Mischief, Madness, and Merriment oh my!

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek glanced at the ceiling above him, on this luxurious ship. Alderaan was known for its cultured society, and it showed in the vibrant atmosphere, through blues and reds, contrasting the simple paintings, depicting Alderaan's rich history. He made a note to review his Alderaan history back at the temple. However, it would have to wait for now, since the man that requested Jedi help would want him at the ready. As he walked the rich carpets of the ship, feeling the softness of the fabric through his clothes, he realized that he had not left Corusant in years, and this mission might involve combat, something he was rusty in.

He had been told by the Jedi Counsil that an important politician on Alderaan required passage to Balmorra for government work, and had requested one Jedi, who would work well with others, as a Mandalorian had also been hired. This job did not seem to be dangerous enough for a master, so Jerek's kind and logical presence seemed the best choice.

The scent of the flowers, a smell that could not be replicated in the urban environment of Coruscant, brought him back to the present. The aroma tickled his nose with pollen, bringing a smile to his face as his connection with nature through the force gave him happiness. The only thing left to do was meet his host, and, by the busy, bullet speed politics bouncing from his mouth, here he was. And right next him, a Mandalorian even younger than Jerek.

The Mandalorian was easy to identify from his language, another thing Jerek was very rusty on. With all the knowledge he had crammed in his head, he was like to forget a few things until reminded of them in his surroundings. Taking a stride forward, he decided to engage with the two. "Good to meet you, sirs. My name is Jerek, and I am the Jedi sent to guide you. Do you know of the Senate's work right now? I have not been outside the temple in a while."

[Darion]

Walking down the brightly painted and decorated ship, D'Vhex felt nothing but growing contempt. He had been hired and the mission was simple. Get important talking Nerf from point A to point B, get paid upon doing so. The weight of his several Vibro daggers strapped to the inside of his armor plates reassured him, his dual blaster pistols hung comfortingly from his hips, and the ever present slug-thrower slung across his shoulder was a constant reminder to any who dared try and run. Aware that the "Important" politician had hired some sort of glow stick wielding magician.

Stepping onto the bridge, D'Vhex found an opulently dressed person gesturing wildly and talking in an animated fashion. Standing near him was, what D'Vhex assumed to be the Jedi. Studying him with a critical eye, he could immediately tell that his robes were too large for his frame. He was also the same height as D'Vhex, along with being much thinner than him, a feat not many humans could pull off. As he drew level with the jedi, he could immediately pick up on the conversation of the politician nearby.

He seemed to be babbling about some obscure political movement on some far off world. Quickly becoming bored with the rapid fire pace of the conversation, D'Vhex received a message pop up as it blinked into existence on his HUD. Tahn would apparently be late to this engagement, apparently he ran into some unforeseen issues..again. Sighing as he realized he'd be forced to play the Mandalorian diplomat, D'Vhex's mood turned sullen.

Upon being addressed by the Jedi, D'Vhex turned toward him, "Might as well play nice, we are working together after all." Reaching up and removing his iconic T-Visord helmet, D'Vhex held it against his hip with one arm while nodding at the Jedi. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what this..ah..Senator is saying, as for the general state of republic politics, I wouldn't know either. Things are much easier on Mandalore. Less talking, more getting things done." Sighing as the Politician turned and began explaining his reason for hiring them, D'Vhex rolled his eyes and muttered "Kaysh mirsh'kyramud." Before tuning out of the conversation once again.

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek gave a smile to the answer, "Well, there are thinkers, and there are doers, and you Mandalorians are the masters of doing." The two talked a little bit, both Jerek and D'Vhex clearly uninterested in politics. Nothing much, just introductions. Jerek took the chance to look over at the pilots of the ship, subtly avoiding the politician, whose answer to Jerek's question was yet to come out. I know I should be a little more interested, but the question was just an icebreaker. I have more important things to do than Republic politics. Speaking of which, I don't think the Mandalorian is comfortable with things here. I think a little something in his plan his been changed. Subtly watch, very subtly. All the while, the one line of Mandalorian spoken by the other bodyguard plagued him, as Jerek could not remember his Mandalorian. However, he was usually confined to the temple, so he found little use for languages as rare and archaic as Mandalore's. 

Soon, the trio were seated around a Dejarik table, with Jerek and the politician currently were playing. They were both down to two pieces, and the politician's move. Jerek still had his Strider, who was positioned right at the center of the board, and his Ghhhk, who was stationed right in front of Jerek, on the right tile. The politician's Molator still remained, positioned on the left square under his chin. Adjacent to the Molator to the left was the Monnok, giving the politician a far deadlier line-up. The game had not been nice to Jerek, with him drawing the weakest pieces and losing even confrontations in many pushes. So, he had to play it smart. "Your move," he said to the politician. 

Immediately, the politician went for his Monnok, whose 3 movement rating allowed for contact between the Ghhhk and the Monnok. So, the politician used his second move is the obvious way: attacking. It was a clear and gory kill, and the Ghhk was down. However, the Ghhhk was meant to set up the Monnok. Jerek took his chance, guiding the Strider to the spot next to the Molator in such a way that it took up both his turns. Instantly, the politician struck at the Strider, using his Molator. As the two pieces scuffled, Jerek gave a little smirk to the politician, "You know, you are very predictable. With the Molator being a myth from Alderaan and all, you would have great pride in it. And that pride will be your downfall."

    The Molator was shoved backwards, the fight ending in a push. The politician instantly moved it back to where the Strider was. "It was a great fight, but I will be ending this now," Jerek concluded. The Strider attacked the Molator, ending it. In his shock, the politician just watched as the two final pieces rushed into the center for the final fight. Now, I hope that this worked as well as I wanted it to. The two pieces went at it, all their statistics at work in a duel of fate. Then, the Monnok dropped. The Strider had successfully won the game for Jerek, the politician left in amazement. "You see, I realized that in the early game, the computer gave you the distinct advantage. However, a high quality Dejarik computer will naturally try to keep the odds balanced, so I knew it would balance out the conflict with a win for me. Anyway, great fight. Care to duel one of us, D'Vhex?"  

[Darion]

Trying to concentrate as the Dejarik game continued on in the background, D'Vhex busied himself by attempting to polish his helmet, several small scratches littered the surface from battles long past. As he continued to clean, his thoughts turned to worry. "Tahn normally isn't this late..something just doesn't sit right. Ah, not matter, he's big, brawny, and has two swords, he'll be fine." As the game progressed, D'Vhex glanced up every once in a while to check on the Jedi. He appeared to be losing at one point but quickly reversed the tide.

Mentally shrugging, D'Vhex sighed before placing his helmet on the floor next to him. Removing one of his Vibro-daggers from behind his forearm plate, he began to conduct general maintenance. As the game came to close D'Vhex had finished cleaning his various daggers. Looking up at the board, D'Vhex started in confusion at the weirdly arrayed checkered pattern. "That board looks like absolute mental murder." He muttered under his breath before
looking up at the jedi. "I'm afraid I have no idea how to play. Board games were never my forte, although I do have a set of dice if you're willing to risk some credits." He said with a small smirk, knowing full well he was probably going to lose against such an opponent.

Reaching behind him, D'Vhex pulled a small pouch that was attached to his belt. "Now..should I use my weighted dice..no, he's a Jedi, that'd be suicide in itself." Mentally shrugging he undid the drawstring and shook out two black solid black cubes from the pouch into his hand. The numbers were arrayed in dark red paint ranging from one to six. "The game is pretty simple, easy when on campaign, no really complicated rules, and just pure luck. Or skill if you prefer to get technical heh."

"The rules are as follows, the players bet a certain amount of credits on each turn. Then the player currently casting dice rolls both dice on a flat surface. If both dice add up to an even number, the caster wins and the other player needs to give them the predetermined amount of credits. Now, normally on Mandalore, the game continues until someone is out of credits, or someone gets angry and ends up trying to shoot someone. I don't see the second scenario happening so I'm not against testing my luck against yours. You up for a game, or if not I'll play the politician over there, he looks like he has some credits to spare, no?"

[tepigturtwig]

"Although a little bit of fun was never against the Jedi Order," Jerek responded, "Not only do I not have any credits on me, but I also have never been a fan of chance." So, giving his apologies, he left the table, and the politician happily took his spot. Jerek robes shuffled as he walked, their drab brown colors feeling out of place in the ship around him. He decided to head to the deck of the ship, glancing out through a transparent window to the space around. As he looked, he overheard the two men as they competed with the dice, a few shouts and yells coming from both. Jerek sighed, looking for Balmorra. All he could see, however, was Corelia, as they were very close to the planet. 

Jerek remembered all he had learned of both Balmorra and Corelia, and both were known as very industrial planets. The politician was perhaps arranging for new technology from Balmorra to enter into the Republic's trading, or maybe to procure more fire arms. Corelia was a very wise planet to travel near when on major trips, as it could serve as a great place to replace ships or get repairs. The space navigators there were also top-notch, and were largely credited as the inventors of Dejarik. 

Eventually, the ship passed the planet, leaving it behind, but still near enough for a quick trip. Jerek knew that they would probably jump to hyperspace once they left the vicinity of any Core Worlds, so he did not think they would see the planet any time soon. He also realized that the two had ended their game, and were now approaching him, the politician considerably angrier and the Mandalorian considerably richer. But, before they could ask him anything, their ship was rocked. 

A bright red light filled the air, and both the Mandalorian and Jedi came to the same conclusion: they were being attacked by space pirates. As the ship veered about and careened off course, the pilots shouted through the intercom that hyperspace was offline. As soon as the message came through, static followed, and the pirates then took over the intercom, "Listen up, you idiots. We are here for the politician. You give him to us without a fight, and I'll only kill half of you." Instinctively, Jerek reached for his lightsaber, and began walking towards the cockpit of the ship, thinking the pirates were there. 

[Tahn D'Resh]

Tahn D'Resh ran along the corridor dodging passersby . I'm late! I can't believe I'm late! I doze off for 5 seconds and this is what happens! As Tahn rushed to the meeting place, some guards noticed him sprinting through the corridors. Seeing as Tahn was wearing his traditional Mandalorian Beskar'gam armor, and that they were in fact in the middle of a war, the guard pursued the charging Mandalorian. 

Tahn began to hear shouts of "YOU THERE, STOP!" and "SOMEONE STOP THAT MANDALORIAN!" as blaster fire began to crash in the walls around him. Since the blasts dissipated instead of leaving a searing mark on their decorated walls, Tahn took comfort in the fact that they at least wanted to take him alive. Tahn called out to them as he progressed. "I'M NOT AN ENEMY!," he took a breath, "I'M JUST LATE!!" Either they didn't believe him or they just didn't want to seem stupid for chasing an innocent, well mostly innocent, man. Tahn was almost there, he rounded a corner and saw the door to the meeting place. D'Vhex here I come! He quickly hit the button to open the door and rushed inside, locking the door behind him.

Breathing heavily, Tahn turned around and faced the others in the room. He noticed D'Vhex, who he assumed to be the ambassador, and a Jedi?! D'Vhex didn't say anything about a Jedi! Tahn didn't have long to ponder that when banging and shouting could be heard on the other side of the door. Tahn took a deep breath and calmly walked towards the group, "Sorry I'm late. The crew here just can't seem to get enough of me." 

[Darion]

Nodding at the Jedi as he left the table, D'Vhex turned to the politician. Lets see how many credits you have. Unknown to the politician, D'Vhex had switched out the dice for a weighted set. After several rounds, the politician jumped up from the table with a huff and left the game. Pocketing his new credits, D'Vhex stood and began to pace the area, Tahn's absence an ever present concern. Finding the jedi, D'Vhex went to go stand near him, although allowing him space in the event he required privacy.

Cracking his knuckles, D'Vhex was about to address the Jedi when loud noises began to emanate from beyond the door. The sound of blaster fire immediately made D'Vhex un-holster both his blaster pistols and point them at the door. A few moments later the door burst open and a blur shot through, closing the door behind it. Just as D'Vhex was about to pull the trigger, he recognized the armor and voice of his clan member, Tahn. Sighing loudly after hearing his excuse for being late, D'Vhex turned toward the Jedi. "I apologize for my clan member. He's not exactly the most..tactful person alive."

Just as he said this, red lights began to flash, and demands blared through the intercom system as the ship careened wildly in space. D'Vhex turned to Tahn, "Were you followed?! We talked about this! Make sure no one was on your tail!" Muttering several more colorful words in Mandalorian, D'Vhex angrily ripped his blaster pistols from their holsters and advanced toward the cockpit. "Tahn, get over here, cover the Jedi, if something gets too close to him, cut it in half, but for Mandalore's sake PLEASE don't get in his way. I do not want to have to be the one to explain to Eyechii why you were beheaded on my watch."

As D'Vhex advanced towards the cockpit, his mindset switched from leisure into combat. Momentarily stopping to pick up and don his helmet, he continued his advance. Stopping just outside the cockpit door, he began to activate his combat systems. "Targeting online, short range tracking online, multiple target acquisition check. System is ready for combat." He said in a low voice. "Do you wanna go in first or should I do the honors?" D'Vhex said while looking over his shoulder at Jerek."

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek gave a little smile as he saw the Mandalorians argue a little. As soon as Tahn asked the question, he smirked and gave his response, "You seem more accustomed to this whole battle thing. Care to do the honors?" Tahn fell into position near the Jedi, and D'Vhex ran off, Jerek and Tahn in tow. The politician had no choice but to follow his bodyguards, and the four all headed off to the cockpit. 

Jerek decided to give a quick rundown of what happened to Tahn as they rushed, "The men shooting at you were not the pilots, but pirates who must have followed you to the ship. They wanted to apprehend you, perhaps use you to bargain D'Vhex out of assisting in the retaking of the ship. I will personally ensure your safety. In case you are injured, please do not hesitate to ask for help from me. I am a very seasoned practitioner of the healing uses of the Force, but not so much the offensive. That is where I need you Mandalorians to come in." At this point, he adressed both Mandalorians, "I have a plan to easily retake this ship, but it might be a little risky. I'm going to need a thermal detonator, and I would appreciate if one of you could provide a diversion. "

D'Vhex grunted in approval, and Jerek assumed he wanted to be the diversion. After taking a second to admire how brave and efficient D'Vhex had been in his response, Jerek proclaimed, "Alright, so, D'Vhex, I need you to run in there as soon as the blast doors to the cockpit are opened, probably by myself, but they may be open already. As you engage them, maybe with Tahn by your side, I will hurl the thermal detonator into the room, and using the force, I'll hover it above their heads. This should cause enough panic for you guys to get out of there with the crew, and face them with a choice: retreat or die. However, one minor problem: proper execution will result in us needing a new ship. Luckily, we have Corellia."

So, the Mandalorians soon approached the blast door, with Jerek and the politician a little behind them, and although Jerek could see the blast door, he was too far for the plan, and so decided to head closer. However, the Mandalorians one-upped him in the most stylish of manners, and opened fire on the weak points of the door. They were elegant, graceful, and masters of their craft, and left Jerek in shock and a blast door somewhat opened. It had been done so well that only a small hole had been burned through, enough to squeeze into or fire into, but still allow cover on the others parts of the blast door. Now knowing how impressive the two were, Jerek stepped back, and they leaped through the small hole, landing in a roll. They were now in blaster range with the pirates, and Jerek just had to execute his plan. 

[Darion]

Rolling into the room D'Vhex recovered in a kneeling position as blaster fire began to crackle around him. "If I die today, I'm haunting that Jedi." He muttered sourly before spinning both of his blaster pistols in his hand and returning fire. Several of the pirates went down in the first hail of fire as D'Vhex unleashed his pent up frustration. As he turned to fire upon a charging pirate with a rather large looking Vibro-sword, his blaster began making "Click, click, click" noises. "You have GOT to be kidding me." D'Vhex groaned. Chucking his blaster pistols at the nearest pirate, blinding him momentarily, D'Vhex rolled forward and came up on his feet, one of his Vibro-daggers sliding out from its hidden place in his armor. Catching the hilt of the weapon in his hand, D'Vhex threw the dagger straight at the charging pirate.

Had the pirate dodged faster he might have lived. The Vibro-dagger embedded itself directly into the pirates throat. He fell backward with a chocked cry as D'Vhex dodged a second pirate that had been attempting to sneak up on him. Sliding another dagger from underneath his left forearm plate, he dodged the pirate once again and then ripped his dagger across the pirates back as he ran past. Fairly certain he wasn't getting up, D'Vhex refocused on dodging blaster fire and locating the crew. "Tahn, Use your ungodly man-strength and retrieve the crew! I'll keep them busy!." With that, D'Vhex turned and slammed his elbow into the face of yet another charging pirate. "I'm getting real tired of these guys." D'Vhex muttered under his breath as he slammed his fist into the face of the nearest enemy.

With a slight reprieve as the remaining pirates were considering their options when faced with the bodies of their comrades, a very large, dual sword wielding Mandalorian, and his smaller, faster, very annoyed companion. Sliding out a second dagger and holding it in his left hand D'Vhex turned and faced the Pirates. "You interrupted my dice game. Prepare to die." He said in a quiet voice as he began to twirl his vibro-daggers menacingly. "You have approximately five seconds to rethink all your major life decisions before I send you on your merry way."

D'Vhex looked over his shoulder briefly to see if Jerek had set up his little plan yet. Turning back around as footsteps began to pound toward him, another pirate had attempted to close the distance and surprise D'Vhex while his back was turned. Sighing, a sound which sounded oddly muffled by his helmet, D'Vhex jumped forward as the Pirate drew near and slammed both of his daggers into the pirates midsection. The pirate was knocked backward from the force of the impact and was subsequently thrown off the daggers that had been embedded in his stomach. "Would anyone else like a turn?"  

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek watched D'Vhex almost entirely shred through the enemies. Well, I might have been a little late. As he focused in on the thermal detonator, he whispered into the room, "Pirates, please step out. We wish for the least amount of casualties. Give us your ship, and we will be ever grateful." However, the pirates glanced at the thermal detonator, and fled to their ship. "Oh well, I tried no casualties." Jerek hurled the thermal detonator into the pirate ship, and it flew into their control room. Boom! Jerek sighed as their ship began plummeting, however, since he knew both ships were going down.

With the ship sinking through space, Jerek knew they would need to act fast. Scrambling to get to the ships communication stations, he managed to contact the nearest planet, Corellia. "Pardon me, but, we are somewhat plummeting through the atmosphere of your planet right now. Our ship has a politician on board. I am a Jedi Padawan, Jerek Dogen. I hope you can spare a few ships to guide us safely to landing." And now I hope I didn't send that to deaf ears. As the ship lurched and stuttered, Jerek decided to fold his legs, and enter meditation. He needed to get his mind off the chaos around him, and perhaps relax.

And so, as Jerek was tossed around the ship, he managed to concentrate on his breathing, and rejuvenate. I should have showed the others how to do this. Then, we could at least remain calm as our lives hang in the balance. Eventually, Jerek heard a thud, but only a soft one. So, he stepped out of the ship, realizing they had safely landed on Corellia. Well, at least it is known for its ships. 


Jerek stepped back inside the ship, calling, "I'm off to get us a new ship. Care to follow?" After his little invitation, he stepped back out, and breathed a deep breath of fresh air, observing the world around him. They had landed on quite a traditional platform, so he didn't have much to take in. He was surprised by how natural and full of the force the place felt. He could hear a bustle of noise and energy around him, hearing a few haggled out deals of credits, which slipped into his ears, reminding him that he did not have any credits on him. And, without communication devices to reach the Jedi Council, he would need to get them off the planet with other means. Perhaps a game of Dejarik?