Sight Unseen

[Rugs]

Io’an leaned against the speeder’s trunk, watching Nar Shaddaa drift slowly by below.

The Blind Eye glided over the city, joining the Hutt sky palaces that dotted the sky. There had been more of those, once — before the Archeri came crashing through in a storm of fire and sickness and death. A few survived, but many had not. In the months since, some new ones rose to join the survivors, but Nar Shaddaa’s sky was, though busy, less crowded than it had been back then. Before the siege.

Three weeks ago, the Eye joined those ranks, and laid claim to the most prestigious space of all. The casino-turned-branching-sky-fortress drifted in a lazy orbit around the Spire, which still rose like a mammoth crystalline mountain from the depths of the Cerbozz Pit. The launch — beyond nearly scaring the pants of off Io’an — had been the most talked-about thing on Nar Shaddaa since the Chorus’ arrival.

Here was the Exchange, fresh off of anchoring its influence on Circumtore, declaring boldly its position on Nar Shaddaa. And why shouldn’t they? Ms. Faine herself had been part of the team that brought down the barrier surrounding the Spire, enabling the Coalition’s fleet to knock it out of the sky as the Archeri attempted a desperate, ill-fated emergency launch.

Of course, the statement drew attention, as they’d expected it might. Order, such as it existed in Hutt Space, had ever been a fickle thing. Those who mattered knew the way of things. The Cartels reigned supreme — or had before castration via Archeri — and the hierarchy below them was, if not always stable, clear. The Exchange. The Black Sun, before they retreated into the Core as the Archeri advanced. Then the hodgepodge of moderate and smaller-sized gangs that sprang up like weeds across Hutt Space.

With the Hutt yet reeling after the Archeri Crisis and the Black Sun still plotting from the shadows, the Exchange found itself operating from a position of enhanced strength on Nar Shaddaa and hadn’t rested on its laurels to take advantage of it.

Of course, some of the smaller fish had decided to test their mettle.

Io’an’s gaze followed a ball of fire that streaked across the sky and blinked out. Another piece of debris from the battle, pulled into Nar Shaddaa’s polluted atmosphere. That happened so often these days that it shouldn’t have drawn notice, but the sight was spectacular — especially during the moon’s long night.

A particularly meddlesome group took it upon themselves to challenge the Exchange’s authority. They’d struck, with increasing boldness at the Exchange’s positions, even nearly knocking out a safehouse a few days earlier. No one knew exactly who was behind the attacks, but they had suspicions. The brutality, the vigor with which they attacked that verged on grudge-like.

The Unseen.

Whoever they were, he, Vance and Aiden were to undertake a retaliatory strike at their heart. Hertz had more fighters on standby if needed, but the hope was a surgical strike could get the job one.

Io’an stuffed his hands in his coat pockets, shifting the way his weight leaned against the speeder. He’d arrived early by intention, to give himself time to think before whatever awaited them all. He wore a light armored vest under his coat, and his lightsaber hung openly at his waist, opposite his disruptor pistol, as opposed to its usual tucked-away position in his coat.

“I guess it’s almost time,” he muttered, glancing over his shoulder. He could feel them both coming, echoing with the Force as they grew nearer. They all knew the task at hand.

Io’an sighed and turned to look back out the mouth of the hanger, to the city drifting slowly by below.

[Fromikeable]

When the past six months of life involved a heating cold war and an extragalactic invasion, it was easy to forget how big a deal criminal warfare could be. Crime, after all, required something to label it as such. Without a normal order for crime to operate outside of, it was just behavior, same as anything else.

Vance supposed it was a good sign that there was enough order on the moon for it to have cropped up again. The Exchange must have been doing something right.

But the fact that it was the Unseen gave him pause. They hadn’t had the chance to end the group before the Crisis had begun, it was true. Evidently, the group had come out of the event just fine; emboldened, even. Their attacks before had been specific and targeted, borderline secretive. Now?

Now the responses could be more straightforward, at least.

”Are you sure you don’t just want to go all in?” Hertz shuffled along beside Vance as they both descended the front steps of the Blind Eye, the breeze ever-present outside the new sky palace ruffling their hair. Vance shook his head.

”Three guys showing up and kicking their shit in sends a stronger message. If we just end this conventionally, they’re going to crop up again.”

”I’ll ask again when you guys are getting shot at by another division of battle droids.” Giving Vance a wave, Hertz stopped himself short. ”Oh, and uh, it showed up this morning, here.” Tossing Vance a small box, the Firrerreo reversed course back into the Eye’s main tower.

Catching it with a smile, Vance waved back. Stepping down the rest of the stairs, he adjusted his outfit; a leather jacket, a dark shirt, dark canvas pants, and a few pieces of body armor painted black and strapped close. The only item that really broke the ensemble was Vance’s saber proudly displayed toward the front of his belt, the platinum glinting happily with every light it could.

Would it win any awards for fashion? No. Did showing up in dark colors and telling a group they weren’t welcome leave little for debate? Yes.

Spotting Io’an, Vance raised the box, bidding it to levitate with the Force. Soaring it over to his friend, he waved with a smile before pointing. ”That’s for you.” Flicking open the top with a twitch of his finger, the box revealed its contents; a single white mug with “BEST SON IN THE GALAXY” written in giant, bold, black letters.

”Consider it a, uh, badge of office. Starting next week, I’m going to need you to take on some of the bigger responsibilities around here.” Smiling wide, Vance clapped a hand on Io’an’s shoulder, letting all the facade and illusion melt away for a genuine moment.

”You’ve been a big help, Io’an. I mean it. Thank you.” Retrieving his hand, his smile faded as he drew out his comm, checking the time.

”Now where’s Aiden?”

[Argetlam]

Lazily rotating the ice in his glass with a half minded movement of his finger Aiden glanced up. " Now I'll tell ya kid you ain't ever seen something like this in your whole life I be knowin so, seein as how I ain't ever seen it in all my years." The older Corellian man who was beyond drunk stated with a half cocked glance. 

Nodding at the words his mind was else where. The past few months had truly been something else, strange viruses, strange invaders, and equally strange alliances. The craziest part of it all was trying to find ways to keep oneself entertained when away from said oddities. Thankfully with the launching of the Eye Aiden didn't need to go to far to find something or someone to pass the time with. Needless to say ass soon as the whole Archeri escapade stopped everyone needed a break. 


So, with the Archeri dealt with and every ones life slowly but surely returning to their ideas of normalcy, and with that the return of business. Halting his finger and in turn his drink he brought it to his lips and finished it. The older man had been blabbering on and on about how this was a god send routing out all the " Haberdashery" from the galaxy. Aiden was almost certain the man had about half of an understanding as of what came out of his mouth. Nevertheless he sure did know how to spin a tale and had caught Aiden's attention for...


He glanced at his comm a bit surprised to see that two hours had passed. Slipping the comm back into his coat pocket he stood up with a smile angled at the still ranting patron. " Sorry but I have some friends that I need to go meet up with. Thanks for the chat you've been quite the treat to listen to." 

Setting down enough credits for the drinks that they had both had as well as the few more the man was sure to have he adjusted his outfit. Glancing down to make sure the ensemble was set. A black bomber jacket zipped just to his collar to somewhat cover the armored vest he wore underneath. The dull twinkle of his silvered lightsaber held prominently on his as he strode towards the turbolift.


The doors closed behind him and soon after began it's decent to the hangers. Alone with his thoughts again Aiden, of course there would always be some bad to every good or else no one would know the difference. The bad to things finally going back to normal was infact things going back to normal. With that normalcy came competition for the Exchange except this was more than anything Aiden had seen these Unseen had been pretty public about their disdain towards the Exchange and Ms. Faine wasn't taking the displays well at all. Hence why Vance, Io'an and himself were being sent to deal with the threat personally. 


With a ding he left the turbo lift and descended the stairs tousling his hair as the breeze helped Aiden saw the other two waiting. Raising a hand and a smile to greet them he approached " Sorry if you two have been waiting long. Just escaped the clutches of a crazed story teller." 

[Rugs]

Vance was the first of his companions to arrive. Io’an heard his footfalls on the hangar’s industrial metal floor before he saw him. When he looked, the first thing he saw was not merely his friend, but a small box floating toward him. He uncrossed his arms from his chest and the package as it arrived. No sooner did his expression begin to twist with an unasked question than Vance flicked open the top of the box.

BEST SON IN THE GALAXY

Io’an’s heart melted.

“Vance, I...” Force knew he didn’t know what to say. In two years, the Exchange — and the Blind Eye’s crew, especially — had transformed from just some new coworkers to friends to a found family, of sorts. Io’an had initially felt unsure how well he’d fit in — it was clear that for many of them, the Eye was their only family while his parents and older brother were alive and well.

They’d welcomed him in — he and Qiki and Reflex — and not only for their immense slicing capabilities. Such courtesy and hospitality eluded the slicer gang’s previous employers. To Cerbozz, they were just hackers. More hired hands to see his work done. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But the Eye? They were family — together come hell or high water or rampaging, mind-controlling fungus.

“Dammit, you’re gonna make me cry.” Io’an wiped the moisture away from his eyes. Wouldn’t that ruin the whole hard look they were going for when they rolled up on their Unseen friends in a little while? Io’an clutched the box to his chest and smiled. “I’ll cherish it. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

Io’an left the speeder to head to a storage locker at the wall, nestled between two workbenches that were both strewn oil-coated hydrospanners and other mechanical junk. He popped the locker open, found it empty and set his gift gingerly down on a shelf as though it were an artifact bound for Coruscant’s most prestigious viewing gallery.

Aiden was making his way into the group as Io’an finished punchin in a lock code and returned to the speeder.

It felt an eon since Io’an had seen Aiden, much less worked alongside him. Back before the Crisis, if he recalled right. That felt like an entirely different lifetime ago. Aiden had a good reputation, though, and was as handsome as ever. “It’s been a while,” he said, waving offAiden’s apology for being the last of their merry trio. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t keep us long.”

With the gang all together, Io’an studied his fellows. They were all geared up for battle, and for good reason. Even if they made a good faith offer, no one expected that the Unseen would be open for honest negotiation. No, if they wanted that, they would have done so before attacking the Exchange’s people and goods. It seemed clear, then, that the Unseen were out to knock the Exchange down a peg, through bloodshed outright or forced capitulation.

“So, we all know what we’re about then?” Io’an opened the speeder’s front door and slid inside, motioning for the other two to follow. The ride itself was sleek, with darkened transparisteel windows and armor plating hidden away within its graceful chassis. The engine rumbled as Io’an revved it. “I don’t expect they’re gonna be very happy to see us walk in through the front door.”

Once Vance and Aiden were both settled within, the speeder cannoned out of the hangar and into the night.

[Fromikeable]

Vance couldn’t help but laugh when Io’an wiped his eyes. It wasn’t every day that he got to surprise people, let alone surprise people positively. Going to bash the Unseen without any warning was one thing, but watching his friend walk away toward the storage lockers to store his gift?

That made his day.

When Io’an returned with Aiden in tow, Vance greeted the latter with a single wave, a spoken ”Aiden” acting as a greeting. In the confusion of the Crisis, Vance had lost track of their newest Force-sensitive employee. Truth be told, he’d lost track of more than that; in any other circumstance, it would’ve been his job to ensure that a threat like the Unseen could never have developed in Exchange territory, let alone their backyard. Hopefully, he thought, he’d be able to fix both blunders today.

Sliding into the back seat, Vance left the front passenger seat for Aiden. Crossing his legs as the speeder began to kick up, he rested his elbows on the top edge of the rear seats. ”That’s the idea. The Unseen weren’t bold enough to do anything but bomb and run before the Crisis. Now?” Vance shook his head. ”They’ve got mercenary companies, the support of a few Hutt nobodies…”

Vance sighed, crossing his arms. ”The real worry is that they’ll reach out the Black Suns.” The Suns’ absence on the Smuggler’s Moon had always been relatively normal, but the Crisis had sent them scurrying out entirely. The silence was deafening now; if they weren’t reaching out into the Mid Rim to challenge their rivals, where were they?

”So we make a statement. Three Exchange enforcers walk in through the Unseen’s front door and walk out of a smoldering ruin. Sound good?”

[Argetlam]

Nodding at both of their greetings " Too long honestly" Aiden looked both of them over. After all the mushroom fungi extraterrestrial invader bull honky that everyone had gone through he thought that the galaxy would actually want a break. With a sigh Aiden thought to himself. " Ain't no rest for the wicked I suppose." He'd always shrugged off the unseen, they'd never been that big of a threat but with bolder and bolder moves and the support of the Hutts they were becoming a pest. 


Sliding into his seat He glanced back at Vance as the speeder slipped into the night air. " All they are is a nuisance. Now since they have hired guns and the ole slug boys backing em their getting sloppy. " Aiden looked out the tinted transparasteel window at the skyline before resting his head on the rest. Vance's mentioning of the Black Sun sent his train of thought down a new path. If they allowed the unseen to go prancing about what was to stop them from making nice and cozy on the moon as well. 


Aiden shook the thought from his head " Well if there aren't any unseen left then there won't be anyone to contact the Black Sun. I know it's wishful thinking but if we send the message that we want hopefully they'll scatter like roaches. " The worst of it all was that The Exchange was well off considering the state of nearly all of their competition which naturally meant that they were in fact the big bad in all others point of view. 

The thought of leaving the place in shambles was like music to his ears. " I guess the only thing left to ask is if we plan on walking in all nice and wait for things to sour or if we roll in chucking imploders with every step? Either way I'm ready to knock them down a peg or entirely off the board. " Aiden glanced down at the lightsaber on his belt. It had been a while since he'd been in a scrap, let alone what this was going to chalk up into being. Taking a deep breath he looked back out the transparasteel they were't too far now and the anticipation was killing him.

[Rugs]

The speeder’s engines roared as Io’an steered it out of the Blind Eye and into the night. They turned wide, taking a long arc around the Spire’s husk. Scant sky traffic came this way, save those who were passing through or en route to the Blind Eye. Io’an used the open space to really push the speeder, giddier than he’d admit at the rumbling power beneath his fingertips.

“Yea, that all sounds right.” Io’an glanced at Vance through the rear-view mirror. Truth be told, he was less than thrilled about all the fighting that was sure to come, but there wasn’t any way around it. Given the opportunity, the Exchange might be willing to try negotiations — after all, connections would be important in the new order emerging in Hutt Space.

But not for the Unseen. They’d made their stance on the Exchange clear, even well before the Crisis began. For too long, they’d been a thorn in the Exchange’s side.

Today, the thorn got plucked out.

“I don’t know that they’ll give us much of a choice.” Io’an mulled Aiden’s question. The Unseen’s base lay in the heart of a distant, upscale district frequented by offworld visitors. None of Nar Shaddaa’s sectors made it through the Crisis unscathed, but theirs, thanks to distance, had suffered less than most.

Officially, the place was a lavish arena. It was one the finest on the Smuggler’s Moon, with exotic animals and top-name talent brought in from across Hutt Space and beyond for deathmatches in front of bloodthirsty crowds with more money than morals. Unofficially, the Unseen’s base sprawled out through the urban block below the arena.

Tonight was one of the rare nights when the arena was closed as its owners prepared for a new string of hotly-anticipated fights. The Exchange wouldn’t have a better chance to hit it, without the mess of thousands of onlookers, for a while.

“What do you think?” Io’an looked to Vance — was it Thel, for this mission? — as the arena’s glittering dome with roving skylights came into view on the horizon. “Either way, it’s gonna get messy. Can we even get in without blowing the front door down?”

[Fromikeable]

”I doubt it, but that’s the point.” Vance nodded at Aiden, waving a hand. ”We’re going for intimidation value here. That means ripping the door off without using our hands, slamming guys through walls with flicks of our fingers, not blinking at hallways full of gunmen-” Vance’s hand waved again before settling at his side.

”Get pretentious with it. These guys need to think that they’re beneath our notice, and more importantly, the Suns and the Hutts need to see them get absolutely humiliated.” The show of force wasn’t so much for the Unseen as it was their prospective sponsors. If it was a simple matter of elimination, a few days worth of planning and a silent strike could do just as much if not more damage.

But a march through them at their home sent a clear message; these people aren’t a threat, don’t regard them as an opportunity.

”If we watch each others’ backs, we’ll be fine. Get flashy, cut loose a little.” Rolling his shoulders, Vance’s eyes flicked out the window as the cityscape around them became more and more upscale, actual microcosms of city planning and clean buildings overtaking the slums and grime. As they began to pass large neon signs and mezzanines, they crept into the district’s heart, sources of entertainment becoming apparent.

Finally the arena in question came into view, a duo of average-looking security guards dressed in suits leaning against the walls enjoying a smoke. Adjusting his armor beneath his jacket, Vance unclipped his saber from his belt, rolling it over in his hand.

”Anything else before we go?” Vance raised a brow, offering the tiniest of grins.

He could only relish nights like these so much, but he had to admit, they could be disturbingly therapeutic. And he had some baggage to work out.

”Who wants to start?”

[Argetlam]

Looking over his shoulder at Vance and nodded at his words then to Io'an " Figured I'd still ask. " he stated with a smile. Aiden looked down towards the array of shining lights and flashing signs until they basked the speeder with their neon glow. God did everything really need to be this artificial?

He sighed and looked away his mind filled with so much neon his own thoughts seemingly giving off their own glow. " Hell, pretentious is my middle name. Might as well start tossing Unseen credits to the onlookers as we walk out. Maybe with a little bit of luck they use those credits up at the eye" He chuckled to himself " Now if that isn't a bit ironic than I don't know what is."

It still surprised Aiden how quickly the people of the galaxy swarmed for the promise of riches, sport, pleasure, or a quick fix. At the end of the day people all had their demons and all you needed to do to get rich was provide a constant flow of any said demon. The Exchange had been doing it better than nearly anyone else and yet the Unseen had still found their clientele some how some way. Even the roaches find crumbs of food along the way.

" I doubt a few itchy trigger fingered Hutt paid guns will be too thrilled to deal with us once they see a few of their coworkers go up in flames but who knows. " Cutting loose sounded nice to be honest and what was better than doing that as well as taking care of business in one swing

Aiden shook his head in reply to Vance. As the speeder came to a halt outside the arena the two guards eyed one another then looked towards the speeder. 

" I'll start the fireworks just don't leave me waiting too long. " Flashing a smile before opening the speeder door and stepping out catching the eye of both guards now. " Don't know if ya know this but we're closed due to bookings bud." 

Adjusting his over coat Aiden nodded " Oh I know " He gestured towards the cigarette in the guards hand " You know I hear death sticks are a really poor life choice." Setting a hand on his lightsaber igniting the blade and eyeing both of them as they both brandeshed their respective blasters and began rattling off bolt as Aiden sped towards them. 

[Rugs]

The speeder sliced through the night sky. Io’an braced himself as it banked to the left and down and came to rest, hovering over a duracrete walkway that extended like a pier out from the arena’s front. “Here we are,” he muttered under his breath. Vance and Aiden seemed raring to go; anticipation rippled from them in the Force.

With the task at hand now staring him in the face, Io’an was less sure of his own excitement. Tearing down walls, snapping wrists with a flick of his wrist or wag of his finger--it sounded so exhilarating, so lively the way Vance spoke of it.

Why, then, was Io’an’s stomach churning? Why did he taste bile rising in the back of his throat? How many Archeri had he killed during the Crisis? Hundreds? More? For month after agonizing month, he’d fought and fought to stay alive.

So what made this any different?

“Just give me a moment,” he said with a forced smile to Vance and Aiden. “Gotta get my things together.”

He needed to get himself together but it wasn’t a complete falsehood. A small black pouch, filled with some slicing equipment, lay on the floor under his legs, just in front of his seat. Io’an picked it up and inspected its contents, though he knew everything he’d need was already in there.

As he did this, he steadied himself for the killing to come. Killing the Archeri had been easy. They were alien, more than any other species could be, and cared for nothing but wanton slaughter and brutal conquest. The Unseen were no friends, to be sure, but they were still people.

Io’an turned his violet-ringed eyes to the arena entrance, where two guards waited out front. Aiden was stepping out of the speeder to get things started. Io’an’s hands squeezed on the speeder’s wheel. “Guess it’s time to get to it, huh?” The smile at Vance was a little less forced this time.

Whatever his personal moral concerns, the game was afoot, and Ms. Faine had seen fit to entrust him, along with Vance and Aiden, with this task. You knew this would be part of the job when you took it, he told himself as he stepped from the speeder and shut the door behind him. The Unseen aren’t blameless.

He’d not revel in the work, but he’d see the job done.

The hiss and the staccato call of blaster fire broke the night’s silence. Aiden was engaged, rushing forward. “Here we go,” Io’an said. He lingered behind, motioning for Vance to move up and support Aiden.

Meanwhile, he reached out through the Force, easily finding the presence of both of the guards. His own presence surged forward, settling heavily onto their minds, dulling their reactions, their thoughts, their perception of the world around them. The effect was immediately apparent as their shots started to go wild, veering crazily away from the approaching threats.

[Fromikeable]

Aiden’s zeal earned a thumb’s up from Vance, letting him take the lead. Io’an’s reaction caused him a moment’s hesitation; his friend was not a brutal man, and this was not a gentle task. A Nar Shaddaa night was just shy of 44 hours, and it had just begun; the Unseen would be little more than a smoldering memory by the time Y’Toub’s star came peeking over the horizon again.

They’d all be able to see the blood on their hands then. Whether or not it was necessary did not dictate whether or not it would be digestible.

Stepping out in front of his friend, Vance patted Io’an’s shoulder as the latter shot him a more earnest smile.

Then his own saber was hissing to life, dark green flooding the ground below, as he advanced on one of the guards, his pace far slower than Aiden’s. As the man’s shots grew wilder and less-controlled, Vance found little need to even flick them away, leveling him with a single slice. As he fell, Vance left the other to Aiden, raising his hand to the front door.

With a single, terrific scream of stressed metal, the doors went tumbling into the building, kicking up debris and dust as they did. Stepping through it leisurely, Vance made sure to hold his saber in front of him. As he entered the arena’s main room, sloped floors leading downward to a central pit and filled with seats, the sight was something to behold for the many Unseen workers scrambling for their guns.

Three men, glowing sabers in hand, appearing from the dust. The front one, dressed in dark clothing, his saber green and steady, his hand on his hip, shouted loudly.

”Good evening. Tonight’s show has been cancelled by the Bumani Exchange Corporation.” As the scrambling goons began to fire and take cover, Vance raised another hand and leveled it at a small cluster of them just below.

In an instant, they were flying, their cover reduced to splinters and dust, their screams cutting through the incoming roar of blasterfire.

[Argetlam]

Reflecting a few bolts before Io'an had made the better decision of distorting the shooters perception rather than just charging Aiden grimaced a little at his hotheaded reaction and made a mental note to thank Io'an later. 

Hearing the ignition of a second saber he could see the fear of the gunman's eyes as the silver flash of his own reflected back before making one slash upwards dropping him with a dull thud on the durasteel walkway. Glancing over to see that Vance had similarly dispatched of the second fell with the same dull metallic thud.

Aiden slowly rolled the cool cylinder in his hand as Vance blew the doors inwards on themselves and left a drifting haze of smoke and whatever the doors had kicked up in their wake. He had to admit the way Vance stood towering over the swarming gang member and the way the settling dust carried the hue of his lightsaber.

With a glance over at Io'an Aiden nodded " thanks for the little save back there. " even with that single glance it didn't take the force to tell that he took no pleasure in what they were doing." How about once we get done we all get a cold one and relax?" 
 
The hum of blaster fire pulled Aiden from that thought. Reflecting one back he watched them fall before raising his free hand as well as one of the doors and throwing it into another set of cover tossing a few unseen as well as causing even more yelling to the cacophony that was already ensuing. 

" It may just be me but it sure doesn't look like they enjoyed being canceled!" moving with more grace than speed this time Aiden began nearly dancing from cover to cover. 

[Rugs]

Vance and Aiden advance relentlessly, unchallenged by blaster bolts firing wildly in all directions from the guards manning the arena’s entrance. Io’an stayed behind. He depended on the other two for protection, to a degree. Though he wasn’t completely unaware of his surroundings, the constant effort of suppressing their foes’ perceptions required some — nominal, for such unprotected opponents — concentration. This, ironically, dulled his own awareness of his immediate surroundings, adding just the slightest fog. He was still plenty capable, but even a half-second’s error in deflecting a blaster bolt could prove deadly.

Even so, they cleared this initial obstacle easily enough, and Io’an was soon half-jogging to catch up with Aiden and Vance as the latter began the work of tearing the doorway free of its hinges. Vance was flaunting his considerable strength, but then again, that was the point, wasn’t it?

“Happy to help, he said earnestly to Aiden.”
“Let’s hope the rest is as easy as getting in,” Io’an muttered as he ignited his lightsaber, letting the lavender glow join Aiden’s silver and Vance’s green. Somehow he doubted that’d be the case. They’d a long way yet to go.

The trio stepped through the entrance, through the narrow lobby and into the arena itself. The floor slopped away in stepped intervals, curving out to either side of them for the circular coliseum seating that surrounded the broad arena floor. It sloped up above them — the entrance was about halfway up the stands. A ring of box seats full of lush furnishings for wealthy patrons, lined with transparisteel windows, some of which were swung open for maintenance, surrounded coliseum’s top row.

And far above, a transparisteel dome, reinforced with thin, concentric metal rings anchored to the roof, showing the night above and the lights that danced into the night around the arena.

“Nice place,” Io’an called, forcing an air of cocky self-assurance as Vance commenced the hostilities. “Shame if it got wrecked.” He dashed for cover as the Unseen goons below opened fire.

He ducked behind a seat, swearing under his breath as a blaster shot sent a hail fo burnt plastic and wood showering over the back of his head. As he slicked along the floor, moving from seat to seat for cover, he drew his disruptor pistol and began to take potshots back at his attackers. One fell, howling as a disruptor blast took out his leg and ripped his body apart in one painful blow.

Io’an kept moving, trying to position himself near one of the catwalks stretching over the arena. Once done, he reached out, taking hold through the Force. The metal cords holding the catwalk up began to snap loudly, violently, as Io’an tore it free and sent it plunging toward some of the goons below.

[Fromikeable]

Vance did his best to look uninterested as he flicked his saber, ensuring that the many, many bolts soaring toward him were all just off. In truth, the act was more work to uphold than the defense; unprepared, unsettled, and uncertain, the thugs on the arena’s floor were far from the biggest threat they would face this evening.

These were just the grunts. The leaders were no doubt somewhere in the building barricading and arming, seizing the time they had until they were found.

Good.

”I don’t really remember wondering about their opinions.” Shouting back to Aiden, Vance’s eyes squinted as his saber danced, dancing between targets. Finally he found one; a man in a tuxedo whose blaster shook without his arms moving, his face a sweaty mess, his tie undone and his pants dusty and ruined.

With a flick of Vance’s hand, he was raised above his cover. As Vance’s hand extended, the Force surged, rocketing the panicked usher toward him. The rush ended when his neck filled Vance’s hand, Vance’s saber cleaving his saber in half. When the thug scrambled to draw a knife from his pocket, Vance’s saber hissed again as it seared through his shoulder, literally disarming him.

As he screamed, Vance squeezed a little harder on his neck to silence him. Saber still dancing to block shots, Vance lowered his voice as little as he could over the din of the firefight.

”Where are they?”

”Oh my god, it fucking burns! You bastard, I’ll-I’ll-I’ll-”

Vance squeezed a bit tighter.

”Where? Are? They?”

The response he got was choked and stuttering, the man’s attached arm pointing at the ring. Squinting, Vance’s presence shot out long enough to learn what he meant; below the arena was plenty of space, and within it, plenty of people in varying states of shock, rage, and fear scurrying about.

”Thanks.” Letting go of his throat, Vance’s hand hovered just above his chest. Gripped by the Force anew, the man levitated just high enough to clear the arena’s seats before rocketing toward one of the gunmen downrange. Their bodies collided with a crunch, and both went tumbling over a set of seats.

”We’re going downstairs!” Beginning to walk toward the ring, Vance let the act begin to fade, putting more effort into directing the shots he blocked. Many soared back toward their producers, prompting them to shuffle for cover as they continued shooting.

[Argetlam]

Aiden stepped out of his cover and with the same motion reflected a blaster bolt at a waiting unseen who had taken up a position on one of the few catwalks around them. The force of the shot sent him reeling back and over the railing only to be caught by the hard seats below. Now with a sense of purpose Aiden weaved in and out of blaster fire and reflected what he could trying to push the unseen back into a semi circle so that Vance and Io'an would have a bit more comfort knowing that the unseen had been segmented off by a bit. 

Holding the ground that he'd taken Aiden looked to Vance " Downstairs? We still have so many friends up here " with a smile Aiden ducked behind one of the ruined segments the door had blasted into the stands. Ducking deeper into the cover as a few heavier blaster bolts kicked up dust and broken shattered pieces of debris. 

Wrinkling his nose at the fine layer of concrete, fabric, wood, and steel particals that had decided to attack his sinuses to a host of mixed results he took another look at Io'an and Vance " I'm surprised so many people come to this dump-" Swinging from his cover and meeting a cocky merc who had decided to rush him while he laid back. In an instant his saber was out and both hand came swinging forward "- Theres so much damn dust!" As his hands came to a halt the now not so cocky merc went flying back into the nosebleeds not so far away as well as much of the dust dirt and debris that was on their side of the arena. Creating his own pocket sized sand storm as well as cover for the moment. 

Even with the semi transparent haze in the air blaster bolts still came flinging out of it creating a light show of their own full of coughing, wheezing, and shouts that damned nearly as many relatves as Aiden could count. 


Using the man made mist for lack of better words Aiden leaped down the rows of stairs to meet Vance and slip into step beside him. Aidens own saber now reignited to dance with the green light of Vance's. Reaching out with his own mind he could feel the rushing anxiety from under the ring. Now this almost doesn't seem fair he thought letting his mind reach a little farther he smirked. 

Almost 

[Rugs]

Io’an spent more time than was probably apporpriate ducked behind his makeshift cover as the Unseen’s blaster fire slowly withered away at it. They’d well and truly kicked the hornet’s nest now. More grunts swarmed into the arena, guns blazing at the three Force intruders who dared make so brazen an entrance into their sanctuary.

Vance and Aiden seemed to be enjoying the rush, in their own ways. Io’an was more hesitant. The Force was loud, discordant in battle. The noise — the fear, the pain, the death — beat at his mind, impossible to shut out. He’d learned to live with it, and to ignore it during the fight against the Archeri, but this was different. The Unseen were enemies, to be sure, but they were no Archeri.

They were people.

Io’an grit his teeth as a shot from a heavy blaster pistol blew off the side of the seat he’d sheltered behind, exposing his shoulder until he dove to new cover. Too deep in now to have regrets, he told himself as he peeked around the chair’s edge to see the offending gunman. And I’ve got a job to do. That job was dealing with the Unseen. And, more importantly, watching Vance and Aiden’s back.

He grimaced as another blast from his disruptor pistol tore apart one of the Unseen goons and made to join Vance, who was leading the way downward.

With a grunt, Io’an hoped up and over the seat, lavender lightsaber bursting to life again to meet the new hail of blaster fire from thugs who thought they’d catch him off guard. The dust and dirt kicked into the air at least gave a semblance of cover. For those stray shots that made it through, well, a flick the wrist or twirl of the arm took care of the issue. A sharp scream announced one returned blaster bolt finding its sender.

“Only gonna get tougher from here,” he said as he joined up with Aiden and Vance, both of who had acquitted themselves well. Io’an forced a smile as they ducked into one of the tunnels that led from the arena floor to the place’s underworks. Shouts echoed from the chaos they left behind. “Can’t have it be too easy though, right?”

The tunnel was wide, with a high ceiling for maintenance equipment or contraptions for use in arena fights. It was, thankfully, empty, though Io’an kept his lightsaber on as they approached an intersection. A heavy metal door to their fore led, he assumed to some storage area, while another walkway curved in from the left. To their right, it continued on, but a flickering sign hanging from the ceiling indicated stairs, to a lower floor were along the way.

“That what we’re looking for?” he asked, motioning with his lightsaber.

[Fromikeable]

The trio’s advance into the tunnel went as close to a would-be script as could be asked for their theatric, dispassionate act. The thugs still remaining in the arena offered little real resistance as they disappeared. Vance had half a mind to turn back and ensure that they weren’t given the chance to escape, but thought better of it. Slaughtering them was just cruelty by this point; they had fought, and they had lost, and plenty of their comrades had been killed. From a syndicate’s point of view, they were just scattered resources. Hopefully they would run. Maybe some would find new work. Maybe some could take the chance to change their lives entirely.

As long as they spread the word that the Unseen were finished, Vance held no further quarrel.

The tunnel offered relative silence, the sounds of combat melting away and leaving only humming sabers, running boots, and belabored breath. Coming to the intersection, Vance stopped beside Io’an. Taking the chance to rest and breathe for a minute, he lowered his own saber to his side, inspecting each possible path.

”Looks like our best bet, yep.” Taking a final breath, he glanced at Aiden and Io’an, inspecting them both. Smiling a little when he saw no injuries, he gave them both a small thumbs-up. ”Good work so far guys.” Starting down the right hallway, the stairs it indicated proved close. Leading the way, they descended what must have been at least 5 stories before finding new ground; a new, short tunnel leading to a small set of metal service doors. The signs affixed, written in Huttese, read ”Employees Only”.

Slicing the lock with a flick of his saber, Vance turned to them both before pressing forward with a hand. ”Remember, big and flashy.”

The words proved prophetic as loud clunks rang through what must have been a large room awaiting them. Floodlights zapped to life, focused on the three of them, as ceiling lights far, far above turned on row by row.

The room was enormous. Catwalks, hanging offices, and bay doors littered what was otherwise an immense, wide-open room many levels high. Indications of former living had been shoved to the side, bedrolls and small heaters pushed into sandbag barricades. The symbol of the Unseen, ragged as it was, could be seen painted on the odd banner, speeder, and-

And the three walkers adjusting their guns two-hundred meters in front of the door, legs bending to accommodate their aim as they each began to fire.

Vance’s surprise was no doubt tenable as he raised his free hand. The first shot, by the sheer will of the Force, landed just feet above him, the shock of the explosion whipping through Vance’s clothes. The second and third nearly aimed true, veering at the last second toward Vance’s arm. One hit dead center in his palm, disappearing without a trace. The second skinned the side, shrinking as it dragged as far down as his bicep before disappearing, leaving the contact skin black and charring.

Letting out something between a holler of pain and an excited cry of surprise, Vance whipped his freshly-burned arm to the side. The absorbed energy shot through the Force wildly, barely aimed, bashing into the side of one of the walkers. It stumbled, catching itself by bashing into another, which bashed into the third. With all three momentarily knocked off balance, Vance dived to the nearest sandbags, his saber whirling twice to dispatch the gunners there before hissing off.

”Cover me for a minute!” Only speaking loudly enough for his comm to pick up, Vance curse and spat under his breath as he ripped off his ruined sleeve. Inspecting his arm as quickly as possible, he began to wrap it in the hot fabric.