Post by Mal on Aug 7, 2014 22:13:41 GMT -5
Name: Merrik D’ravk
Race: Miraluka
Age: Thirty-Three
Birthplace: Alderaan, raised on Alpheridies
Allegiance: Himself
Status: Mercenary
Rank: Knight level
Height/Weight: 6’0” / 175 lbs.
Appearance: Merrik stands in at six foot even and weighs in at one hundred seventy-five pounds of pure muscle. He had dark brown hair that he keeps cut short in a crew cut, and around his non-existent eyes he wears a bandanna cut from an old prison uniform. From his time working in the Hutt’s mines his muscles are well defined and he lacks much body fat, his body is covered in scars from his many years of combat and at time lack of access to bacta or kolto. He has as of yet avoided all scars on his face and arms, either through sheer dumb luck. His most obvious striking feature is his eyes, or rather his empty eye sockets. Though he does normally keep them covered a few people have seen them and no one has liked what they saw. Slightly less obvious than his eye sockets, is his smile which has been described as best as highly unsettling, and at worst as making him look cruel.
As far as clothing goings, Merrik cares more about functionality than anything else. He continues wearing something around his eye sockets like all Miraluka, in his case a bandanna. Other than that he wears a pair of bracers around his arms that each have two push daggers in them, and each possess one throwing knife. On his left bracer is a comlink for any time he is working with someone else, or if he needs to monitor communications. He wears black boots with black pants and a dark grey shirt most days. He carries his vibrosword on his back, at two trench knives visible on his chest. Other than those weapons, his other knives tend to be hidden, it’s a safe bet to assume he is one of the most heavily armed men in the room. At least where blades are concerned.
Personality: Merrik has been defined as a cold man, in truth he simply does whatever needs to be done to survive. For many years he had struggled with his anger, however within the last few years he finally started controlling his anger and other darker emotions. He no longer lets them control him, but he doesn't block them out at all as he prefers to feel them, just not be ruled by them. He has absolutely no moral qualms about killing and if he does kill, he will sleep like a baby that night. However he does not kill without reason, he isn't a monster, just a man who recognizes that death is the balance to life. He has accepted the inevitability that there is someone out there stronger than him, carrying a blaster with his name on it who will possibly kill him, whether that person knows it or not is another thing.
Merrik’s primary personality trait these days is a calculating calm, he watches and studies everything trying to figure out how to turn it to his advantage. He doesn't form long term plans instead making up whatever he needs to do as he goes, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that jazz. Though he is not a Jedi or Sith, he still believes firmly in the Force, it’s been everything he knew for his entire life, as such he trusts it more than he trusts any living being in the galaxy. However, if someone manages to earn his trust the only way to lose it is to betray him, if you’re lucky enough to survive for long after he finds out he’s been betrayed anyway.
However this is not to say that he is not without his virtues, he has a nearly limitless amount of patience, but no tolerance for stupidity. He will not kill someone who either doesn’t deserve it or who is trying to back away, nor will he kill children. If you aren't trying to kill him, chances are, he won't try to kill you. He will never leave a friend behind and will always come back for anyone that falls behind, he is a man of his word and if he makes a promise he will do everything within his considerable power to keep that promise. He will never let a friend die for him, preferring to have that friend owe him a drink instead. He’s also a great listener, preferring to keep his own council unless he needs to speak, he was able to learn more in this way, or so he believes anyway.
Ships/Vehicles: N/A
Equipment: Vibrosword with a cortosis weave, two trench knives, throwing knives, knives, vibro knives.
Stats: (Feeble, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Superior, Legendary)
Strength - Above Average
Agility – Above Average
Intelligence - Average
Charisma – Below Average
Force Stats: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Telekinetic- Adept
Telepathic- Adept
Body- Apprentice
Sense- Expert
Protection- Novice
Healing:– Unskilled
Destruction– Apprentice
Combat Training: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Echani Martial Arts – Expert
Vibrosword combat – Expert
Knife Throwing – Adept
Knife Combat – Adept, nearing Expert
Force Training: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Force Rage- Adept
Beast Control- Adept
Other Training: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Piloting – Expert
Lightsaber Training: (Untrained, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master, Specialist)
Shii-Cho- N/A
Makashi- N/A
Soresu- N/A
Ataru- N/A
Shien/Djem So- N/A
>>Sub-form Backhanded- N/A
Niman- N/A
>>Sub-form Jar-kai- N/A
Juyo- N/A
Double Bladed Combat- N/A
Biography: Merrik was born on Alderaan, his parents had been staying there on vacation and had decided to stay until after he was born, they would return when he was a few weeks old. His mother was named Levany D’ravk and was a skilled doctor on their home planet Alpheridies, his father was Gonet D’ravk and was a skilled warrior and a mercenary. Merrik got his name from the woman who helped deliver him, Loral Merrik a local midwife, in the hopes that he would go on to help people throughout his lifetime. If his parents had known what he would become… Well they possibly would have made different choices leading up to his birth. However considering they didn't know what he would become, they held high hopes and were already talking about what they would teach their bouncing baby boy.
Merrik was an energetic child, always ready to play and have fun with his friends, he especially enjoyed games that allowed him to use his strength and speed to his advantage. His parents got slightly concerned when he started trying to dominate the games and sports they played, but he was still a relatively good kid and didn't let it get to them too much. They did try to teach him that it was only a game and to have fun, and he tried to make them proud, but he couldn't resist trying to dominate in sports. He was smart and did well in school, he was popular with the girls because he was the image of what they were supposed to stay away from. The other guys in school tended to not like him, which happened when one always had to be the best at sports. When he was ten years old he got into his first fight, he taught that kid not to talk about his mama, but both of his parents were very disappointed in him. At this point his mother started teaching him how to put up barriers with the Force, tried to teach him that defense was better than offense, while his father taught him other uses for the Force, like how to move things, sense emotions, and how to use the Force to enhance his body. He would then expand on his senses on his own, particularly enjoying enhancing his hearing to listen in on conversations.
Merrik enjoyed making his toy starships float through the air, and even started having mock star fights. He practiced with his telepathic powers because his father made him more than anything, he didn’t like some of the emotions he picked up about him from the other kids. At the time he didn’t understand them at first, but later in life wouldn’t blame them at all, still it made his father happy for him to practice, so practice he did. He found it fun to use the Force to jump as high as he could, it wasn’t uncommon to find him on the roof doing his homework. He also enjoyed the thrill of running as fast as he could, or racing the other kids whose fathers were teaching them more about the Force.
Merrik looked up to his father who was a proud warrior and renowned mercenary, however he tried to instill in his son a sense of honor. Gonet, fought and killed for a living, but he didn't enjoy the job and didn't want the same life for his son. The only reason he kept up with the mercenary life was because it was all he knew how to do. He tried to teach his son the difference between being good like him, or being great like his mother. It kind of worked, but he was still enamored with his father’s lifestyle. He continued to study under his mother, trying to learn more about barriers with the Force, but he lacked much skill in it and grew frustrated. When he was calm he was able to do it, but the more he became frustrated the weaker his barriers became. Still he was a stubborn child and didn't give up on anything he tried, his mother started teaching him how to tame animals with the Force, a trick he enjoyed and would often use to play with birds and other animals around their home.
When Merrik was twelve his father left on a mission and unfortunately returned in a body bag. Mother and son packed up and moved to a new home soon after to escape the memories and Merrik developed more behavioral problems, particularly with his anger and desire to fight. The stress of losing his father combined with his growing taste for fighting and causing trouble in general, his grades suffered in his new school and the other Miraluka children became scared of him, this became tempered when he turned fifteen and his family got a new neighbor. An Echani named Sako who had married an ex-Jedi Miraluka and had a family, the echani man saw this troubled young man and decided to take him under his wing. Merrik became friends with the echani, who he simply started calling father, and his daughter Lilud, who he simply called sister. He started teaching Merrik the Echani Martial arts to help discipline the young man, his mother worried that it would only make him worse but thought the discipline would help. However her fears were for naught, he threw himself into the training and calmed down. The structure was good for him and he enjoyed spending time with his second family.
Merrik calmed down, and with his new sense of calm he finished school with good grades. At the same time he continued training with his surrogate father and sister until his early twenties, when he joined up with the Alpheridies Army, he viewed it as a good way to channel his anger into something constructive and useful. Besides, he wasn’t interested in furthering his schooling yet. He learned how to pilot a ship during this time, a skill he enjoyed immensely. He did still struggle with his anger and desire to fight, but his training with his surrogate father helped him remain calm. Also during this time he met a woman named Auera at a bar frequented by military folks, the two hit it off immediately and started dating. She was a teacher at one of the many schools on Alpheridies and in her spare time she had an adventurous side, skydiving was one of her favorite pastimes. As a present for his birthday she gave him a new bandanna to wear around his “eyes.” Which he proceeded to immediately wrap around his head and vowed never to remove, and he would do his best to fulfill that vow.
Merrik had decided to save some credits and live on base, so one day while Auera was on her way to visit him, in line to get through security with a general and a group of anti-government radicals, the radicals blew up their speeder, killing the general and Auera. This cause Merrik to seek revenge, turning closer to his darker feelings, he had lost one of the few things in the galaxy that was keeping him calm. Even his training with the Echani martial arts and vibro-weapons was simply causing him to want to go after the radicals now. He couldn't resist and went after them, treading very close to the Dark Side of the Force. It didn't take him long to find them, they were barely staying under the radar and he knew the authorities were right behind him. So he did what he had to do, he killed them all, there were a dozen of them together, and only three real fighters in the group. He got wounded in the process, cuts and burns from knives and blasters, but nothing lethal. The last man in the group he choked to death with the Force, taking his vibrosword and tossing his corpse aside like the trash he was. Where he had once been treading close to the Dark Side, he was now immersed in the Dark Side of the Force.
However with this Merrik was now a fugitive, and was AWOL from the military. He wasn’t caught however, instead he escaped and went on the run, though he didn't return to his home. He couldn't face his brother’s and sister’s, let alone his mother and second family. They would be horribly ashamed of what he had done, but he didn't care right at this moment. Merrik went straight to one of the farther docks, automatically assuming that the closer ones would be searched first, and found the dumbest starship captain he could. He then proceeded to convince the man that he had just been hired on as his new copilot as his old one decided to stay behind. They then left at once, with Merrik blocking all communications from the planet below. With a few more applications of the Force, no questions were raised. Merrik sent the man back on his way after he arrived at Nar Shaddaa.
Merrik had gotten his revenge and had finally embraced his darker feelings, which attracted another woman after he reached Nar Shaddaa, she was a Dark Jedi Togorian mercenary named Yrrov and wanted him to help her settle a score. She took him under her wing and offered to teach him more about the Dark Side of the Force, Merrik accepted. For the first part of his training she took him to the deepest part of Nar Shaddaa, where only the worst of the criminals went and told him to survive on his own for two months. If he could do that, then his training would officially begin. Yrrov returned to him two months later and he was sitting right where she left him, he had a new set of knives and was surrounded by fearful looks from the multitude of species around him. When asked what had happened, he simply smiled at her and said that he did what he had to do.
Training started right then, she ran him through a series of exersizes to determine his strength with the Force and what he as good at. After that she began with the lesson of Force Lightning by stating one fact; that in order to properly use it he would have to one day be on the receiving end. Merrik had assumed that this meant that she would shock him right then and there, but she didn’t, instead she started with the basics of the technique. Once he had the basics down she instructed him to continue practicing with it, mastery would come with time. On occasion while they were preparing for a job she would give him a tip for Force Lightning, helping him to master it better while still trying to leave him weaker than her. Merrik questioned her on this and she said that it was better not to give all her secrets away at once. Something about the way she said it rubbed Merrik wrong, he didn’t like it at all, something was nagging at him to destroy her.
Yrrov decided to teach him another technique to help keep him alive, Force Rage, it helped him move faster hit harder and be fiercer in a fight. Yrrov didn’t like how fast he grasped the ability, it almost seemed to come naturally to him after she taught him the ability. She never offered to teach him how to use a lightsaber, which she wielded having been taught by her master, and Merrik never asked. He liked to use knives and other blades they were quieter, less flashy. Literally. Besides, Merrik had no intention of giving Yrrov more of a reason to want to kill him. As he had come to suspect she would attempt over the course of the last couple of years working as a mercenary with her. There were several situations where he had been close to dying and he thought he’d felt disappointment from her when he had survived. Then again she could have been disappointed that he’d been in the situation at all, he wasn’t one hundred percent positive anyway. He assumed it was because he survived however.
After another few months of training and a couple more jobs with Yrrov, she got what she wanted. They killed her former master on Umgol, the fight was really less exciting that one would thing. Yrrov and Merrik teamed up and killed him almost with ease, Yrrov stabbed him and Merrik cut off his head. It didn’t take long after the fight finished, Merrik heard the lightsaber reactivate and Yrrov rushed at him. Merrik spun around her blade and stabbed her in the back with his vibrosword, twisting it and leaving it jutting from her back. He left the sword there and as he walked away he blasted it with electricity, causing it to explode just to insure that Yrrov was dead. He’d learned long ago that electricity combined with the power cell and ultrasonic generator caused a “mild” explosion with just enough force to take off a hand… Or blast a hole in someone’s back and damage their internal organs. You know, whichever.
Merrik started traveling alone now, learning how to throw knives and acquiring himself a vibrosword with a cortosis weave. He acquired it from a man he killed on a job. He found that he enjoyed this life, probably far more than he should have. He enjoyed the power the Dark Side gave him, but there were still remnants of the man he used to be, the kinder and gentler person his parents had raised. His life at this point was filled with nothing but fighting, death, and one night stands. Empty, meaningless, and without any true attachment, just how he liked it, no chance of being betrayed again. Merrik soon turned twenty seven and was growing bored with his life, bored and weary of the constant fighting. However his life was shaken up when he ran into someone he never expected to see again while on Onderon, someone who he had fully expected to kill him on sight. His ‘sister’ Lilud, though he just called her Lil. She was just two years younger than him and fresh out of her university where she studied some biology that Merrik couldn't grasp.
Merrik tried to hide from her, but she knew him well enough to find him quickly, and Lil did express her disappointment in him. By hitting him upside the head until he could barely stand, he didn't want to fight or hurt her, then she took it upon herself to try and bring him back to the light. So she hired him to be her bodyguard while she was studying flora and fauna in the Shadowlands of Kashyyk, mostly so she could keep her eye on him. She was showing trust in him, or more accurately, his desire to not kill her. He took the job because it was a paycheck from someone he could trust, and if anyone could help him forge a better life, it would be Lil. If she failed, he still had a decent paycheck out of it, it was a win-win. It was difficult and dangerous, but both figured that he could channel his inner darkness into defending the scientists from the creatures that roamed the dark. He started practicing with his Beast Trick again, enough to keep many of the animals away from them, or keep them calm when they were being studied. Some days it worked better than others, and on the days it didn’t work then he would stain his vibrosword red. Soon Lil started teaching him her most powerful Force ability, Force Valor which she had learned from her ex-Jedi mother.
His training was stunted by his anger and frustration, his Dark Side tendencies, and because of this he never managed to grasp the technique. One day they were attacked by a large group of katarn’s, they had eaten an animal that had eaten a poisonous plant and had been driven insane. Merrik was unable to calm them with the Force, and so he and the other guards did the only thing they could do. They fought them all, every one of that came before the group met steel, or blaster, or in Merrik’s case, lightning. At the end of the fight Lil made the comment that he had been able to remain calm and use Force Lightning, use the Dark Side without relying on his anger or hate. She couldn't help but wonder how that had been possible. Truth be told, at the time Merrik didn’t even realize that he had been doing it until she mentioned it. He thought about it for a while, and then thought about it some more, and before he realized it he had been in the Shadowlands for a full year when the realization hit him. The light and dark sides of the Force were nothing but two sides of the same coin. One could not exist without the other, it was all in how the power was used that mattered, not which side of the Force it came from.
Merrik took this new realization and started working with it, working with both the light and the dark in him, balancing them. He no longer let his emotions control him, but he didn’t block them out either, instead he started controlling them. Doing this he found an easier path in life, he still did what he had to do regardless, but he no longer possessed the inner conflict he used to. Adding to his new outlook, he had been given a puzzle ring that helped him to focus his mind. He worked on his skills for another year down in the Shadowlands before the group was forced to leave, the grant that the scientists received having ended. So the group packed up their camp and all their findings, or in the mercenary’s case their weapons, and left the Shadowlands. Naturally for the path that Merrik’s life has been going, he came across a custom’s official he was unable to persuade with the Force. This of course forced the Miraluka to find another means off the planet, he used the Force and pushed the man away, there was no real reason to kill him, just knock him to the side. From there he hid himself away on a freighter headed for Nar Shaddaa, it was amazing how often he ended up on that planet.
Merrik went on the run, leaving Lil behind so he didn’t cause her any trouble. As it stood she could simply claim that she didn’t know about his criminal past and had given him employment, simple as that. He returned to his previous life of a mercenary, fighting and killing where needed. He was now however more of a wetwork operative as opposed to a simple soldier, his new outlook and calm demeanor made it perfect for him to perform assassinations. He killed when he had to, and was able to accept the fact that he was taking a life. On a few occasions he was even asked to make a scene while doing so, and Force Lightning worked oh so wonderfully well for making a scene. During this time he would practice for hours with his Force powers, and then he would go on to train with his knives and sword, and his martial arts, he did everything he could to keep his skills sharp.
Merrik stuck to the rim worlds mostly, the Republic didn’t have as strong a hold on many of the worlds and he felt safer there. Which was odd considering he spent much of his time in Hutt space, he knew very few who considered themselves safe anywhere near Hutt space. He acquired himself a set of trench knives for when he was in enclosed spaces and put them to good use throughout his work. He continued as a mercenary until he was thirty-one, he accepted a job from a Hutt to take out a rival Hutt’s best smuggler. He infiltrated the smuggler’s ship posing as a new crewmember, and managed to complete his task by choking the man with the Force. However that was where things went south, Jorda the Hutt had expected someone to attempt to kill his best smuggler, though not succeed. Merrik was caught on his way out and electrocuted before he could do anything to defend himself. Then he was knocked out.
Merrik woke up he didn’t know how long later with a few other members of the crew that the Hutt suspected. They had all been hired the same day, so the Hutt knew it was one of them. He killed two of the five and threw the other three in an asteroid that was used to mine starship fuel. Merrik was fitted with a neural dampener that allowed him to use small amounts of the Force, enough for him to see by, but would shut down his ability to use the Force if he tried to use much more than his sight of the Force. The way it had been explained to him, he would have two seconds to use the Force before he was shut down, and then promptly killed. The guard captain taunted him by taking his weapons, and even his bandanna. Merrik promised he would be the last one he killed when he escaped. He was thrown in the mining tunnels and warned that any attempt to fight and he would be shot dead where he stood. And he believed it, so with that he started testing the limits of his collar at night when everyone as asleep. He needed to know just how much he could push the Force before it shut down, there would be no making stupid mistakes here for him.
His days were simple enough, work in the mines, fend off a few attacks until the other inmates realized he was too dangerous to bully, and wasn’t effected by their intimidation. Merrik quickly crafted his own shivs from some spare parts from one of the machines he found there, they weren’t beautiful, but they’d do for the time being. They served him well when he refused to join one of the ‘gangs,’ which reported other inmates to the guards for any little thing. Truth be told, the Hutts didn’t care what happened to them so long as whoever did it wasn’t caught. So when Merrik was attacked by two of the other inmates when the guards weren’t looking, no one questioned when two dead bodies showed up. Especially when no evidence was found, the investigation lasted all of two minutes before the bodies were spaced.
Merrik kept watch on everything around him, learning who hated who, which guards were more lax than others, who were the ones to know and which ones were to be avoided. But what he paid attention to most, which guards were the most weak minded compared to the others. He thought he could come up with a plan that would allow him to escape, maybe even take a few inmates with him if he played his cards right. First step though was to learn everything he could, he also had to find a way to get the neural dampener off his neck. That would be a major bonus to move forward with his escape plans, might even be able to help him keep his promise about killing the captain of the guards, he might not be last, but he would be dead.
Before he knew it, a year had passed. He’d met several other inmates and had obtained better shivs from one of the men who could obtain things for other inmates. He paid for it with three days’ worth of meals, it was a steep price for shivs, but he suspected he’d get good use out of them. He then saved the man from being beaten one day as Merrik was heading to his cell after his shift in the mines. He was being harassed by three other inmates trying to get them some spice, Lucas didn’t deal in drugs, so he kept refusing. When things threatened to make a move toward violence, Merrik made his presence known and blatantly stated that he would kill them without losing an ounce of sleep. And would never be caught either. The three remembered the other’s that tried to kill him and didn’t want to join their bodies in the void of space, so they left. Merrik’s sole motivation for it, Lucas could still prove useful to him. Besides, it was a waste to kill the man, it served no true purpose.
Lucas wanted to thank Merrik, and through this Merrik saw part of his plan come together. He had Lucas rewire the dampener around his neck, the man did so and made it so that the light indicating that the dampener was active worked. And nothing else worked. Merrik now had full control of his Force power again, and the guards would assume that the dampener was still working properly. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought, he was now the most dangerous person in the prison, but he wasn’t dumb enough to try and fight his way out through all the guards. There were too many guards to form a riot, and their weapons were ID locked anyway, so that was a fool’s errand. No, whatever he did would have to be stealthy, quiet, low key to the point of invisibility. He certainly wished he could make himself invisible with the Force right about now, that would make things much simpler for his escape attempt.
Merrik continued his planning, only now he had access to more resources, the Force served him well throughout his planning. He was able to lay in his cell when he wasn’t in the mines and stretch his senses out and watch the guards all around the place, get their routines down. He could also get ideas as to what they were feeling at the time, maybe even an idea of what they were thinking. He even started watching the other inmates, looking for the ones he could manipulate into doing whatever he wanted. He’d try and bring a few out with him if he could, it was the least he could do for using them, but there were no promises made that he’d get anyone out. Except for Lucas, Lucas had helped him, so he’d try and get the man out.
Merrik had his plan formed after another six months, it had taken him time to find everything out, and more time to set it all up. He’d learned that the kitchen staff handled their own deliveries and cargo, he had also learned that the Hutts were careful to scan the ship before they took off and after they docked. That made things marginally more difficult, or it would have had the man operating the scanner been stronger of will. He was an alcoholic and spent half his shift drinking, and the other half wishing he had more alcohol. He’d tried to persuade him with the Force, simple things at first just having him stop and look around, then bigger things. He had him push another guard as part of a joke, then hit an inmate that was acting up, and hit him a second time just to be safe. Soon he had him putting his alcohol down to do something, this was when he knew he had him where he needed him for sure.
Merrik made his move in the middle of the night, he had convinced one of the kitchen staff to leave out some food, enough for a few people for a few days. Through sheer luck, the guard captain had earned a long weekend and would be in the cargo bay early to catch a ride out, on the same ship that Merrik was going to stow away on. He wished he had something to do with it, but he hadn’t, it was truly luck on his part. Less so on the captain’s part. Merrik managed to grab three inmates, Lucas being the first he grabbed, the other two being kitchen workers that were quite attractive and fearful for their lives… and other things. He hid the three in the cargo hold, then used the Force to convince the scanner operator, he still didn’t know the man’s name, to not properly scan the cargo hold. Everything was perfect so far, Merrik hid himself and sat back to wait with the other three.
Merrik waited until they were safely in hyperspace before he made his move, he convinced the pilot and copilot to go lay down. The trip would be several hours, they were heading to Sriluur to pick up supplies that Weequay pirates had picked up and were selling to the Hutts. Then they were going to make a pit stop for the captain to take his vacation. Merrik kept his promise when the captain was on his own, he moved into the recreation room and lifted the man with the Force. Smiling the whole time, he took back his trench knives from the guard, and then killed him by choking him to death. After searching the man’s body he found more of his vibro knives, but never did find his bandana. One of the kitchen workers, a woman by the name of Mira, cut him a new one from her uniform simply because she found his eyeless gaze creepy. Merrik let his fellow inmates deal with the pilot and copilot, who needed cargo workers when you had an unlimited supply of inmates and the cargo was loaded for you.
After they landed, Merrik bartered passage for himself to go anywhere he wanted. The payment was for him to work everything off, including the supplies he requested which included replacing all of his lost weapons, especially his sword. They agreed that one year would be the time limit for him to work everything off, that was one year of steady work for him to have. He even got paid on the down low on occasion. The year flew passed faster than he thought it would, and now Merrik was on his own again, free to do what he wished.
Roleplay Sample: Merrik had accepted a job to kill a smuggler captain that had crossed his previous boss, apparently the Hutts didn’t appreciate it when their smuggler went to work for a rival. He had signed with the ship as a crew hand, it was simple work but it was enough to get him on the ship. It didn’t even need to work for very long, just a few hours at the most and everything would work out perfectly for him. And if it failed, then the crew would probably learn that they needed to screen their recruits better. They said no weapons but Merrik still had four knives on him, that was what you got for hiring weak minded fools to search people… And letting them drink on the job was a pretty big mistake too, it only made his job easier.
And so Merrik had done what was expected of him while he learned his way around the ship, he carried crates into the cargo hold, and assisted anyone who needed it around the ship. After he had learned everything he could about the ship, he excused himself claiming he needed to find the refresher. In actuality he had noticed something while working earlier, the captain’s quarters was right next to a supply closet. This must have been a design flaw, or maybe the captain just enjoyed being next to the supply closet. In any case, Merrik knew he wouldn’t consider it at all, too many ways that someone could kill him from the adjoining room. Then again most people didn’t think that it was possible to kill through walls, not unless that had even a basic understanding of the Force. A smile crossed Merrik’s lips as he entered the supply room and sat on a crate with his back to the wall.
Merrik had to wait for almost an hour, punctuality wasn’t a big deal for many people on the smuggler’s moon, before the captain came back to his quarters. He had someone with him though, so Merrik didn’t make his move yet. Patience was a virtue, and one that he put to great use. He’d once waited for over a day in a sewer before he was able to strike at his target, if he could wait for a day in a sewer, he could wait for a little while longer in a supply closet. Besides it wasn’t the worst place to be, he had access to everything in the supply room, people hid things here. So in his pocket went a bottle of what smelled like Corellian ale, someone was going to be angry when they found it missing, but he really didn’t care. By the time anyone realized that the ale was missing he’d be light-years away enjoying his newly obtained drink and counting his money.
The other person left and it was now just the captain, it was time. Merrik moved back to his place against the wall and straightened his back, if he’d had eyes he would have closed them. Instead he narrowed his focus to the hallway, the supply closet, and the captain’s room. Reaching out with the Force he gripped the captain’s neck lightly, what had been the man’s name? Hondo? Something like that… soon his name wouldn’t matter anymore. Too bad, the man had a nice ship he hoped that nothing would happen to it after the untimely death of the captain. With that thought in mind Merrik squeezed the man’s throat and felt the terror course through him. The terror didn’t last long as the captain’s life ebbed out of him and Merrik let his body slump to the floor silently. The job was done, time to leave.
Merrik left his store room and went back to the cargo hold, acting as if he had been there the whole time. He started helping out inside the hold for a few minutes, waiting for his perfect moment to slip out and disappear into the smuggler’s moon without conflict. Of course that was the moment when one of the crew-members stated they were going to get the captain as asked. Well, his stay here had gone on long enough, now it was time for him to hit the ‘ol dusty trail. He started on his way out, ignoring anyone who had bothered trying to talk to him. He needed to get out and get out fast, and it looked like he wasn’t the only one. One of the other guys that had signed on that day was beside him now, two workers leaving work for the day. His danger sense went off, and he knew at once that all was not well. His last thought was ”Oh shi-!” Before he was hit with the stun blast and passed out, well this job hadn’t gone as well as it should have. What was the worst that could happen?
Race: Miraluka
Age: Thirty-Three
Birthplace: Alderaan, raised on Alpheridies
Allegiance: Himself
Status: Mercenary
Rank: Knight level
Height/Weight: 6’0” / 175 lbs.
Appearance: Merrik stands in at six foot even and weighs in at one hundred seventy-five pounds of pure muscle. He had dark brown hair that he keeps cut short in a crew cut, and around his non-existent eyes he wears a bandanna cut from an old prison uniform. From his time working in the Hutt’s mines his muscles are well defined and he lacks much body fat, his body is covered in scars from his many years of combat and at time lack of access to bacta or kolto. He has as of yet avoided all scars on his face and arms, either through sheer dumb luck. His most obvious striking feature is his eyes, or rather his empty eye sockets. Though he does normally keep them covered a few people have seen them and no one has liked what they saw. Slightly less obvious than his eye sockets, is his smile which has been described as best as highly unsettling, and at worst as making him look cruel.
As far as clothing goings, Merrik cares more about functionality than anything else. He continues wearing something around his eye sockets like all Miraluka, in his case a bandanna. Other than that he wears a pair of bracers around his arms that each have two push daggers in them, and each possess one throwing knife. On his left bracer is a comlink for any time he is working with someone else, or if he needs to monitor communications. He wears black boots with black pants and a dark grey shirt most days. He carries his vibrosword on his back, at two trench knives visible on his chest. Other than those weapons, his other knives tend to be hidden, it’s a safe bet to assume he is one of the most heavily armed men in the room. At least where blades are concerned.
Personality: Merrik has been defined as a cold man, in truth he simply does whatever needs to be done to survive. For many years he had struggled with his anger, however within the last few years he finally started controlling his anger and other darker emotions. He no longer lets them control him, but he doesn't block them out at all as he prefers to feel them, just not be ruled by them. He has absolutely no moral qualms about killing and if he does kill, he will sleep like a baby that night. However he does not kill without reason, he isn't a monster, just a man who recognizes that death is the balance to life. He has accepted the inevitability that there is someone out there stronger than him, carrying a blaster with his name on it who will possibly kill him, whether that person knows it or not is another thing.
Merrik’s primary personality trait these days is a calculating calm, he watches and studies everything trying to figure out how to turn it to his advantage. He doesn't form long term plans instead making up whatever he needs to do as he goes, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that jazz. Though he is not a Jedi or Sith, he still believes firmly in the Force, it’s been everything he knew for his entire life, as such he trusts it more than he trusts any living being in the galaxy. However, if someone manages to earn his trust the only way to lose it is to betray him, if you’re lucky enough to survive for long after he finds out he’s been betrayed anyway.
However this is not to say that he is not without his virtues, he has a nearly limitless amount of patience, but no tolerance for stupidity. He will not kill someone who either doesn’t deserve it or who is trying to back away, nor will he kill children. If you aren't trying to kill him, chances are, he won't try to kill you. He will never leave a friend behind and will always come back for anyone that falls behind, he is a man of his word and if he makes a promise he will do everything within his considerable power to keep that promise. He will never let a friend die for him, preferring to have that friend owe him a drink instead. He’s also a great listener, preferring to keep his own council unless he needs to speak, he was able to learn more in this way, or so he believes anyway.
Ships/Vehicles: N/A
Equipment: Vibrosword with a cortosis weave, two trench knives, throwing knives, knives, vibro knives.
Stats: (Feeble, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Superior, Legendary)
Strength - Above Average
Agility – Above Average
Intelligence - Average
Charisma – Below Average
Force Stats: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Telekinetic- Adept
Telepathic- Adept
Body- Apprentice
Sense- Expert
Protection- Novice
Healing:– Unskilled
Destruction– Apprentice
Combat Training: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Echani Martial Arts – Expert
Vibrosword combat – Expert
Knife Throwing – Adept
Knife Combat – Adept, nearing Expert
Force Training: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Force Rage- Adept
Beast Control- Adept
Other Training: (Unskilled, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master)
Piloting – Expert
Lightsaber Training: (Untrained, Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master, Specialist)
Shii-Cho- N/A
Makashi- N/A
Soresu- N/A
Ataru- N/A
Shien/Djem So- N/A
>>Sub-form Backhanded- N/A
Niman- N/A
>>Sub-form Jar-kai- N/A
Juyo- N/A
Double Bladed Combat- N/A
Biography: Merrik was born on Alderaan, his parents had been staying there on vacation and had decided to stay until after he was born, they would return when he was a few weeks old. His mother was named Levany D’ravk and was a skilled doctor on their home planet Alpheridies, his father was Gonet D’ravk and was a skilled warrior and a mercenary. Merrik got his name from the woman who helped deliver him, Loral Merrik a local midwife, in the hopes that he would go on to help people throughout his lifetime. If his parents had known what he would become… Well they possibly would have made different choices leading up to his birth. However considering they didn't know what he would become, they held high hopes and were already talking about what they would teach their bouncing baby boy.
Merrik was an energetic child, always ready to play and have fun with his friends, he especially enjoyed games that allowed him to use his strength and speed to his advantage. His parents got slightly concerned when he started trying to dominate the games and sports they played, but he was still a relatively good kid and didn't let it get to them too much. They did try to teach him that it was only a game and to have fun, and he tried to make them proud, but he couldn't resist trying to dominate in sports. He was smart and did well in school, he was popular with the girls because he was the image of what they were supposed to stay away from. The other guys in school tended to not like him, which happened when one always had to be the best at sports. When he was ten years old he got into his first fight, he taught that kid not to talk about his mama, but both of his parents were very disappointed in him. At this point his mother started teaching him how to put up barriers with the Force, tried to teach him that defense was better than offense, while his father taught him other uses for the Force, like how to move things, sense emotions, and how to use the Force to enhance his body. He would then expand on his senses on his own, particularly enjoying enhancing his hearing to listen in on conversations.
Merrik enjoyed making his toy starships float through the air, and even started having mock star fights. He practiced with his telepathic powers because his father made him more than anything, he didn’t like some of the emotions he picked up about him from the other kids. At the time he didn’t understand them at first, but later in life wouldn’t blame them at all, still it made his father happy for him to practice, so practice he did. He found it fun to use the Force to jump as high as he could, it wasn’t uncommon to find him on the roof doing his homework. He also enjoyed the thrill of running as fast as he could, or racing the other kids whose fathers were teaching them more about the Force.
Merrik looked up to his father who was a proud warrior and renowned mercenary, however he tried to instill in his son a sense of honor. Gonet, fought and killed for a living, but he didn't enjoy the job and didn't want the same life for his son. The only reason he kept up with the mercenary life was because it was all he knew how to do. He tried to teach his son the difference between being good like him, or being great like his mother. It kind of worked, but he was still enamored with his father’s lifestyle. He continued to study under his mother, trying to learn more about barriers with the Force, but he lacked much skill in it and grew frustrated. When he was calm he was able to do it, but the more he became frustrated the weaker his barriers became. Still he was a stubborn child and didn't give up on anything he tried, his mother started teaching him how to tame animals with the Force, a trick he enjoyed and would often use to play with birds and other animals around their home.
When Merrik was twelve his father left on a mission and unfortunately returned in a body bag. Mother and son packed up and moved to a new home soon after to escape the memories and Merrik developed more behavioral problems, particularly with his anger and desire to fight. The stress of losing his father combined with his growing taste for fighting and causing trouble in general, his grades suffered in his new school and the other Miraluka children became scared of him, this became tempered when he turned fifteen and his family got a new neighbor. An Echani named Sako who had married an ex-Jedi Miraluka and had a family, the echani man saw this troubled young man and decided to take him under his wing. Merrik became friends with the echani, who he simply started calling father, and his daughter Lilud, who he simply called sister. He started teaching Merrik the Echani Martial arts to help discipline the young man, his mother worried that it would only make him worse but thought the discipline would help. However her fears were for naught, he threw himself into the training and calmed down. The structure was good for him and he enjoyed spending time with his second family.
Merrik calmed down, and with his new sense of calm he finished school with good grades. At the same time he continued training with his surrogate father and sister until his early twenties, when he joined up with the Alpheridies Army, he viewed it as a good way to channel his anger into something constructive and useful. Besides, he wasn’t interested in furthering his schooling yet. He learned how to pilot a ship during this time, a skill he enjoyed immensely. He did still struggle with his anger and desire to fight, but his training with his surrogate father helped him remain calm. Also during this time he met a woman named Auera at a bar frequented by military folks, the two hit it off immediately and started dating. She was a teacher at one of the many schools on Alpheridies and in her spare time she had an adventurous side, skydiving was one of her favorite pastimes. As a present for his birthday she gave him a new bandanna to wear around his “eyes.” Which he proceeded to immediately wrap around his head and vowed never to remove, and he would do his best to fulfill that vow.
Merrik had decided to save some credits and live on base, so one day while Auera was on her way to visit him, in line to get through security with a general and a group of anti-government radicals, the radicals blew up their speeder, killing the general and Auera. This cause Merrik to seek revenge, turning closer to his darker feelings, he had lost one of the few things in the galaxy that was keeping him calm. Even his training with the Echani martial arts and vibro-weapons was simply causing him to want to go after the radicals now. He couldn't resist and went after them, treading very close to the Dark Side of the Force. It didn't take him long to find them, they were barely staying under the radar and he knew the authorities were right behind him. So he did what he had to do, he killed them all, there were a dozen of them together, and only three real fighters in the group. He got wounded in the process, cuts and burns from knives and blasters, but nothing lethal. The last man in the group he choked to death with the Force, taking his vibrosword and tossing his corpse aside like the trash he was. Where he had once been treading close to the Dark Side, he was now immersed in the Dark Side of the Force.
However with this Merrik was now a fugitive, and was AWOL from the military. He wasn’t caught however, instead he escaped and went on the run, though he didn't return to his home. He couldn't face his brother’s and sister’s, let alone his mother and second family. They would be horribly ashamed of what he had done, but he didn't care right at this moment. Merrik went straight to one of the farther docks, automatically assuming that the closer ones would be searched first, and found the dumbest starship captain he could. He then proceeded to convince the man that he had just been hired on as his new copilot as his old one decided to stay behind. They then left at once, with Merrik blocking all communications from the planet below. With a few more applications of the Force, no questions were raised. Merrik sent the man back on his way after he arrived at Nar Shaddaa.
Merrik had gotten his revenge and had finally embraced his darker feelings, which attracted another woman after he reached Nar Shaddaa, she was a Dark Jedi Togorian mercenary named Yrrov and wanted him to help her settle a score. She took him under her wing and offered to teach him more about the Dark Side of the Force, Merrik accepted. For the first part of his training she took him to the deepest part of Nar Shaddaa, where only the worst of the criminals went and told him to survive on his own for two months. If he could do that, then his training would officially begin. Yrrov returned to him two months later and he was sitting right where she left him, he had a new set of knives and was surrounded by fearful looks from the multitude of species around him. When asked what had happened, he simply smiled at her and said that he did what he had to do.
Training started right then, she ran him through a series of exersizes to determine his strength with the Force and what he as good at. After that she began with the lesson of Force Lightning by stating one fact; that in order to properly use it he would have to one day be on the receiving end. Merrik had assumed that this meant that she would shock him right then and there, but she didn’t, instead she started with the basics of the technique. Once he had the basics down she instructed him to continue practicing with it, mastery would come with time. On occasion while they were preparing for a job she would give him a tip for Force Lightning, helping him to master it better while still trying to leave him weaker than her. Merrik questioned her on this and she said that it was better not to give all her secrets away at once. Something about the way she said it rubbed Merrik wrong, he didn’t like it at all, something was nagging at him to destroy her.
Yrrov decided to teach him another technique to help keep him alive, Force Rage, it helped him move faster hit harder and be fiercer in a fight. Yrrov didn’t like how fast he grasped the ability, it almost seemed to come naturally to him after she taught him the ability. She never offered to teach him how to use a lightsaber, which she wielded having been taught by her master, and Merrik never asked. He liked to use knives and other blades they were quieter, less flashy. Literally. Besides, Merrik had no intention of giving Yrrov more of a reason to want to kill him. As he had come to suspect she would attempt over the course of the last couple of years working as a mercenary with her. There were several situations where he had been close to dying and he thought he’d felt disappointment from her when he had survived. Then again she could have been disappointed that he’d been in the situation at all, he wasn’t one hundred percent positive anyway. He assumed it was because he survived however.
After another few months of training and a couple more jobs with Yrrov, she got what she wanted. They killed her former master on Umgol, the fight was really less exciting that one would thing. Yrrov and Merrik teamed up and killed him almost with ease, Yrrov stabbed him and Merrik cut off his head. It didn’t take long after the fight finished, Merrik heard the lightsaber reactivate and Yrrov rushed at him. Merrik spun around her blade and stabbed her in the back with his vibrosword, twisting it and leaving it jutting from her back. He left the sword there and as he walked away he blasted it with electricity, causing it to explode just to insure that Yrrov was dead. He’d learned long ago that electricity combined with the power cell and ultrasonic generator caused a “mild” explosion with just enough force to take off a hand… Or blast a hole in someone’s back and damage their internal organs. You know, whichever.
Merrik started traveling alone now, learning how to throw knives and acquiring himself a vibrosword with a cortosis weave. He acquired it from a man he killed on a job. He found that he enjoyed this life, probably far more than he should have. He enjoyed the power the Dark Side gave him, but there were still remnants of the man he used to be, the kinder and gentler person his parents had raised. His life at this point was filled with nothing but fighting, death, and one night stands. Empty, meaningless, and without any true attachment, just how he liked it, no chance of being betrayed again. Merrik soon turned twenty seven and was growing bored with his life, bored and weary of the constant fighting. However his life was shaken up when he ran into someone he never expected to see again while on Onderon, someone who he had fully expected to kill him on sight. His ‘sister’ Lilud, though he just called her Lil. She was just two years younger than him and fresh out of her university where she studied some biology that Merrik couldn't grasp.
Merrik tried to hide from her, but she knew him well enough to find him quickly, and Lil did express her disappointment in him. By hitting him upside the head until he could barely stand, he didn't want to fight or hurt her, then she took it upon herself to try and bring him back to the light. So she hired him to be her bodyguard while she was studying flora and fauna in the Shadowlands of Kashyyk, mostly so she could keep her eye on him. She was showing trust in him, or more accurately, his desire to not kill her. He took the job because it was a paycheck from someone he could trust, and if anyone could help him forge a better life, it would be Lil. If she failed, he still had a decent paycheck out of it, it was a win-win. It was difficult and dangerous, but both figured that he could channel his inner darkness into defending the scientists from the creatures that roamed the dark. He started practicing with his Beast Trick again, enough to keep many of the animals away from them, or keep them calm when they were being studied. Some days it worked better than others, and on the days it didn’t work then he would stain his vibrosword red. Soon Lil started teaching him her most powerful Force ability, Force Valor which she had learned from her ex-Jedi mother.
His training was stunted by his anger and frustration, his Dark Side tendencies, and because of this he never managed to grasp the technique. One day they were attacked by a large group of katarn’s, they had eaten an animal that had eaten a poisonous plant and had been driven insane. Merrik was unable to calm them with the Force, and so he and the other guards did the only thing they could do. They fought them all, every one of that came before the group met steel, or blaster, or in Merrik’s case, lightning. At the end of the fight Lil made the comment that he had been able to remain calm and use Force Lightning, use the Dark Side without relying on his anger or hate. She couldn't help but wonder how that had been possible. Truth be told, at the time Merrik didn’t even realize that he had been doing it until she mentioned it. He thought about it for a while, and then thought about it some more, and before he realized it he had been in the Shadowlands for a full year when the realization hit him. The light and dark sides of the Force were nothing but two sides of the same coin. One could not exist without the other, it was all in how the power was used that mattered, not which side of the Force it came from.
Merrik took this new realization and started working with it, working with both the light and the dark in him, balancing them. He no longer let his emotions control him, but he didn’t block them out either, instead he started controlling them. Doing this he found an easier path in life, he still did what he had to do regardless, but he no longer possessed the inner conflict he used to. Adding to his new outlook, he had been given a puzzle ring that helped him to focus his mind. He worked on his skills for another year down in the Shadowlands before the group was forced to leave, the grant that the scientists received having ended. So the group packed up their camp and all their findings, or in the mercenary’s case their weapons, and left the Shadowlands. Naturally for the path that Merrik’s life has been going, he came across a custom’s official he was unable to persuade with the Force. This of course forced the Miraluka to find another means off the planet, he used the Force and pushed the man away, there was no real reason to kill him, just knock him to the side. From there he hid himself away on a freighter headed for Nar Shaddaa, it was amazing how often he ended up on that planet.
Merrik went on the run, leaving Lil behind so he didn’t cause her any trouble. As it stood she could simply claim that she didn’t know about his criminal past and had given him employment, simple as that. He returned to his previous life of a mercenary, fighting and killing where needed. He was now however more of a wetwork operative as opposed to a simple soldier, his new outlook and calm demeanor made it perfect for him to perform assassinations. He killed when he had to, and was able to accept the fact that he was taking a life. On a few occasions he was even asked to make a scene while doing so, and Force Lightning worked oh so wonderfully well for making a scene. During this time he would practice for hours with his Force powers, and then he would go on to train with his knives and sword, and his martial arts, he did everything he could to keep his skills sharp.
Merrik stuck to the rim worlds mostly, the Republic didn’t have as strong a hold on many of the worlds and he felt safer there. Which was odd considering he spent much of his time in Hutt space, he knew very few who considered themselves safe anywhere near Hutt space. He acquired himself a set of trench knives for when he was in enclosed spaces and put them to good use throughout his work. He continued as a mercenary until he was thirty-one, he accepted a job from a Hutt to take out a rival Hutt’s best smuggler. He infiltrated the smuggler’s ship posing as a new crewmember, and managed to complete his task by choking the man with the Force. However that was where things went south, Jorda the Hutt had expected someone to attempt to kill his best smuggler, though not succeed. Merrik was caught on his way out and electrocuted before he could do anything to defend himself. Then he was knocked out.
Merrik woke up he didn’t know how long later with a few other members of the crew that the Hutt suspected. They had all been hired the same day, so the Hutt knew it was one of them. He killed two of the five and threw the other three in an asteroid that was used to mine starship fuel. Merrik was fitted with a neural dampener that allowed him to use small amounts of the Force, enough for him to see by, but would shut down his ability to use the Force if he tried to use much more than his sight of the Force. The way it had been explained to him, he would have two seconds to use the Force before he was shut down, and then promptly killed. The guard captain taunted him by taking his weapons, and even his bandanna. Merrik promised he would be the last one he killed when he escaped. He was thrown in the mining tunnels and warned that any attempt to fight and he would be shot dead where he stood. And he believed it, so with that he started testing the limits of his collar at night when everyone as asleep. He needed to know just how much he could push the Force before it shut down, there would be no making stupid mistakes here for him.
His days were simple enough, work in the mines, fend off a few attacks until the other inmates realized he was too dangerous to bully, and wasn’t effected by their intimidation. Merrik quickly crafted his own shivs from some spare parts from one of the machines he found there, they weren’t beautiful, but they’d do for the time being. They served him well when he refused to join one of the ‘gangs,’ which reported other inmates to the guards for any little thing. Truth be told, the Hutts didn’t care what happened to them so long as whoever did it wasn’t caught. So when Merrik was attacked by two of the other inmates when the guards weren’t looking, no one questioned when two dead bodies showed up. Especially when no evidence was found, the investigation lasted all of two minutes before the bodies were spaced.
Merrik kept watch on everything around him, learning who hated who, which guards were more lax than others, who were the ones to know and which ones were to be avoided. But what he paid attention to most, which guards were the most weak minded compared to the others. He thought he could come up with a plan that would allow him to escape, maybe even take a few inmates with him if he played his cards right. First step though was to learn everything he could, he also had to find a way to get the neural dampener off his neck. That would be a major bonus to move forward with his escape plans, might even be able to help him keep his promise about killing the captain of the guards, he might not be last, but he would be dead.
Before he knew it, a year had passed. He’d met several other inmates and had obtained better shivs from one of the men who could obtain things for other inmates. He paid for it with three days’ worth of meals, it was a steep price for shivs, but he suspected he’d get good use out of them. He then saved the man from being beaten one day as Merrik was heading to his cell after his shift in the mines. He was being harassed by three other inmates trying to get them some spice, Lucas didn’t deal in drugs, so he kept refusing. When things threatened to make a move toward violence, Merrik made his presence known and blatantly stated that he would kill them without losing an ounce of sleep. And would never be caught either. The three remembered the other’s that tried to kill him and didn’t want to join their bodies in the void of space, so they left. Merrik’s sole motivation for it, Lucas could still prove useful to him. Besides, it was a waste to kill the man, it served no true purpose.
Lucas wanted to thank Merrik, and through this Merrik saw part of his plan come together. He had Lucas rewire the dampener around his neck, the man did so and made it so that the light indicating that the dampener was active worked. And nothing else worked. Merrik now had full control of his Force power again, and the guards would assume that the dampener was still working properly. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought, he was now the most dangerous person in the prison, but he wasn’t dumb enough to try and fight his way out through all the guards. There were too many guards to form a riot, and their weapons were ID locked anyway, so that was a fool’s errand. No, whatever he did would have to be stealthy, quiet, low key to the point of invisibility. He certainly wished he could make himself invisible with the Force right about now, that would make things much simpler for his escape attempt.
Merrik continued his planning, only now he had access to more resources, the Force served him well throughout his planning. He was able to lay in his cell when he wasn’t in the mines and stretch his senses out and watch the guards all around the place, get their routines down. He could also get ideas as to what they were feeling at the time, maybe even an idea of what they were thinking. He even started watching the other inmates, looking for the ones he could manipulate into doing whatever he wanted. He’d try and bring a few out with him if he could, it was the least he could do for using them, but there were no promises made that he’d get anyone out. Except for Lucas, Lucas had helped him, so he’d try and get the man out.
Merrik had his plan formed after another six months, it had taken him time to find everything out, and more time to set it all up. He’d learned that the kitchen staff handled their own deliveries and cargo, he had also learned that the Hutts were careful to scan the ship before they took off and after they docked. That made things marginally more difficult, or it would have had the man operating the scanner been stronger of will. He was an alcoholic and spent half his shift drinking, and the other half wishing he had more alcohol. He’d tried to persuade him with the Force, simple things at first just having him stop and look around, then bigger things. He had him push another guard as part of a joke, then hit an inmate that was acting up, and hit him a second time just to be safe. Soon he had him putting his alcohol down to do something, this was when he knew he had him where he needed him for sure.
Merrik made his move in the middle of the night, he had convinced one of the kitchen staff to leave out some food, enough for a few people for a few days. Through sheer luck, the guard captain had earned a long weekend and would be in the cargo bay early to catch a ride out, on the same ship that Merrik was going to stow away on. He wished he had something to do with it, but he hadn’t, it was truly luck on his part. Less so on the captain’s part. Merrik managed to grab three inmates, Lucas being the first he grabbed, the other two being kitchen workers that were quite attractive and fearful for their lives… and other things. He hid the three in the cargo hold, then used the Force to convince the scanner operator, he still didn’t know the man’s name, to not properly scan the cargo hold. Everything was perfect so far, Merrik hid himself and sat back to wait with the other three.
Merrik waited until they were safely in hyperspace before he made his move, he convinced the pilot and copilot to go lay down. The trip would be several hours, they were heading to Sriluur to pick up supplies that Weequay pirates had picked up and were selling to the Hutts. Then they were going to make a pit stop for the captain to take his vacation. Merrik kept his promise when the captain was on his own, he moved into the recreation room and lifted the man with the Force. Smiling the whole time, he took back his trench knives from the guard, and then killed him by choking him to death. After searching the man’s body he found more of his vibro knives, but never did find his bandana. One of the kitchen workers, a woman by the name of Mira, cut him a new one from her uniform simply because she found his eyeless gaze creepy. Merrik let his fellow inmates deal with the pilot and copilot, who needed cargo workers when you had an unlimited supply of inmates and the cargo was loaded for you.
After they landed, Merrik bartered passage for himself to go anywhere he wanted. The payment was for him to work everything off, including the supplies he requested which included replacing all of his lost weapons, especially his sword. They agreed that one year would be the time limit for him to work everything off, that was one year of steady work for him to have. He even got paid on the down low on occasion. The year flew passed faster than he thought it would, and now Merrik was on his own again, free to do what he wished.
Roleplay Sample: Merrik had accepted a job to kill a smuggler captain that had crossed his previous boss, apparently the Hutts didn’t appreciate it when their smuggler went to work for a rival. He had signed with the ship as a crew hand, it was simple work but it was enough to get him on the ship. It didn’t even need to work for very long, just a few hours at the most and everything would work out perfectly for him. And if it failed, then the crew would probably learn that they needed to screen their recruits better. They said no weapons but Merrik still had four knives on him, that was what you got for hiring weak minded fools to search people… And letting them drink on the job was a pretty big mistake too, it only made his job easier.
And so Merrik had done what was expected of him while he learned his way around the ship, he carried crates into the cargo hold, and assisted anyone who needed it around the ship. After he had learned everything he could about the ship, he excused himself claiming he needed to find the refresher. In actuality he had noticed something while working earlier, the captain’s quarters was right next to a supply closet. This must have been a design flaw, or maybe the captain just enjoyed being next to the supply closet. In any case, Merrik knew he wouldn’t consider it at all, too many ways that someone could kill him from the adjoining room. Then again most people didn’t think that it was possible to kill through walls, not unless that had even a basic understanding of the Force. A smile crossed Merrik’s lips as he entered the supply room and sat on a crate with his back to the wall.
Merrik had to wait for almost an hour, punctuality wasn’t a big deal for many people on the smuggler’s moon, before the captain came back to his quarters. He had someone with him though, so Merrik didn’t make his move yet. Patience was a virtue, and one that he put to great use. He’d once waited for over a day in a sewer before he was able to strike at his target, if he could wait for a day in a sewer, he could wait for a little while longer in a supply closet. Besides it wasn’t the worst place to be, he had access to everything in the supply room, people hid things here. So in his pocket went a bottle of what smelled like Corellian ale, someone was going to be angry when they found it missing, but he really didn’t care. By the time anyone realized that the ale was missing he’d be light-years away enjoying his newly obtained drink and counting his money.
The other person left and it was now just the captain, it was time. Merrik moved back to his place against the wall and straightened his back, if he’d had eyes he would have closed them. Instead he narrowed his focus to the hallway, the supply closet, and the captain’s room. Reaching out with the Force he gripped the captain’s neck lightly, what had been the man’s name? Hondo? Something like that… soon his name wouldn’t matter anymore. Too bad, the man had a nice ship he hoped that nothing would happen to it after the untimely death of the captain. With that thought in mind Merrik squeezed the man’s throat and felt the terror course through him. The terror didn’t last long as the captain’s life ebbed out of him and Merrik let his body slump to the floor silently. The job was done, time to leave.
Merrik left his store room and went back to the cargo hold, acting as if he had been there the whole time. He started helping out inside the hold for a few minutes, waiting for his perfect moment to slip out and disappear into the smuggler’s moon without conflict. Of course that was the moment when one of the crew-members stated they were going to get the captain as asked. Well, his stay here had gone on long enough, now it was time for him to hit the ‘ol dusty trail. He started on his way out, ignoring anyone who had bothered trying to talk to him. He needed to get out and get out fast, and it looked like he wasn’t the only one. One of the other guys that had signed on that day was beside him now, two workers leaving work for the day. His danger sense went off, and he knew at once that all was not well. His last thought was ”Oh shi-!” Before he was hit with the stun blast and passed out, well this job hadn’t gone as well as it should have. What was the worst that could happen?
