentally to the creature across from him as an "it", as he had no idea how to identify it's gender, nor any desire to make an inquiry.
After some deliberation, the Quarren moved one of it's pawns out two spaces, adjacent to one of Jack's. Shifting forward, Jack's eyes flashed across the board, reassessing the alignment of the pieces and quickly analyzing possible future sequences of moves. Taking only a few seconds, Jack moved his pawn diagonally behind the piece the Quarren had just moved, then took the Quarren's piece off the board.
Jack's opponent immediately straightened up upon seeing this, and began choking out words as best it could in broken basic, "I have your head if you cheat me huuman! Put back on board!"
The Quarren drew a small blaster pistol from beneath it's clothes and placed it on the table, obviously an attempt at intimidation. Jack would have let out a sigh, but at the moment he was trying to breathe as little as possible, "En passant," Jack replied simply, leaning back in his chair.
There was a long silence as the Quarren was clearly confused, "What does mean, En passant?"
"In passing," Jack answered, "It's a form of pawn capture. I assure you, it's well within the rules,
The Quarren shook his head fiercely, lifting his blaster and pointing it at Jack, "No, you been cheat! I want back my credits!"
Jack frowned sharply. He was beginning to regret having chosen Metellos to conduct his stakeout. The entire planet was infested by olfactorally offensive, inbred morons who he couldn't even get through a game of chess with, much less train as a Sith. This Quarren clearly wasn't from this sector, and was none too comfortable in the presence of humans. Jack could sense the string of emotions building up within the squid that sat across from him. There was a nervous energy that began to manifest itself as fear and anger, and was rapidly growing to dangerous levels which would no doubt lead in a manner of seconds to this thing squeezing back on that trigger. It wasn't a difficult thing to anticipate for one trained to recognize the signs.
Jack quickly summoned his lightsaber to his hand from inside his jacket, igniting it just in time to intercept the Quarren's blaster bolt from only a few feet away. Even if Jack were unskilled in such things, there was little place for the bolt to go other than back into the Quarren's face. The squid toppled over in its chair, crashing into the patrons behind it. Other then them, no one else in the cantina seemed too alarmed by what had just happened. It was just as well, a panic anywhere on a planet this crammed would only lead to a stampede of death. In this regard it was probably safer to just ignore a blaster bolt on Metellos than to run from it.
With his saber already ignited, Jack pulled one of his bloodstripes out of his jacket's breast pocket and stuck it on his lip, using the lightsaber blade to light up the red striped cigarette, "Anyone else for a game?" he called out, turning off his weapon and tucking it back into his jacket.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
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Oct 4, 2011 20:38:20 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Oct 4, 2011 20:38:20 GMT -5
Metellos.
It'd been a long time since Nieraan walked the planet's surface, since he'd fought his way through the throngs of worthless souls that crowed the many streets. Honestly, he hadn't missed the world; it was home to a host of bad memories.
It was, after all, here that his mother stole him away from his father, in the fight that gave him the saber burns that still scarred his back.
It was here that he'd been forced to fall, and abused for years under the pretense of training, all so he could be used as a tool for revenge.
Those and more. Too many hard years. But Metellos hadn't been all bad. He was stronger now because of the years he'd spent on it.
Besides, Metellos was his homeworld. The reasons that brought him back after his years away weren't particularly sentimental, however, though they were personal enough. He'd gained quite a bit of influence among some of the gangs and cartels that infested Metellos' underbelly. He kept tabs with some of them, mostly through long distance communication. Recently, he'd decided to take a break from the Temple and all the annoyances that came with it and made his way out to the world.
Over the last few days, in between getting reacquainted with the stench of poverty and the constant press of all of civilization's rot, he'd dropped in on some of his old clients and partners in crime. His little visits went well enough--he was updated on a few happenings, and even picked up a few credits.
Presently, he was stepping into an old dive he remembered visiting when he lived on the world. It wasn't too far from the run-down apartment complex he'd stayed in.
Nieraan pushed his jacket's hood from his head as he walked in and squinted briefly as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light within. As he looked around, he noticed a few people glance his way, but none paid any more attention to him than a cursory look-over. That was fine. He only planned to draw attention if he decided to do so today, beyond whatever eyes the trio of lightsabers at his waist might draw.
As he walked further into the cantina, something caught his attention in the Force. His yellow eyes followed, and his brows lifted when he saw none other than one Jack Makura sitting at table behind a chess board. What's Makura doing here? His current--or former--opponent was making a fuss about being cheated or something or other. Nieraan didn't know the details.
He did, however, see a blaster get drawn, followed by a lightsaber, and watch as a blaster bolt was fired and then redirected right back into the Quarren's face. "Idiot," he muttered under his breath with a soft huff of a chuckle and shake of his head.
Anyone else for a game?"
Nieraan snorted softly through his nostrils and casually strolled up to the table. "Not much for a game," he said as he kicked out a chair next to Jack and plopped down in it as easily as if he owned the place. "But I will take a cig if you'd be so kind."
Throwing his arm over the back of the chair, he leaned back and turned to look at Jack for a moment. "So, Makura, didn't expect to run into you of all people out here. What are you doin' down in this dump?"
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Catatafish
Certified Son of a Gun
302 posts
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"We don't do weddings..."
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last online Jan 12, 2012 20:26:54 GMT -5
Knight
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Oct 11, 2011 21:53:07 GMT -5
Post by Catatafish on Oct 11, 2011 21:53:07 GMT -5
(( OOC: Sorry I took so damn long. I've suffered the worst writer's block in history. Nothing felt good enough, and work's been maddening, so no time to write anyway. But I'm good again. ))
Nothing but unimportant pazaak dens, small wagers, and insignificant spice dealers with more money than brains. Not enough to entice to action, and still, something appealed to him about the stratablocks.
It was the music, most likely...
Rago had arrived on Metellos only a few months before, as head council and bandleader for some crimelord, now dead and of no consequence. At present, however, little tied him to the planet but the music. He found himself strolling nightly through the cantinas, listening for the local sounds that kept him there longer than he'd liked, all joined together in the blur fabricated by having little purpose in the daytime; his lightsaber and kloo horn his only companions, and distractions during the hours where nothing sounded fresh.
Nevertheless, Rago stepped out today compelled by something other than his appetite for music. Something more in touch with his true self, away from the private consultant and simple minstrel he felt he had become. The bith walked erratically through the busy, over-populated streets, covered as best he could from the blazing midday sun that could very well injure his eyes, plagued by visions of things to come as he walked by the nameless cantinas and dive bars. Visions of dark figures, cloaked by the dark side of the force, so powerful he felt faint and was forced to pace down, as he passed a particular cavernous, hole-in-the-wall cantina. A drink might steady his step, he thought.
As he walked into the building, he scanned the room for an empty seat on the bar near the bartender, so as not to shout his order over the sub-par matinée band playing in the corner. Rago sat down on the third stool, right in front of the bartender, a large, four armed droid with a somewhat inexpressive look on his receptors. "Jeru tea, please", he said to the obnoxious-looking droid, in expectation of the soothing effect of the drink, as his mind was still fixed on the visions that unavoidably led him to this particular cantina. There had to be someone in that dump that triggered those visions...
Surely enough, a moment later while holding his tea cup, he felt a sudden surge of dark side energy, followed by a blaster shot, and oddly enough, the sound of a lightsaber deflection. Clearly the sign he was looking for. It was obvious something had happened around the chessboard between the lightsaber-wielder and the smoking carcass of some Quarren who evidently didn't know who he was dealing with.
"Anyone else for a game?" asked the young human with the lightsaber and the cigarette. Rago thought about entering into contest with him, but as he was about to get up, an obvious acquaintance approached him. A humanoid. From the look of it, not the best of blood between the two, so Rago determined it would not be prudent to engage them. Best to play it cool and observe for now.
He leaned back again against the bar, but kept his senses on the two, sipping calmly from his teacup.
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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
23 likes
*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
Knight
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Oct 12, 2011 14:44:14 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Oct 12, 2011 14:44:14 GMT -5
Jack inhaled sharply, the smoke and nicotine filling his lungs was followed by a cathartic wave as he exhaled. Jack was tired, his head was pounding and his every muscle labored against exhaustion - but this was nothing new. The thick, dark rings under Jack's eyes and his pale, sickly complexion had now become a part of who he was. The tremor however... It was something Jack had only began to notice in the past few weeks, a strange shaking in his hand that even the soothing breath of his cigarettes couldn't settle. In fact, they only seemed to make it worse.
As Jack leaned back in his seat he noticed it again; his hand shaking as it gripped the arm of his chair. He glared at his appendage, his eyes fixating on the hand with a look of self contempt. His concentration was abruptly interrupted by a familiar voice, "Not much for a game, but I will take a cig if you'd be so kind."
Jack quickly snatched his trembling right hand from the arm rest with his left, tucking it out of sight beneath the table and squeezing tight to settle the tremor. Taking the seat across from him now was an old friend, one he'd not seen since he had first arrived at the academy on Korriban. Much had been made of Jack's not-so-subtle entrance into the collective consciousness of the Sith. After all, how many Initiates could say they'd walked into the Temple on Korriban, started wrecking up the place and left, not only alive, but as the apprentice to the Dark Overlord himself? Back then, Jack had regarded Nieraan with the subdued curiosity that was necessary when in the shadow of the Sith. Now, away from the Temple, there was little cause left to remain conspicuous.
Jack shot Nieraan a smirk, wordlessly reaching into his jacket pocket and tossing his pack of bloodstripes across the table for Nieraan.
"So, Makura, didn't expect to run into you of all people out here. What are you doin' down in this dump?" Nieraan asked after a short pause.
Jack raised an eyebrow, "Same as always..." he answered, exhaling another cloud of smoke and motioning toward the burnt husk of flesh that had not too long ago been the face of a Quarren, "...making a few new friends. I am pleased to see that you survived our last encounter. It is strangely fortunate that you're here. Ever since our last meeting I had been eager to speak with you away from the Temple and all of the obtuse so-called Sith." Jack's words were scathing, and he anticipated that this would almost certainly arouse Nieraan's interest; for better or for worse. Jack still couldn't be completely sure of what the Firrerreo's reaction would be, but if their experience on Korriban was any indication, Nieraan certainly would not be one to shy away from a few mild blasphemies.
As he finished speaking, a subtle ripple in the Force caught Jack's attention. He hadn't noticed it at first, but there was someone else of interest in this dive bar beside Nieraan and himself. For the moment, Jack chose not to acknowledge it and to keep his focus on the Sith sitting across from him.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Oct 18, 2011 13:27:47 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Oct 18, 2011 13:27:47 GMT -5
Nieraan deftly plucked the tossed cigarette pack out of the air. Bloodstripes. Jack had good taste. Then again, perhaps that should've been expected, given Nieraan's suspicions of how much the other Sith smoked.
He flipped the top open, picked out a cig for himself and slid the pack back across the table smoothly to Jack. While Jack started speaking, Nieraan busied himself with lighting the thing. Of course, he didn't have a lighter on him, so one of his lightsabers would have to do, and did do the job just fine. The eyes he felt drawn to him as he killed the blade and put it back on his belt only drew a chuckle--one that timed well with Jack finishing his say.
"Coulda picked a better world if you're lookin' for friends to make," he muttered to Jack, tapping his fingers idly on the table as he gave a sidelong glance off to the bar at the feel of something else stirring the Force. Looks like there's someone else here. He'd have to keep an eye and ear open, but since whoever it was wasn't bothering them, he decided the bulk of his attention would remain on Jack.
"Have to say, I'm flattered to know you've been wanting to talk to me," he quipped, smoke hazing around him as he exhaled. His cigarra left a thin, wavering trail in the air as he leaned back and put his arm lazily over the back of the chair. The tip of one his sharp canines showed as he gave a brief, mischievous smirk. "Though I don't see many pillars around here, so I'm not sure if I'll be of much value
As he did, he mulled briefly over what Jack might want to have waited for him to say to him away from the chance of notice of the other Sith. He was curious, to say the very least. Amused, even, by Jack's apparent distaste for the Sith. It was a sentiment Nieraan shared, though whether or not the reasons were the same, he couldn't say. Not yet.
"So what's on your mind, Makura?" asked he, glancing from the corner of his eye back over at the bar. The Bith leaning against it was catching his attention, for all his seeming attempts to blend in. Nieraan had a nagging suspicion that the third presence belonged to the big-headed alien.
Honestly, he'd never really cared Biths. They were strange things. Though he had once seen a Bith experience the misfortune of having a sonic grenade go off near him, back in his gang-running days. That had been funny.
But that was of little consequence right now, really. His yellow, almost gold-looking eyes flicked back to Jack and he gave an expectant lift of his brows as he waited to hear what it was Jack had to say.
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Catatafish
Certified Son of a Gun
302 posts
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"We don't do weddings..."
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last online Jan 12, 2012 20:26:54 GMT -5
Knight
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Oct 22, 2011 20:38:09 GMT -5
Post by Catatafish on Oct 22, 2011 20:38:09 GMT -5
He had been observing the two for a short time, but now the other humanoid, Firrerreo by the look of him, pulled out a lightsaber to light a cigarette (An unintelligent habit, simply because it made you easily detectable. The smell was terrible...). Now, Those two were obviously instructed in the dark side of the force, but when Rago moved his cloak to cover his olfactory flaps from the stink, the Firrerreo shot him a seemingly insignificant look.
"Hmm, I've been discovered..." thought the bith, calmly finishing his tea. "Being powerful has its disadvantages, I presume..." The two beings he was surveilling so intently had felt through the force who he really was.
However young these lightsaber-wielders looked, simultaneously, they may present a challenge for Rago. It would be tactical folly to engage them head on, especially since they look hot-headed and not too bright, but strong and capable. They were, however, talking about familiar subjects. The Sith.
Rago's master had scoured... Or rather ordered Rago to scour the galaxy for old holocrons pertinent to the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War for "educational" purposes. Sith were mentioned extenuously throughout these recollections, and their exploits served as a constant reminder of the power of the dark side of the force, but Rago, always the pragmatist, also learned a great deal of military tactics. This knowledge helped him stay alive during countless battles, and it seems he would have to tap into it once again. A funnel would evidently be the best way to trap multiple enemies, if the need arose. He had seen a small gap between buildings, under 5' high and less than 1' wide, not far from the cantina. A perfect scenario for Rago, him being 4'11", and his targets nearly 6' tall. It would make fighting cumbersome for the humanoids and their long lightsabers, thus giving him the advantage. However, Rago was not about to create a situation with potential bloodshed, if he can avoid it.
"One more Jeru Tea please." Said Rago. The bartender droid scuttled away and quickly returned with the bith's order, while he continued to eavesdrop on the humanoids' conversation, but a little more carefully. Wouldn't want to reveal anymore details about himself and his abilities.
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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
23 likes
*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
Knight
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Oct 22, 2011 22:57:28 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Oct 22, 2011 22:57:28 GMT -5
Jack recollected his bloodstripes and tucked the pack back into the breast pocket inside his jacket. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the haze that now consumed the two of them. The smoke went some way toward neutralizing the stink of Metellos, but many of the patrons around Jack and Nieraan did not see it as an improvement. They attempted to communicate their disapproval with over dramatized hacking coughs and disdainful glances, but Jack could care less. His attention was focused mainly on Nieraan and the Bith at the bar. There didn't seem to be any other Force sensitives near by, a shame really, but at least it seemed likely that Jack wouldn't be returning to Tesa empty handed this time.
"So what's on your mind, Makura?"
Nieraan's query called Jack's gaze back to him. Nieraan had proven himself a capable ally back on Korriban, but the real question, as it always seemed to be with Sith, was how well could he be controlled? Jack had his doubts, but the answer would become clearer based on Nieraan's reactions.
After a pause, Jack plucked his cigarette from his lips, flicking off the accumulated ash onto the table, "You asked what I was doing here..." he began, leaning forward and setting his elbows on the table, "I suppose you could say I'm here scouting for talent, though I've not had much luck thus far. The pickings here are slim, and I can't say that any of the core-slime in this pit are qualified to suck the mud from my boot." Jack snickered as he took one last drag from his cig before flicking it aside, right into the head of a Rodian standing at the bar, "It's probably for the best, however," Jack continued, "there isn't much to be gained from besting sheep, in fact, it's the last thing the Sith need more of. I want the Jedi."
As Jack spoke, he was suddenly interrupted by a shove from a rather disgruntled Rodian who displayed a spent cigarette butt between his sucker tipped fingers for Jack to see. The Rodian tossed the butt into Jack's lap and began berating him in what Jack recognized to be Huttese. Jack didn't move, he only glanced down at the cigarette butt in his lap while the Rodian continued to shout. After a short pause Jack's eyes darted up, locking onto the alien's vacant, black orbs. With Jack's stare came the Force, which bore its way into the Rodian's mind like voracious worms, feeding on his subconscious and turning it against itself. Immediately the Rodian wavered, halting his rant and taking a step backwards. The sharp pain in his temples was accompanied by horrific images of death and slaughter, some fleshed out of the mind of the Rodian himself, but most originating from the extensive catalog provided by Jack and his sadistic former mentor. After a few abbreviated, labored breaths, the Rodian stumbled back and fled, pushing his way through the crowd toward the exit.
Calmly Jack brushed the butt off his lap before turning his attention back to Nieraan, "My apologies, where was I?" Jack asked, quickly picking back up where he'd left off, "ah yes, the Jedi. If you've learned anything about me in the brief time we've known each other, Nieraan, it's that I don't like to do anything half-assed. Also, that I have a bit of a penchant for the unorthodox, or what some in your circles might call 'foolishness'. But this is exactly why I think you'll help... because you're like me, Nieraan. Too 'foolish' to settle for any less."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
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Oct 25, 2011 13:49:22 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Oct 25, 2011 13:49:22 GMT -5
Nieraan toyed with his cigarra as Jack started speaking. For all his blunt and sometimes-brutish ways, the Firrerreo understood talks like these. Time and time again when he'd run with the gangs and criminal groups of the world, he'd been a part of them; sometimes as a direct participant, but usually as a silent observer for one side or the other, standing guard while negotiations were had and offers were presented.
This wasn't any different. Jack wanted something. What, he couldn't say, yet, but made a note to keep his reactions, visible and through the Force, muted for now. Makura struck him as the crafty type, and though Nieraan liked him well enough from their brief encounter , the fool was the Sith that wasn't cautious of his fellows.
Still, the corner of his mouth turned up a bit and he huffed a smoky chuckle at Jack's continued expression of his displeasure with Metellos and its inhabitants. Shoulda asked me before you came out here. Would've saved you from wastin' a trip. Not that there weren't likely gems hidden in the tide of filth and poverty that choked the planet's surface. Nieraan was one of those himself, or had been for much of his youth. The problem was separating them from all the others. Billions of people lived on world. All but a select few were worth less than their own weight in excrement.
"It's probably for the best, however," Jack went on, though Nieraan's eyes were following the wavering smoke trail his cig left as it arced through the air before bouncing off of a Rodian's head. There was an angry glance, coupled with a spike of irritation in the Force. That'll be fun.
"I want the Jedi."
Nieraan might've said something about that, but the Rodian was nearly to Jack.
He might have said something about that, but he was sure the other Sith could handle himself.
Sure enough he did, without lifting a finger. Nieraan just leaned back in his seat and watched with a passively amused look on his. As the Rodian reached the breaking point and fled, he chuckled and shook his head. "Nice job," he muttered, taking a final drag from his own cig and tossing it on the floor so he could smother it underfoot.
Jack returned to what he'd been saying, and Nieraan listened. The proposition was simple, and on its surface, straightforward. Find a, or some, Jedi, and turn them. Not a bad idea, if done right, and some turned Jedi might do well to bolster the ranks of half-trained weaklings that irked Nieraan so much.
In all, honesty, he supposed the biggest issue was that he really didn't care about the Jedi, or the Sith's little jihad against them. But that didn't make him uninterested. Turn them, kill them, he didn't really care what happened to any Jedi they might find in the end, so long as he got some action.
"Interesting proposition," he said, giving a brief, idle glance toward the Bith at the bar from the corner of his eye again. "You could call me foolish. Wouldn't be the first, won't be the last. Foolish enough to be interested in what you're proposing we do, anyway." He stretched an arm lazily, grunting softly as his shoulder popped satisfactorily.
"Only issue I see with it is a difference in personality," he went on, resuming his casual leaning back in the chair with an arm lazily thrown over the back. "See, you want Jedi to bring back, if I follow you right. I, on the other hand, don't really give a damn what happens to 'em one way or the other. Long as there's some fun in it."
Nieraan shrugged slightly and let the ghost of a smirk pull at his lips as he looked Jack in the eyes. "But, that doesn't mean we can't work together, now does it?"
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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
23 likes
*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
Knight
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Dec 2, 2011 23:45:30 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Dec 2, 2011 23:45:30 GMT -5
((OOC: Forgive me Catatafish, but I'm moving up the entrance of the Jedi into this thread. We can still do a lead up thread elsewhere if you want, but in the interest of moving things along I figured I'd get right to it.))
"Only issue I see with it is a difference in personality, see, you want Jedi to bring back, if I follow you right. I, on the other hand, don't really give a damn what happens to 'em one way or the other. Long as there's some fun in it."
Jack nodded slowly, mirroring the smirk that had quietly spread over Nieraan's face, "Not as much of a difference as you might think, old friend," Jack replied simply.
"But, that doesn't mean we can't work together, now does it?"
"Not at all," Jack began, quietly gathering up the pieces of his chess set. A subtle disturbance in the Force had raised Jack's guard. Normally such a thing would not have been cause for concern, especially on a planet as densely populated as Metellos. This disturbance however was unique. Jack had felt it before on Ralltiir, and this time he knew what it meant, "however, I hope you had no plans here on Metellos. I'm afraid we're going to have to move."
As he folded up the chess board with the pieces neatly inside and slide the game into his jacket, another sudden shudder in the Force washed over Jack. He was half way to standing when it hit him, and immediately Jack froze. About twenty meters behind Jack and Nieraan, a taller, middle aged looking man in what were clearly Jedi robes stepped through the doors of the cantina. Slowly Jack sunk back into his seat. That was fast. Jack thought to himself, I thought I had more time... this could get dicey. Jack remained still, hoping Nieraan would have the sense to do the same. It didn't take a Sith Inquisitor to sense that the Force was strong with this man, and while together they may have stood a fighting chance, Jack wasn't particular ready to test that at the moment.
As inconspicuously as he could, Jack monitored the Jedi's movements across the cantina floor. Somewhat to his surprise, the Jedi didn't head straight toward Jack and Nieraan, but instead maneuvered his way toward the bar... Of course! The Bith! It was a bit of Serendipity to be sure that the mass of life jammed into the cantina combined with the strong Force signature of the Bith at the bar had laid a red herring for this Jedi to follow.
Upon entering the cantina, the pungent soup of roughly two hundred alien bodies slowly broiled in the noon day heat washed over Si Quan. With all the poise of a Jedi Master he simply cleared his throat and pressed forward. Finding a Force sensitive on this planet had not been easy, but hunting in a place so easy to hide held the dual advantage of also concealing oneself from one's target. Si would need the advantage. He didn't know for sure what had happened to Kyo, but he had a pretty good theory, especially considering that datapad he'd found. Si had sensed something different about Kyo on Ralltiir, and a quick investigation had revealed a strange datapad among his belongings. The only information on it was a HoloNet frequency which turned out to be for a small, private starport on Ralltiir. Si didn't think too much of it until Kyo went missing. After returning to Ralltiir and checking the records, Si located the starship that had been using that port at the time Kyo went missing. From there, he had tracked it here, to Metellos.
Aside from the smell, what immediately struck Master Quan upon entering the cantina was the cold shiver that raced down his spine. It was the subtle, yet unmistakable signature of the dark side. While it seemed to hang over the dive cantina like a cloud, it had centered itself most strongly about the small innocuous Bith sitting at the bar. Keeping his hand close to his lightsaber, Si elbowed his way through the crowd and up to the bar and took the stool next to the Bith. Si didn't glance over at the alien, but kept his senses on high alert.
"What'll it be, stranger?" The bartender grunted.
"I'll have a hit of Juma... and leave the bottle." As the bartender shuffled off, Si straightened up, placing both of his hands onto the bar. His hands and forearms had been wrapped up in bandages up to his elbows, as Si had done since he was a Padawan, "I'd rather not make a scene," he said calmly, still staring straight ahead, but obviously talking to the Bith, "so how 'bout you and I step outside and have a chat..."
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 6, 2011 21:45:26 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 6, 2011 21:45:26 GMT -5
Jack seemed perfectly agreeable to working out some set-up between them. That was good, though it hardly came as a surprise, what with the whole affair being something that'd been born in the Jack's own mind to begin with. But the arrangement provided Nieraan a potential ally of sorts, or as close to something as he might consider someone an 'ally' in the Sith.
Still, this was better than nothing. A mutually-rewarding arrangement might be good. And besides, you didn't stand down the Overlord with someone without gaining some sort of camaraderie.
Nieraan rolled his shoulder and then his neck, popping it with a barely audible grunt. One of his dark brows arched slightly when Jack began picking the pieces of his chess set up.
"...However, I hope you had no plans here on Metellos. I'm afraid we're going to have to move."
"No, not really," he muttered, curious as to what had Jack so ready to go all of a sudden. Surely he hadn't been waiting just for someone to join in on his little plan?
It was then that the Force whispered and Nieraan felt something brush against the edge of his senses.
Here, in this place where life swarmed and made the Force a noisy mess at best, it'd been hard to feel the presence of the being from afar, even for Nieraan's well-attuned senses. But someone else was coming, or had already come, into their little dive, and that someone had the Force in them. Quite strongly at that.
Nieraan's lips pressed into a thin line briefly and he feigned his a look over at the bar so he could hazard to glance with his eyes back over his shoulder. There was a man coming into the bar. Tall. Imposing in a way, and certainly older-looking than either of them. Most importantly, however, he was robed, and his robes made him look like a Jedi.
Wonderful, Nieraan thought, slowly turning back toward Jack. Momentarily he wondered if Jack had had anything to do with this. The timing of it all was... interesting to say the least. Did you really want me to help save your ass cause you got in trouble, Makura?
Though his mind raced internally, Nieraan managed to fight off the urge to do anything and tapped his fingers idly on the tabletop. With the other hand he flipped through a small menu that projected itself out of the table, pretending to be perusing a selection of appetizers. The Jedi didn't come to them. Not immediately anyway.
Truthfully, a part of him longed for a fight. The man was strong, that much he could feel. It would be a good challenge, exhilarating all the ways that he'd found the sparring yards at the Temple so lacking. However, he also recognized that the man might be too powerful for him to take. Well, alone, maybe. Though there was also the Bith to take consideration of. Nieraan wasn't yet sure where he fit in, if he fit in at all, though the Jedi seemed preoccupied with him for the moment.
His gaze drifted up to Jack briefly before he tapped away the menu and threw his free arm over the back of his seat. "So tell me," he said just loud enough for Jack's ears alone over the noise of the cantina, "were you expecting any friends of yours to be joining us?"
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Cain
Indignant
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Dec 22, 2011 0:40:59 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Dec 22, 2011 0:40:59 GMT -5
Jack didn't answer Nieraan's question, he was too preoccupied trying to gauge their chances of taking down this Jedi. Rapidly Jack assessed the situation; the crowded bar could be an advantage should they try to escape, but a panicked mob would also provide little to no opportunity for Jack to center himself. His best chance was to catch the Jedi while he was still unprepared, and attempt to use his telepathy while the Jedi was still unaware of his presence.
Just as Jack was beginning to focus on the Force, a lone Mirialan slid his way across the cantina to where Si Quan was seated at the bar, quietly sticking the muzzle of a blaster between Si's shoulder blades, "Stand up slowly, Jedi," he said softly. Si could sense a low shudder in the Force, it was a cold feeling of malice that was strangely building quite rapidly. Si couldn't be certain if it was the Bith, the man with the gun at his back or something else entirely, but he did know things were going to get very dangerous, very soon. Reacting quickly, Si dropped from his stool to the floor, his sudden move causing the Mirialan to squeeze the trigger, missing Si Quan and inadvertently shooting the bartender in the chest. Si used a strong shove with the Force to knock the Mirialan back into the other patrons.
At this point several other mercenaries revealed themselves in the crowd, all drawing blasters. Evidently they had followed Si into the cantina, hoping to collect the bounty on Jedi. With the crush of life in the small bar, drawing his lightsaber to defend himself would certainly result in a large number of casualties from deflecting blaster bolts in all directions. Instead, Si quickly hopped up onto and rolled behind the bar as the mercs opened fire. The sudden barrage of blaster bolts triggered the panic that Jack had hoped to avoid.
Fleeing patrons charged into Jack as he sat, disturbing his concentration. Cursing aloud, Jack flipped over the table he and Nieraan were seated at as he rose to his feet. Still not wanting to draw attention to Nieraan or himself, Jack drew his katana from its sheathe at his back. The next poor soul that collided with Jack was a Twi'lek woman who Jack met by running his blade through her gut and then kicking her off his weapon with heavy stomp from his boot.
From behind the bar, bottles of ale and liquor began to float from the shelves and fling themselves at high speed toward the mercenaries as they attempted to close in on their bounty. Hunkered down behind his cover, Si Quan sat with his eyes closed, focusing on streams of energy flowing from the mercs blasters as a means to decipher them from the fleeing innocents and target them with his telekinetic projectiles. The bottles struck their targets, shattering and spraying a shrapnel of glass and booze. It wasn't long before the mercs took their own cover behind up turned tables. Si would be forced to change tactics.
Meanwhile, Jack had begun to move toward the exit himself when he ran into one of the cantina's bouncers. The human male was a towering figure who was dressed in rather sturdy looking armor. The bouncer gave Jack a quick back hand across the face, strong enough to knock him off his feet. Jack gritted his teeth as his frustration with the situation was beginning to overwhelm his senses. Rather than use his blade, this time Jack channeled the Force into his target, raining electricity from his hands over the bouncer and cooking him in his armor.
The burst of dark side energy had not gone unnoticed by Si Quan. He hadn't been able to detect the exact source of the malice he had felt in the cantina earlier until just now. As he trained his senses on the young human in the leather jacket there was little doubt in Si Quan's mind that he'd found who he was looking for. Si rose up from behind the bar, using the Force to blast the tables the remaining mercs were using for cover into the men and women crouching behind them. He then turned his attention to Jack.
In that moment Jack knew his cover was blown. He was angry with himself for losing control, but there was no time to sulk. Si Quan had made his way swiftly over the bar and was already moving in Jack's direction. The Jedi was strong, but together there was a chance he and Nieraan could handle him.
As Si moved toward the kid in the jacket, he opened himself up to the Force, letting it flow through his muscles and add speed and strength to his movements. Jack shuffled forward quickly, making a rather rash move to cut Si Quan down while he was still unarmed, bringing his katana blade down over the Jedi. Si snapped into action immediately as Jack attacked, lifting his left arm to block Jack's downward swing. The speed and power of Si's block was enough to jar the katana from Jack's hand, and before he could even worry about having lost his weapon, Si's right hand shot forward and delivered a full power shot to Jack's ribs. Jack felt a snap in his chest along with all of the air sucked from his lungs before he was sent backwards, falling through a still standing table.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 22, 2011 20:06:39 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 22, 2011 20:06:39 GMT -5
No answer. Nieraan sighed softly and glanced back over his shoulder. He took the lack of answer as a no, but that wasn't really a good thing. Unexpected visits from Jedi had a way of making things complicated. Entertaining, perhaps, but complicated all the same.
Nieraan studied the Jedi man for a moment longer, and felt something tingle at the back of his mind as he observed the man. There was something about him, something that wanted to be familiar, but he wasn't certain. As he turned away, his mind began to work and wheel, working at how they'd handle the Jedi should his attention shift away from the Bith and a fight break out. Location was good. Lots of people, which might hinder the Jedi, who'd likely view collateral damage as undesirable. Nieraan couldn't speak for Jack, but he knew he didn't suffer from the same hindrance.
The old cantina was also in an area of Metellos Nieraan was familiar with. It'd been years since he'd walked the world's filthy streets, but he'd grown up here. He still remembered the layout, still remembered paths through the winding maze of streets and back alleys.
Still my old turf, he mused, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the ground. If it comes to it-
Someone fired a shot. Everything went crazy.
The cantina's crowd, which had been relatively at ease, if loud, suddenly exploded into a frenzied mess of movement as attackers appeared in the crowd and the innocent tried to flee.
Nieraan quietly smiled. Looked like they'd be having some fun after all.
He felt the Force stir around the Jedi, just the same as he felt frustration and irritation start to waft up from Jack. He was up on his feet not long after Jack, moving after him, though it was more because the crowd forced him to than because he truly wanted to. Oh, he could have stopped that just fine, with a wave of his hand and a blast of the Force, or the simple ignition of one of his blades, but it wasn't time. Not yet. Instead he played along, riding the crowd away from where they'd been sitting. Hopefully he could reposition himself while the Jedi was still busy trying to fight off the mercenaries from where he was hunkered down behind the bar.
That all suddenly changed, though, when he felt the Dark Side of the Force swell suddenly. He turned around and saw lightning arcing and dancing across the body of some bouncer near the door. Who it was coming from was obscured from view, but Nieraan knew it was Jack. Hope he wasn't tryin' to hide from the Jedi...
Before Nieraan could move further, some corpulent Twi'lek man who was too drunk for his own good came slamming into him in his haste to get out of the cantina. Nieraan growled as he stumbled back, baring his fangs, and in a moment of irritation, grabbed a lekku and yanked hard on it. Down went the fat fellow's head, and up went Nieraan's knee until the two collided with a violent crack! and the Twi'lek collapsed to the ground, a mess of blood and screaming.
By the time Nieraan turned around, he saw Jack rushing at the Jedi with his sword drawn, clearly intent on attacking. No longer needing to hide his desire for a fight, Nieraan suddenly started moving toward the two, shoving patrons out of his way or to the ground as he moved.
Then it hit him. As Jack's blade arced through the air toward the unarmed Jedi, Nieraan suddenly realized why the Jedi felt so familiar. "Felucia," he muttered under his breath as he stopped a few meters two, just in time to see Jack get made to look the fool by the Jedi's quick and skillful counterattack.
Nieraan paused, looking at Jack where he lay before him on the ground, with bits of a broken table around him, and up at the Jedi. So it's this guy, huh? He didn't know the Jedi by name, didn't know where he stood in his order, but he knew he wasn't a pushover.
He also suspected Jack had learned that very same thing.
Fighting alone, there was a large chance that both of them would fall to the Jedi. Nieraan was willing to acknowledge that, though he was certain he could give the man a fight. But together, perhaps there was a chance, though that chance likely now depended on how much Jack had been wounded in the single exchange he'd had so far.
Unless we change the rules, he thought quickly, glancing around as he quietly called on the Force. Set our own. Make him play by them. Easier said than done, but there were options.
Nieraan aprubtly threw his arms up and out and the Force roared into him. It closed around two of the patrons from the frenzied crowd, and as he swept his arms forward, he threw them at the Jedi, using them like wrecking balls to blow through the crowd until he released them to let them fly at the man. A distraction. Hopefully it would buy a few moments for Jack to get up.
"Come on," he said as he emerged from where he'd been standing behind Jack. He reached down, grabbed the other Sith by the shoulders and hoisted him up to his feet. "Shake it off. We're not done here."
His hand fell to his side and a snap-hiss! sounded as his main saber ignited, burning the color of burnished gold. As he stepped away from Jack and turned his attention back to the Jedi, he grinned, showing his canines. "Well," there was another snap-hiss! as his dark blue blade ignited in his other hand, "hadn't expected to see you again so soon, Jedi."
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Cain
Indignant
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*Indignation intensifies*
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Dec 23, 2011 13:43:24 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Dec 23, 2011 13:43:24 GMT -5
Well, that didn't work, Jack thought to himself as he lay atop of what had once been a table that his body had now turned into scrap wood. As Jack attempted to sit up, a sharp, stabbing pain in his left side held him to the floor and triggered a coughing fit as air rushed back to Jack's lungs. Pulling his hand away from his mouth, Jack found his palm to be speckled with red, blood even now running slowly over his bottom lip. With an angry hiss Jack wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes now burning bright yellow as he glared back up at the Jedi. Nothing cut Jack Makura's fuse short quite like an injury to his pride, and if this hadn't qualified, nothing would.
"Come on, shake it off. We're not done here."
The sound of Nieraan's voice snapped Jack out of it, if only slightly. The Firrerreo grabbed Jack and lifted him back to his feet, causing Jack to wince as pain shot through his rib cage. Jack steadied himself on his feet, clutching his left side. With his free hand he reached out toward his katana on the floor and summoned it back to him with the Force, "Keep him occupied," Jack whispered next to Nieraan's ear, slowly returning his sword to it's sheathe, "I only need five minutes. Just don't get yourself killed before then." Jack faded back, looking to take himself out of the way of the battle that was sure to ensue. He needed to find a spot where he could use his power uninterrupted.
After easily dispatching the first Sith, Si Quan's attention was turned to another; a Firrerreo brandishing a gold colored lightsaber. Si had never seen the kid in the jacket before, but this Sith was familiar. At first Si couldn't quite put his finger on why he knew this Sith, but that hardly mattered. With another snap the Firrerreo produced a second lightsaber, "Well, hadn't expected to see you again so soon, Jedi." he said.
Obviously this Sith had recognized Si as well. He didn't answer, instead Si simply turned his shoulders perpendicular to his opponent and lowered his stance while extending his left hand out toward Nieraan. Si lifted his right up near his ear and his lightsaber jumped up from his belt, igniting with a smack as the hilt hit his palm. Si kept his green blade in close to his body, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Si's form of choice, Soresu, was one that dictated patience, not aggression, "Where's Kyo?" he asked calmly.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 23, 2011 16:22:48 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 23, 2011 16:22:48 GMT -5
"I only need five minutes. Just don't get yourself killed before then."
Nieraan chuckled softly under his breath as Jack moved off. Don't worry about that, Makura, he thought. I can hold my own better than you can. Still, he'd have to be careful to keep the Jedi away from Jack. While he wasn't sure what it was the other man was planning, he was sure that he didn't need him getting steamrolled again.
Five minutes, he silently mused, watching as the Jedi ignited his green lightsaber. Nieraan had a green saber, hanging at his waist. It was a trophy left over from the last Jedi he killed. Five minutes to keep you off of Makura. And five minutes to have you all to myself. He almost smiled. Nothing got him going like a good fight.
The Jedi didn't seem to care much about his admission of recognition. Perhaps the recognition wasn't reciprocated. Or perhaps the Jedi had something else on his mind. Too bad.
"Where's Kyo?"
Kyo? Who the hell is Kyo? Nieraan shifted his weight slightly, readying himself to defend against an attack, though he still kept his sabers humming calmly at his sides. But the Jedi wasn't attacking. He still stood there, with his viridian blade held close to his body. So is he waiting on me? Nieraan glanced back at where Jack had gone. Five minutes to distract and delay. Time to set his own rules. Time to make the Jedi play by his rules.
He kept down a chuckle as an idea began to form in his mind. I can work with this.
Nieraan did not hate the Jedi, like many of his fellows among the Sith did. There was no love in his heart for them, but he'd never been bothered enough to truly hate them. In some ways they fascinated him, with their absurd moral code, but unfortunately, they fascinated him in entirely the wrong way.
The Jedi standing before him fascinated him. So it was time to play with him. Waste time with him. Nieraan couldn't have asked for a better setting than where they were, in a bar choked with panicked, frenzied people. Set the rules. Make him play the game. He's on my turf.
"Why should I tell you?" He finally answered after a few moments. He shrugged lazily and started to walk, pacing slowly to the side. "But let me ask you something, Jedi.[/i]"
Nieraan stopped his slow walk a few steps away from where he'd started and turned to face the Jedi. For a moment, he studied the man and then suddenly jumped back, using the Force to lengthen his leap. He landed by a woman, who tried to scramble away from him, but no such luck would be with her today. His blue saber burned away a leg and the gold buried itself in her lower back, arcing up slightly into her chest before he pulled it out and turned back to the Jedi.
A dark, malevolent grin played out on his lips as time ticked on and the corpse fell to the ground with a thud. Screams echoed through the cantina as the patrons saw what happened. Normally, he had no need to kill random innocents, but when then again, sometimes they were disposable pieces for a larger plan. "Does that anger you?"
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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
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*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
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Dec 23, 2011 17:16:20 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Dec 23, 2011 17:16:20 GMT -5
As Nieraan moved, Si readied himself for an attack, calling on the Force all around him and channeling it into his body once more to enhance his physical strength and speed. However, curiously this Firrerreo did not attack, "Why should I tell you?" he said in response to Si's question before leaping back and executing one of the fleeing cantina patrons. The casual manner in which the Sith slaughtered another sentient life form was sickening, and he made no secret of what he intended to achieve by such brutality, "Does that anger you?" he asked.
Si Quan straightened up, giving his lightsaber a slow spin as he chuckled at Nieraan's question, "Sith. Always the same testosterone fueled cliche," Si said shaking his head, "Killing fleeing women in a bar because you're too spineless for a real fight... I just bet you were the pride of your academy," Two could play this game, and in a war of egos Master Quan was willing to bet that this Sith's would prove more fragile. Allowing him to continue to kill innocence, however, was something Si wished to avoid, and to do that he'd have to leave his comfort zone (if only slightly) and change up his tactics on the fly.
Si gripped his lightsaber with both hands, holding the blade out and pointing it in the direction of his opponent. He stretched out with the Force as he shifted his stance, hoping to anticipate and intercept Nieraan's movements should he try to go after another patron. With the Force flowing through him Master Quan twisted his plant foot and sprung forward, closing on the Sith with deceptive speed and bringing his lightsaber sweeping up from below to slash at Nieraan's center.
Meanwhile, Jack slunk back through the crowd which was still filtering out of the building. In the back corner were booths that wrapped around Pazaak tables. Beneath the table in the far corner was an elderly human male, ducking for cover. Without saying a word to him, Jack gripped the man's neck with the Force and yanked as hard as he could, pulling the old man from under his cover and snapping his neck all at once. Discarding the corpse with a flick of his wrist, Jack crouched down and concealed himself under the Pazaak table where he closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
As he attempted to quiet his mind, Jack could feel himself seething. It had been a long while since he'd been so wronged, and his anger was ready to explode through every pore of his body. Through clinched teeth Jack attempted to reign control over his emotions, to use them in order to fuel his command of the Force. The first task would be to pinpoint his target among the people still in the bar. It wasn't too difficult, as the Force radiated from Si Quan with enough intensity to draw Jack's attention almost instantly. The Jedi had quite a different kind of feel than Nieraan or any of the other Force users he had fought to this point. He felt calm, almost devoid of emotion even as he plunged forward at Nieraan and attacked.
Cautiously, Jack stretched out, extending his influence to the very edges of Si Quan's mind and began to probe for weaknesses. The Jedi's defenses were good, better than Lynn or Tesa's had been even... but still not good enough. With enough time Jack would sink his claws in and reduce this self righteous Jedi to little more than a catatonic husk. Jack knew his powers were still unpolished, and that absorbing another mind could be extremely dangerous, but at this point he didn't care. He wanted to feel the Jedi's anguish, to bring him low and drink in his hopelessness and humiliation.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 23, 2011 21:56:56 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 23, 2011 21:56:56 GMT -5
A smile spread across Nieraan's face, baring his canines once more before he openly laughed at the Jedi's remarks. "Oh Jedi," he jeered, his mouth twisting into a mockingly amused imitation of insult, "you wound me."
He chuckled further as he adjusted his hold on his sabers and shifted his stance as the Jedi changed his. The Force flowed into his body, adding strength to his muscles as his honed his senses in on the Jedi began to listen to the currents of the Force for warning. The Jedi would have to attack him. If he didn't, Nieraan would simply continue killing innocents until he did. He had time to burn, after all. Fortunately, it seemed the Jedi was quick on the draw and realized the fact. It was much more entertaining to do battle with an able combatant after all.
But that didn't mean he was done toying with the man. Oh no, not at all. The man was still far too calm.
Suddenly the Jedi charged. Nieraan shifted his weight back and lowered his blades to stop the emerald saber that was streaking up at him from below.. He's fast. Good. Nieraan was fast too.
The sabers hissed and crackled loudly as they slammed together. Nieraan crossed his blades near their fortes, allowing him to keep his considerable strength behind the block as the Jedi's two-handed stroke slammed into them.
With a grunt, he pushed the Jedi's weapon away and moved fluidly back and away. He longed heavily to engage the Jedi directly, but it wasn't time. Not yet. Not by the rules he'd decided the game would be played by. The Jedi wanted him to engage directly too, after all. Don't worry, Jedi, we'll have our fun in a moment. He'd waited too long for such a chance to pass it up completely.
As he stepped back, he lowered one of his hands, focusing a table hastily with the Force and giving it a stiff shove. It was rough; with the Jedi facing him down and likely intent on stopping him, he wasn't going to take the time to make it a work of finesse. But there were people it would hit, and likely hurt, if the Jedi didn't stop it.
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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
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*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
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Dec 23, 2011 23:09:27 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Dec 23, 2011 23:09:27 GMT -5
Slowly Jack's influence began to trickle down through Si Quan's defenses. It was a delicate process, as Jack wanted to delay as long as possible before allowing the Jedi to catch on to what he was doing. The gentle probing Jack currently was engaged in would likely be undetectable, especially to someone focused on combat.
Finally, after gaining a firm grasp on his target's presence, Jack sunk his feelers down and into Si Quan's mind. This was the most critical and also most difficult part; the struggle for control. Jack clinched his hands together, interlocking his fingers tightly and wincing as he poured all of his energy into forcing himself against the Jedi's defenses, borrowing as deep as he could into his subconscious.
Si Quan frowned sharply as his opponent blocked and backed away, giving Si a shove to create distance between the two of them. His strategy was expected, but nonetheless annoying. Despite this Sith's posturing Si suspected that he wasn't going to want a fair fight. Instead he seemed intent on toying with Si, sending another table towards a crowd with a clumsily project burst of telekinesis. Si's frown grew, Kyo will never here the end of this when I get a hold of him.
Si reacted quickly, lifting his free hand and catching the table mid flight with hastily constructed Force barrier that shielded the people running for the door from the impact and much of the spray of splinters that accompanied its shattering against the Force wall. Si was weary not to let his attention on Nieraan drop, moving back in for an attack immediately after stopping the table. Si's saber strikes were aggressive, but nothing overly complex beyond the normal sequences of Djem So. Si wanted to feel his opponent out for weaknesses in his technique, and also keep up the offense as much as possible to keep the Sith from harming further innocents.
Killing Nieraan was not what Si Quan wanted. This Sith likely had information about what had become of Kyo. In order to get that out of him Si needed to take advantage of the Sith's sword play to neutralize him. And if he proved not to have any weak points in his technique... well then Master Quan would let fatigue take its toll. All he needed to do was outlast him and-
An unexpected stab of pain in Si's temples cut his thought process short. It felt as if hundreds of tiny needles had suddenly begun to force their way violently into his head. Si wavered, this time he was the one using his strength to shove his opponent back and create space. Si knew right away what was happening, someone was attacking his mind through the Force. To say that Si Quan had a bit of experience with this kind of assault would be an understatement, but it didn't make it any less dangerous if he couldn't identify the source. It was at that moment that Si realized he had lost track of the other Sith in the leather jacket.
"Not this again..." Si groaned to himself, clutching his head with left hand while holding out his lightsaber toward Nieraan with the other. The plan of these Sith was now clear; now Si Quan would have to finish things quickly as he could no longer afford to be patient and outlast them.
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
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Dec 24, 2011 19:07:57 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 24, 2011 19:07:57 GMT -5
As expected, the Jedi broke his attention away to protect the innocents. Nieraan chuckled with malevolent amusement. "Such a good Jedi." Then the Jedi was on him again, back to attacking. Nieraan stood his ground this time, moving only as he felt was necessary as hi blades began to blur to meet the Jedi's onslaught.
He recognized what he was being put up against as Djem So. A powerful form, and dangerous for someone that favored two blades like he did, if they didn't know how to respond. But he'd faced the form often, and knew how to counter it. The Jedi's offensive was relentless, stifling chances for Nieraan to counter attack or break away to launch more attacks at the civilian. Nieraan met it with a skillful defense; despite his raw manner of acting, he knew combat, and he knew swordplay. The Jedi's attacks were turned away rather than blocked straight-on. Let the momentum of the strike keep going, so long as it didn't touch him.
Still, the Jedi was good. Even though his attacks were simple in a way, there was skill behind them. As their sabers clashed loudly again and again, Nieraan realized this would be no easy foe, even with the environment in their favor.
And what the hell is Makur-
Suddenly an attack that Nieraan though he'd stopped with his weapons crossed in front of him became an unexpected shove, sending him stumbling back a step or two before he caught himself. He growled in annoyance at being caught off-guard and nearly sent into a broken part of a table behind him, which he promptly moved aside with a backwards thrust of a powerful leg.
Something was different. The Jedi wasn't attacking. He'd stopped, for some reason.
"Not this again..."
Nieraan's brow knitted briefly. The Jedi was holding his head, and looked... different. Like something else was going on. Nieraan touched his senses out to the currents of the Force and realization hit him. Jack!
About damn time he did something.
A dark smile started to spread across Nieraan's face as he spun the gold lightsaber once in his hand. "What's wrong, Jedi? Headache?" Then he moved.
This time it was he who attacked. The Force surged into him, gave power to his already-powerful body and speeded his movements as he lunged forward. It was time to attack, so attack he did. Ferociously.
Where the Jedi had attacked with a simple, straightforward effectiveness, Nieraan's offensive pushed him into a whirlwind of color and motion as his sabers flicked and stabbed and lashed from all different angles. The speed was furious, but it was the deceptive power that made his assault dangerous; with the Force strengthening him, he could hit with a fair deal more strength than might have been expected from an assault of one-handed strokes.
Even for him, it was a very aggressive offensive, more than he normally would be, but if there was an advantage and he had to press it while he had the chance. He wasn't sure what Jack was doing, but he didn't know how long it would last.
As he continued to press, hoping to force the Jedi back, he took a strong step forward. One of his blades stuck out at the Jedi's lightsaber, trying to force it away or hold it out of position for a moment. And then, with a very quick follow-through, the muscles of his arms and chest tightened, and sent the elbow of his other arm flying out at the side of the Jedi's face.
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Cain
Indignant
491 posts
23 likes
*Indignation intensifies*
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last online Jul 8, 2020 8:17:11 GMT -5
Knight
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Jan 11, 2012 17:20:37 GMT -5
Post by Cain on Jan 11, 2012 17:20:37 GMT -5
The struggle had begun, and Jack strained hard against his opponent's subconscious to dominate and consume it. This telepathic war might have been between two minds, but that should not suggest that the action and reaction were not violent and visceral as if Jack and Si Quan were men on the brink of starvation, clawing over one last scrap of bread. Accept in this case it wasn't food that was at stake, it was the Jedi's mind; his memories, his emotions, the essence of who and what Si Quan was. It was a vicious and insidious use of the Force, and one that Jack took immense pleasure in levying upon this Jedi. The insult done to him would be answered; swiftly and without remorse.
From his station beneath the Pazaak tables Jack sat with his eyes pinched shut in deep concentration, his hands together up below his chin, and his fingers interlocked, squeezing so tightly that his knuckles turned white. As the memories began to trickle in from Si Quan, a grim smile spread over Jack's face. His intense anger continued to fuel the dark side burning wildly inside of him, fueling his power as Jack increased the pressure on the Jedi Master. Si Quan's telepathy was decent, but no where near Jack's level. He was certain that the Jedi lacked the tools to stop him. It would only be a matter of time.
The telepathic assault from the other Sith had caught Si completely unprepared. Staggered, Si had little time to collect himself before Nieraan pressed his attack. Sensing his opponent's weakness, the Sith came at Si with more speed and ferocity than he had before, hoping to take advantage of the opening. It worked.
Struggling to keep up, Si found himself quickly outmaneuvered by the Sith, his lightsaber knocked out away from his body and a hard elbow landing against his jaw sending Si Quan reeling back into the bar. There wasn't time to locate the other Sith attacking his mind, nor would Si have the strength to beat Nieraan with Jack in his head. He had to think fast or be cut down. Luckily, Master Quan had one more ace up his sleeve. He had developed a tolerance for pain and suffering beyond what most other life forms could endure, his only hope now was that the telepath did not possess the same gift.
The memories of the endless torture at the hands of Alex Drake was one that had always remained vivid in Si Quan's mind, even now, thirty-two years later. If this Sith wanted his memories, that was one Si would be glad to share. Allowing the Sith access would be a risk, but at this point there was no other option. Bringing Drake's Memory Walk back to the surface Si relented his resistance, allowing his vivid recollection of the pain brought on by dozens of blades running his body through pass from his mind to Jack's.
Very quickly the smile on Jack's face faded. Si Quan's resistance had suddenly subsided, sending memories rushing forth like a ruptured dam. Jack was then suddenly beset upon by intense, violent memories of being impaled and eviscerated, an unrelenting stream of torment. The pain was such that it overloaded Jack's senses, causing him to crumple and lose all control over his powers. Loosing a grunt as his broken ribs hit the floor, Jack lay on his stomach, struggling to catch his breath, cursing the Jedi Master with each exhale.
The memories had been just as painful for Si Quan, but he was trained to deal with it. The counter attack on Jack had taken only a matter of seconds, and Si felt the telepathic claws of the Sith uproot and fade away. Si was able to use the pain to restoke his energy rather than drain his strength. He picked himself up off the bar and with the Force flooding back to him Si moved forward to meet Nieraan's aggression, his blade crashing together with the Sith's, matching his power. The two sabers shrieked and popped as they pressed against one another.
"That the best you can do?"
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Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
1,102 likes
Friendly neighborhood CEO
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last online Aug 27, 2024 10:03:16 GMT -5
Administrator
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Jan 21, 2012 15:07:35 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jan 21, 2012 15:07:35 GMT -5
Nieraan's elbow slammed into the side of the Jedi's face.
The man fell back, stumbling into the bar behind him. Nieraan grinned a toothy, predatory grin, showing more of his canines. The light from a neon sign advertising Jawa Juice hanging above the bar caught on in his yellow eyes, making them glint briefly in the cantina's dark, smoky light as he walked toward the Jedi.
Years ago, not far from where he stood now, his mother had trained him in the arts and ways of combat. He'd hated it. Despised it, and detested her for it. But he had learned. And he'd learned the flow of battle. Learned to feel and see the tides of favor ebb and flow from one combatant to the other, just as she'd taught him. She'd also taught him, that when the fight began to shift in his favor, to squeeze and not let go.
But here he was, giving a moment of respite to the dazed Jedi, with a crooked smile on his silver face. The man had been a fool if he'd believed he could just walk in and run them over, especially in an environment that favored them so heavily. But, with the way he'd done just that to Jack, Nieraan couldn't blame him too much.
"Oh well," he muttered wryly. His sabers whirred and blurred as he spun them once in his hands. And then, as they came back to their starting position, he lunged for the kill.
As he took the first step, he felt something from Jack stab out through the Force. What, he couldn't say, but he wasn't certain that was a good thing.
The Jedi had gathered his senses again, or had at least gained enough presence about himself to pick himself up from the bar and come to meet Nieraan's assault.
In came the blue and gold blades together, working as one in dual strikes that would hit the Jedi on both side of his neck and carve his body open. But no, they met the green lightsaber instead. It was as stalwart as ever, unwavering as Nieraan tried to force it away.
Nieraan's cocksure grin faded, replaced by a determined scowl. He looked across the locked blades, which his and screamed and popped against one another, and into the Jedi's eyes. Something was different now. Something had changed.
"That the best you can do?"
"Hardly," Nieraan answered with a snort. "I was hoping you wouldn't disappoint me so easily, Jedi."
Just then, he shifted the positioning of his sabers. Using the freedom of two blades, he kept one centered and pushing against Si Quan's verdant lightsaber. The other, he slid up the length of the blade toward the tip. Use leverage against the Jedi. Force the weapon down. That was the intent. As his blade moved up, he shoved down hard, hoping again to force the weapon out of the way--with the risk of the tip of his blade grazing the man if he wasn't careful.
As this happened, he made his move, taking a step back as he disengaged his other lightsaber from the Jedi's blade and made a high, sweeping stroke at the front of his neck.
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