Post by Cain on Mar 12, 2011 2:10:14 GMT -5
The cantina was much as it's Rodian proprietor had described it, completely trashed. Maris Styles stepped cautiously into the establishment located just off the Nar Shaddaa docks flanked by her associate, Tera Ferran. From the looks of the cantina there had obviously been quite a brawl. Most of the tables had been upturned and splintered into pieces. The bar stools were carelessly flung in all directions, scattered now haphazardly about the floor along with several of the patrons which had once occupied them.
The stench of death hit Maris immediately as she entered, causing her to turn in disgust, "Looks like we're late again..." she commented, cupping her hand over her nose and mouth.
Tera followed close behind, assessing the scene for herself. As she approached the bar, the body of a Twi'lek man lay slumped over the counter with what appeared to be blood slowly pooling around his face. The register was beside him, it alone in the ravaged cantina seemed strangely pristine. Tera drew her blaster pistol and fired a single bolt into the back of the register, blowing it apart with a plume of smoke and scorched credit chips, "Ha," Tera chuckled, "What kind of Merc goes to the trouble of slaughtering a cantina full of Exchange thugs and doesn't even bother to touch the register?"
"Someone not looking for money."
The voice came from the shadows behind the bar, Startled, Tera quickly raised her blaster and pointed it at the young man who now stepped into the light. The boy wore a blind fold and had long gray hair which hung down past the tattered black strip of cloth wrapped around his head. He was armed with a long bo staff which was housed behind his back. Upon seeing him Tera let out a sigh and lowered her weapon, "Tenkai... you creepy bastard, what are you doing skulking around behind the bar?"
Tenkai retorted with a smile, hopping up onto the bar and crouching down over the fallen Twi'lek. After pausing for only a moment, he ran his fingers through the red-brown substance pooling about the Twi'lek's face and pressed them to his tongue.
Tera's face twisted in disgust, "Let me guess, blood?"
"Mm... day old caf, actually," Tenkai answered, extending his fingers still stained with the substance toward Tera, "see."
Tera quickly recoiled, slapping Tenkai's hand away, "Ugh, don't touch me, freak."
"Knock it off, both of you," Maris scolded from behind. She had been investigating the corpses of the bouncers, both seemed to have been killed by blaster bolts, one to the chest and another to the head, "I'm not sure this is the work of the one we're looking for. These two here, they've been killed by blasters, not a Jedi's lightsaber."
"An astute deduction," Lucias chimed in, hopping down from the bar, "but ultimately, incorrect. The Jedi was here, I can feel him still..."
"These 'feelings' of yours have gotten us no where so far." Tera snapped, "Besides, why would a Jedi kill a bar full of patrons with a blaster?"
Tenkai shrugged, "Who can say, though I suspect the wounds done to the patrons were inflicted by the bolts of their own blasters. It's a lightsaber trick the Jedi are most fond of."
"If it was him, then we must be getting close," Maris added, "What do you suppose he was after?"
"The Rodian bartender said the Merc was a young man he'd seen around the docks before," Tera said, "apparently he was asking a lot of questions about Hoenn's collection."
"His collection?"
"Mm, Lightsaber crystals," Tenkai interjected, "It's not uncommon for Exchange bosses to keep trophies from the Jedi bounties they've collected. Most prefer the Jedi's lightsabers... Hoenn collects the crystals. I've heard some are exceptionally rare."
Tera glanced back down at the dead Twi'lek on the bar, "Now I remember where I've seen this guy before. He's one of Hoenn's body guards."
"Hmph..." Tenkai chuckled, "I think I can fathom a guess as to where our friend might turn up next..."
The suffocating stench of smog and urban decay filled Ryuu's lungs as he stood on the docks, a predator stalking his prey. Ryuu had not yet seen the man he was waiting for in person, but that hardly mattered, Exchange bosses were hard to miss, especially on Nar Shaddaa.
As a heavy rain began to fall Ryuu lifted the hood on his heavy, dark robes, covering his reddish brown hair and concealing his icy blue eyes in shadow. Most of the passers by paid him little mind, their thoughts dwelling on the trivial and the mundane. It had almost been dull enough to lull Ryuu off his guard, though he was still alert enough to recognize danger when it approached. A pair of young women were approaching from the south end of the docks. As Ryuu focused his attention upon them he could sense that they were searching for something, something that was making them anxious. Upon seeing Ryuu both of their heart rates quickened, Ryuu could sense their reactions projected through the Force, and was granted a glimpse at the outcome of this current course of events.
Maris and Tera had spotted him right where they expected to find him. The man in the dark robes stood by the dock which held Hoenn's personal starship, no doubt he was waiting for the old man to return. The two mercs needed only to exchange a quick glance as they knew then what they had to do. As they both reached for their blasters, they were surprised to find their target move almost in unison with them, as if he'd anticipated their ambush.
Ryuu threw off his heavy outer robes and summoned his lightsaber to his hand all in one motion. As Tera opened fire, Ryuu's lightsaber spun to meet each bolt and knock it aside. After her initial assault, Ryuu extended his left fist toward Tera, and as he opened his hand the triggers on all the frag grenades Tera wore on her belt were suddenly activated.
"Oh sh-" The explosion wiped out Tera and sent Maris skidding across the rain soaked durasteel platform, badly injured from a combination of shrapnel and the concussive force of the blast.
"Amateurs..." Ryuu muttered. The mercs hadn't been able to kill him, but they had succeeded in drawing unwanted attention his way. Now Ryuu would have to find another location to ambush Hoenn.
Letting his guard down, Ryuu deactivated his lightsaber and turned to gather his outer robes. Upon turning Ryuu found himself standing only a few meters from Tenkai who was knelt down in front of Ryuu's cloak.
The feeling Tenkai got from the Jedi in front of him was an all too familiar one. There was a great deal of anger in this boy, much like his old master, Raina. Ryuu appeared to Tenkai's Force Sight as a blaze of tainted Force energy, energy which Ryuu quickly began to channel through his limbs. Tenkai recognized this to signal an attack and responded with a Force aided back flip away from Ryuu just in time to avoid a blast of Force Lightning. As he landed, Tenkai felt the Force rush to Ryuu again and with it's help Ryuu darted in toward Tenkai, his lightsaber raised and at the ready. Tenkai responded, summoning his bo staff from his back and raising it up to block the downward slash of Ryuu's lightsaber.
Ryuu was somewhat surprised that Tenkai's staff withstood the blow from his lightsaber. It was an opening Tenkai rapidly took advantage of, knocking Ryuu's lightsaber aside with the top of his staff and spinning the bottom back around to sweep his legs out from under him. With Ryuu on the ground, Tenkai gave his staff another quick spin, slapping Ryuu's weapon from his hand and sending it over the edge of the dock platform.
Ryuu smirked up at Tenkai, rolling out of the way of a follow up blow from his staff and jumping up onto the platform's railing. Opening his arms, Ryuu fell backwards and down into the speeder traffic below. Tenkai hurried after him, climbing up onto the railing and using his Force Sight to follow Ryuu down until he landed on a speeder. Tenkai scowled as he felt Ryuu moving away fast. He had eluded Tenkai again it seemed... for now at least.
The stench of death hit Maris immediately as she entered, causing her to turn in disgust, "Looks like we're late again..." she commented, cupping her hand over her nose and mouth.
Tera followed close behind, assessing the scene for herself. As she approached the bar, the body of a Twi'lek man lay slumped over the counter with what appeared to be blood slowly pooling around his face. The register was beside him, it alone in the ravaged cantina seemed strangely pristine. Tera drew her blaster pistol and fired a single bolt into the back of the register, blowing it apart with a plume of smoke and scorched credit chips, "Ha," Tera chuckled, "What kind of Merc goes to the trouble of slaughtering a cantina full of Exchange thugs and doesn't even bother to touch the register?"
"Someone not looking for money."
The voice came from the shadows behind the bar, Startled, Tera quickly raised her blaster and pointed it at the young man who now stepped into the light. The boy wore a blind fold and had long gray hair which hung down past the tattered black strip of cloth wrapped around his head. He was armed with a long bo staff which was housed behind his back. Upon seeing him Tera let out a sigh and lowered her weapon, "Tenkai... you creepy bastard, what are you doing skulking around behind the bar?"
Tenkai retorted with a smile, hopping up onto the bar and crouching down over the fallen Twi'lek. After pausing for only a moment, he ran his fingers through the red-brown substance pooling about the Twi'lek's face and pressed them to his tongue.
Tera's face twisted in disgust, "Let me guess, blood?"
"Mm... day old caf, actually," Tenkai answered, extending his fingers still stained with the substance toward Tera, "see."
Tera quickly recoiled, slapping Tenkai's hand away, "Ugh, don't touch me, freak."
"Knock it off, both of you," Maris scolded from behind. She had been investigating the corpses of the bouncers, both seemed to have been killed by blaster bolts, one to the chest and another to the head, "I'm not sure this is the work of the one we're looking for. These two here, they've been killed by blasters, not a Jedi's lightsaber."
"An astute deduction," Lucias chimed in, hopping down from the bar, "but ultimately, incorrect. The Jedi was here, I can feel him still..."
"These 'feelings' of yours have gotten us no where so far." Tera snapped, "Besides, why would a Jedi kill a bar full of patrons with a blaster?"
Tenkai shrugged, "Who can say, though I suspect the wounds done to the patrons were inflicted by the bolts of their own blasters. It's a lightsaber trick the Jedi are most fond of."
"If it was him, then we must be getting close," Maris added, "What do you suppose he was after?"
"The Rodian bartender said the Merc was a young man he'd seen around the docks before," Tera said, "apparently he was asking a lot of questions about Hoenn's collection."
"His collection?"
"Mm, Lightsaber crystals," Tenkai interjected, "It's not uncommon for Exchange bosses to keep trophies from the Jedi bounties they've collected. Most prefer the Jedi's lightsabers... Hoenn collects the crystals. I've heard some are exceptionally rare."
Tera glanced back down at the dead Twi'lek on the bar, "Now I remember where I've seen this guy before. He's one of Hoenn's body guards."
"Hmph..." Tenkai chuckled, "I think I can fathom a guess as to where our friend might turn up next..."
The suffocating stench of smog and urban decay filled Ryuu's lungs as he stood on the docks, a predator stalking his prey. Ryuu had not yet seen the man he was waiting for in person, but that hardly mattered, Exchange bosses were hard to miss, especially on Nar Shaddaa.
As a heavy rain began to fall Ryuu lifted the hood on his heavy, dark robes, covering his reddish brown hair and concealing his icy blue eyes in shadow. Most of the passers by paid him little mind, their thoughts dwelling on the trivial and the mundane. It had almost been dull enough to lull Ryuu off his guard, though he was still alert enough to recognize danger when it approached. A pair of young women were approaching from the south end of the docks. As Ryuu focused his attention upon them he could sense that they were searching for something, something that was making them anxious. Upon seeing Ryuu both of their heart rates quickened, Ryuu could sense their reactions projected through the Force, and was granted a glimpse at the outcome of this current course of events.
Maris and Tera had spotted him right where they expected to find him. The man in the dark robes stood by the dock which held Hoenn's personal starship, no doubt he was waiting for the old man to return. The two mercs needed only to exchange a quick glance as they knew then what they had to do. As they both reached for their blasters, they were surprised to find their target move almost in unison with them, as if he'd anticipated their ambush.
Ryuu threw off his heavy outer robes and summoned his lightsaber to his hand all in one motion. As Tera opened fire, Ryuu's lightsaber spun to meet each bolt and knock it aside. After her initial assault, Ryuu extended his left fist toward Tera, and as he opened his hand the triggers on all the frag grenades Tera wore on her belt were suddenly activated.
"Oh sh-" The explosion wiped out Tera and sent Maris skidding across the rain soaked durasteel platform, badly injured from a combination of shrapnel and the concussive force of the blast.
"Amateurs..." Ryuu muttered. The mercs hadn't been able to kill him, but they had succeeded in drawing unwanted attention his way. Now Ryuu would have to find another location to ambush Hoenn.
Letting his guard down, Ryuu deactivated his lightsaber and turned to gather his outer robes. Upon turning Ryuu found himself standing only a few meters from Tenkai who was knelt down in front of Ryuu's cloak.
The feeling Tenkai got from the Jedi in front of him was an all too familiar one. There was a great deal of anger in this boy, much like his old master, Raina. Ryuu appeared to Tenkai's Force Sight as a blaze of tainted Force energy, energy which Ryuu quickly began to channel through his limbs. Tenkai recognized this to signal an attack and responded with a Force aided back flip away from Ryuu just in time to avoid a blast of Force Lightning. As he landed, Tenkai felt the Force rush to Ryuu again and with it's help Ryuu darted in toward Tenkai, his lightsaber raised and at the ready. Tenkai responded, summoning his bo staff from his back and raising it up to block the downward slash of Ryuu's lightsaber.
Ryuu was somewhat surprised that Tenkai's staff withstood the blow from his lightsaber. It was an opening Tenkai rapidly took advantage of, knocking Ryuu's lightsaber aside with the top of his staff and spinning the bottom back around to sweep his legs out from under him. With Ryuu on the ground, Tenkai gave his staff another quick spin, slapping Ryuu's weapon from his hand and sending it over the edge of the dock platform.
Ryuu smirked up at Tenkai, rolling out of the way of a follow up blow from his staff and jumping up onto the platform's railing. Opening his arms, Ryuu fell backwards and down into the speeder traffic below. Tenkai hurried after him, climbing up onto the railing and using his Force Sight to follow Ryuu down until he landed on a speeder. Tenkai scowled as he felt Ryuu moving away fast. He had eluded Tenkai again it seemed... for now at least.
