Appetite for Destruction

[Dire Wolf]

((Sorry for the crap post >_> creative juices are running on empty at this point))

Lanara was in the middle of replaying the events in the prison when she caught an understanding smile from Axle, her soon to be partner. She returned it and quickly lost herself in thought again. Why? Why in the big damned 'verse did she help that man... no... he wasn't a man. He was a pirate. Lucian's kind had killed more than a few of her friends in the past, and she had basically devoted her decade long career in the military to hunting those kind of men.

So why did she help break him out? The enmity that she harbored for brigands transcended any monetary benefits that could be gained through working with them... so why? Her inquest was interrupted by Ocelot giving them the “I don't pay you to sit around” order.

She got up with a sigh and headed off to her quarters, when she reached the door the broken lock reminded her of another thing that she would have to purchase. The lock that Xander oh so happily broke when he assaulted her. Naturally, the Zeltron would be paying her back for the lock... whether he knew it or not. Lana stepped inside, closed the door, and stripped down to a tank top and short-shorts.

If she had any more attire on her person when the armor was on it would be... less than comfortable. She quickly began the rather slow process of putting on her armor, layer by layer, piece by piece, before the Zeltron could barge in. She would be forced to kill him then, not that she wanted to... but some offenses are unforgivable. Bursting on on Lanara while she is changing happens to be one of them. Within half an hour she was walking down the ramp of the ship.

((Lat and Me are going to begin posting in “another man's trash”))

[Jace]

Ocelot was the exact opposite of what Melody would consider 'lax'. He wasn't tense, but he was on his guard, his hand always drifting near his shoulder holster. Rem wasn't the only one who spotted the thing that was following them. So it came as no surprise to Ocelot, when Rem informed him of their pursuer. Something was bothering him about this being that was following them. It wasn't making any attempts to be secretive of its surveillance. A normal person would find that reassuring, but in his line of work that spelled trouble.

"Xander, when we get to the warehouse, find a good sniping spot on one of the buildings surrounding it. I want to know when/if anything enters the perimeter. Rem, just keeping doing what you are doing...you are our last line of defense.

Keep sharp Mel, I don't like what I am seeing..." He stated to the group, his voice was barely a whisper, so only his group could hear.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the warehouse without any incident. Ocelot nodded to Xander, signaling for him to go get in position. He then walked about another hundred steps and stopped in front of the door of the warehouse. He knocked on the door twice in quick succession, and then paused and knocked one final time. The sequence was given to him as part of the briefing the contractor had sent him. He heard the sound of a large bolt being undone, and the heavy door creaked open.

He walked into the warehouse with the other two in tow, and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he saw what awaited him. Ocelot looked at the trandoshan's in all their ugliness. He absolutely despised dealing with trandoshans, they gave criminals a bad name. They had their blasters up and pointed at the three.

"Typical Trandoshan welcome" he muttered to himself

Ocelot held his hands up, in a universal gesture of showing he was proceeding with things peacefully. A trandoshan walked up to him; Ocelot assumed he was the leader.

"You are the one called Ocelot?"

Ocelot merely nodded at the question; the trandoshan seemed to be satisfied. Ocelot was getting a little tired with all this blatant show of power.

"Alright, where is the cargo?" He asked calmly but there was a slight edge to his voice.

The trandoshan nodded to two others, and moments later they came back with the cargo. Ocelot just stared at the cargo for a few moment, not saying anything. Out of all the things to be transporting he had not expected this at all.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ocelot stated as he pointed at the two young and battered girls.

[Squee]

What breeze there was carried mingled stenches that Melody, who had been in some NASTY places, wrinkled her nose against. It was utterly repulsive. Again, this coming from someone who had been in all kinds of ugly dens and bars, most of which a hazy smoke seemed to be settled within permanently, and such smoke concoction created by many different addictions of some kind. Melody had the presence of mind to be an alcohol lover instead of a stimulate addict.

This planet reeked. There was no way around it. As she had voiced before, it was nothing but a criminal haven. A poor, poor criminal haven, but one nonetheless. The places the walked passed shouldn’t be considered civilization by the looks of it. It was dreary, broken, and everywhere one could look, something any sane being would believe ‘illegal’ was taking place. There was a permanent smoke settled here, and Melody was sure it looked about the same across the total expanse the planet was stretched to.

Ocelot was tense, appearing much more alert than Melody looked. Simple mercs. Didn’t they know how to droop their shoulders a little and add a little swagger in their step? Or a bounce, transform such worlds within the depths of their brains and yank out something imaginary to enjoy in the slightest? Wait, not everyone had imaginations, and not everyone was comfortable with the levels Melody was. She had to remember that more often before she started tirades to herself about others.

Remiel, she recalled his name after a moment, was rather a withdrawn character lingering behind them. Every so often, Melody would toss her hair to the side and peer across her shoulder to check on him. He seemed to pause every so often and focus on something, then line up with the four man group. Well, three man and one woman. And Melody was sure that if she wasn’t there looking pretty, Xander, Ocelot, and Remiel would have been leapt upon before. With a lady there, she was keeping them rather safe, seen more as a prize if they dared the courage to attempt an attack.

There was a breeding dread between the tenseness of Ocelot and Remiel that was beginning to seep though Melody’s skin and get to her nerves. She still appeared rather relaxed compared to the rest, but her shoulders became a little more squared and her chin turned with her eyes more often than not. She felt the uneasiness crawl persistently inward, reaching for her bones to seize her in the utmost alert state, and then was sure to pull away quickly. She didn’t know what they were sensing, seeing, or feeling was truly noticeable. What was it?

She heard Remiel’s little warning and nodded at the blond man. The quick shooting of a smirk would let him know she had heard and understood him. Her lips formed back into a neutral line as she took another glance to her left, covering Ocelot’s blind spot as he glanced to the group’s right.

"Xander, when we get to the warehouse, find a good sniping spot on one of the buildings surrounding it. I want to know when/if anything enters the perimeter. Rem, just keeping doing what you are doing...you are our last line of defense.

Keep sharp Mel, I don't like what I am seeing..."
“Of course,” she stated simply to Ocelot in reply. They were getting close now. The tension curling into the air like fumes refused to die down. If it did anything, it grew heavier and more electric, making each breath a thick shocking down the spine. Just before they reached the warehouse, and Xander peeling from their numbers, Melody reached down to her blasters strapped at her thighs and loosened their bonds just a little bit more. With a yank, they would pull free in an instant and be ready in Melody’s hand.

The group was greeting in the loveliest of fashions; if one could count with blasters aimed at you lovely. Melody kept the smirk from her face. So many memories from that one sense of dejavu as she saw the trandoshans with blasters ready to kill in their hand. Instead, she followed Ocelot’s act but a few seconds behind him, her hands raised up and forward a little bit just at shoulder level. She remained silent and let Ocelot do the speaking considering he was the one playing role model.

When Melody saw the cargo, bile welled up in her throat and her eyes turned from gentle, alert sapphires to crystalline structures full of rage. It took her a moment, but the swallowed the bile. By now, her hand were lowered to her waist. The crystal balls for her eyes flicked between the “cargo”, Ocelot, and the trandoshans.

Little girls!? Melody thought, outraged, That’s not cargo, that’s… that’s… Okay, so, she didn’t know exactly. All the smuggler woman knew was that this was reeling making her blood boil and bubble swiftly through her veins. Her body language said it all. It had become tense, stiff maybe at the first sight of the girls. Her hands were fisted, chin was down as she glared, and her legs were bent loosely despite the tension coiling across her muscles. In all her years of smuggling, never had she received live cargo that could speak a language, think logically, and have a heart that should be cared for and not tortured.

Ocelot, I swear, just say the word and I’ll friggin’ shoot them. If you agree to carry out this, I’ll shoot you, too. I mean… Boy, you better be much more decent than these skinbags before us. He sounded like he did. Ocelot addressed them rather coldly with a rather rhetorical question. The trandoshans would take it as rhetorical and remind the trio to mind their agreement. Wait, I’ll just hold off shooting you until we’re back at the ship. And then if you don’t show decency, then I’ll put a blaster burn the size of Tatooine into your head.

Melody glanced at Remiel, her teeth gritting so hard her jaw was shooting with the beginnings of pain. If she said anything, she was likely to get them all killed rather than help the situation.

Hold on girls… she thought, as if it would make a difference.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Remiel could feel Melody's shift in comfortability. It showed in the subtle dimming of the grassy green aura around her, the movements she made, the swirl of emotions in the force that pressed around him. Between the stench of the planet, Ocelot's brooding, and his constant shifts in attention, it was little wonder she was becoming more on edge. Allowing himself to shift his thoughts just enough to focus on the emotions he could call upon, he pushed feelings of calm toward her and Xander. It wouldn't do to have them getting jittery at a crucial moment. As she tossed her head, glancing behind her at him once again, he managed a jaunty wink that was convincing even to him...mostly. Obviously he knew differently, but it should be enough to hopefully put her a little more at ease for the time being. After he had warned them, he caught her smirk and nod, returning his own flashy grin.

Ocelot's words reached the keen hearing of the rilan and he replied with a short "mmm" of sound. The former jedi could certainly handle that task...far too often he'd been sent in as "last line of" whatever...rescue, investigation, negotiation, defense. He had an peculiar set of skills, even for a jedi, that had sent him far and wide for a multitude of reasons, and this happened to be one of his more comfortable roles. Even as they neared the warehouse, Rem could feel the thickening in the force, some mildly insidious intent wrapping around the building like an oppressive cloud that even those without the talent could feel. Slipping easily into his well worn roll, the blond felt his entire body relax, his motions loose and flowing and allowing a light roll into his step as he clasped his hands casually behind his head. Again that dark creature appeared, it's aura sucking in the light from around it, shielding it's form from his eyes. He felt it watching them, and this time he didn't challenge it, instead he simply eyed it as he continued on along behind them. The being slipped away into the shadows once more, seemingly content to spy on them and slink away again as it had been doing. When Xander went to take up his own position and the other three entered the dismal gloom of that warehouse, Remiel sighed inwardly, though his outward appearance remained that of lax casualty.

The trandoshans that aimed all manner of weapons at the group was hardly the first thing Remiel noticed. No, he knew how many there were...could feel the handful that aimed their blasters, bolt throwers, and rifles at them...beyond them were the dozen or so that skittered like so many rats through the shadows, then there was the slimy ooze that was their 'leader'. He could see the clamor of colors slipping through the shadows, all tinged with varying degrees of oranges and reds and some even greys and blacks. They thought they could hide in the shadows, that they were clever little mice pattering around just out of sight of this new prey that they thought they were so much stronger than. Little did they know that they a new type of predator was in their midst. Despite everything, no...these were not the first things his mind actually consciously processed. Indeed, it was the building itself that the blond noticed.

The cracked windows, set high into the walls, filtered in slanted bars of light, shedding a murky sort of gloom into the forest of durasteel pillars that supported the dilapidated roof. It was all too familiar a scene and it took the self exiled jedi all his willpower to maintain that calm and lackadaisical air. Even now, months after his first crime, his past was haunting him. Images of a similar time and space flashed before his eyes, mingling with his reality. The phantoms of half starved and down trodden togruta and rilan...chained, filthy, desperate for help...laying on mats on the ground in the sweltering heat of Rilia's summer. He turned slowly to gaze at one of the trandoshans pointing a gun in his direction and the ghosts of his past faded into nothingness. What did this mean? He could feel the unmistakable curling of the force's tendrils wrapping about him, telling him something, warning him...but of what? Blue eyes closed briefly as he took a light breath, sending his own streams and rivulets of thought into the force's larger waves like rivers into the ocean. Opening his eyes as he opened his connection more deeply, he caught sight of the two little girls. No...why? Keeping his posture and muscles loose, Remiel had to work to restrain himself from slaughtering the lot of these men.

The air around the blond became noticeably warmer.

Luckily for him, for them all, it was dark enough that the blood red that had seeped into his eyes was hardly noticeable. The rilan was forced to work doubly hard to maintain his calm inside, as well as out...he had to...if not for the sake of his comrades, for the sake of these little girls. The edge to Ocelot's voice didn't go unnoticed, nor did Melody's thoughts...splayed so loudly across his mind. She needed to keep her cool. As he caught that glance he didn't look at her in return but simply remained with his hands clasped lightly behind his head. His thoughts, however, turned to the woman and Ocelot. They couldn't leave here without the children...if they did it would be the worst thing they could do. The former jedi pushed his thoughts toward the two and Xander, wherever he was by now, warning him of his intentions, making it obvious that something wanted into their minds and would have it's way...alerting them so they wouldn't startle at his next actions. Sighing slightly, he shrugged in his coat. So much for keeping my force abilities a secret...might as well just shout 'jedi' around the crew after this. Oh well, nothing to be done I suppose.

It's Remiel. Melody, please stay calm. Ocelot...we MUST take them with us. If we don't worse things can, and will, happen to these two. If we take them with us I can see to it that...this...is stopped here and now. At least this section of it. We free them and turn them over as wards to the Republic it will boost our status with them...at least we will have freed two little girls.

....But...

We take them with us and deliver them...well, I doubt many of the crew will be happy with that decision. Myself least of all.

With that, he left their minds completely and hoped that they had sense enough not to do anything rash. And so Remiel turned toward Ocelot.

Well boss?

He asked, blue and red eyes locked on the other man. Already he was searching out the others in the building, checking for those who might need help, finding friend and enemy alike and noting their positions within the building. It was in Ocelot's court now. Luckily for the stoic leader, Remiel got the feeling that he was going to make a decision that was at least tolerable.

[Jace]

I am getting too old for this.... Ocelot thought as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

Ocelot didn't need the Force to tell him that Rem and Mel were disconcerted by this change of events. Ocelot's eyes slowly moved from the leader over to the two young girls. Though his face didn't change, anger was beginning to well up inside of him. The girls had obviously both been beaten and malnourished. Ocelot was a criminal,he had never denied it, but this outright disgusted him. He knew there was a whole industry of being trafficking, and it was quite profitable. To sell little girls like this, to some man who would violate her again and again, it infuriated Ocelot.

He wasn't about to leave these girls here, the thought never once crossed his mind. A plan was slowly formulating in his mind, but it was all very risky. Ocelot then suddenly felt a new presence in his mind, but it wasn't intrusive. He figured it was Remiel, he had guessed at his talents long ago. He didn't grasp every single word he tried to say, but he understood the main message.

Ocelot didn't like what he was about to say, but if he didn't, it would make them look suspicious.

"What is this? You must be quite aware that I don't smuggle people. It is stated clearly in the contract, we cannot take these two" his voice resounding with authority and a little contempt. He just hoped that Mel or Rem didn't shoot him on the spot for saying that. The fact was though, if he hadn't, they probably would have been shot right there.

"You will deliver these two to the contractor or you will die" the leader stated. As he finished his sentence, all the blasters in the warehouse came up and pointed at Ocelot and the other two.

With one simple line, Ocelot had made it look like he didn't want to take the two girls. He merely shrugged implying that he had caved into the threat and would take the girls. The girls were brought over, and tossed at his feet. Ocelot cringed inside, but he couldn't show his emotions lest they be discovered. He gave a curt nod to the Rem and Mel, and with the girls they slowly made their way to the exit.

Just as the girls exited the door alongside Rem and Mel, a bolt blasted through one of the windows and killed a trandoshan.

"YOU!" the leader of the trandoshans yelled at Ocelot just as he was exiting.

Ocelot quickly closed the heavy door behind him, just as a flurry of bolts scorched it. He quickly made his way over to the girls and picked them up, knowing the couldn't run.

"Let's get out of here!" he stated to Rem and Mel as he went in the direction they had first arrived from.

He knew the shot hadn't come from Xander, for he wouldn't have done something so foolish. There was a third party that was involved, possibly the one who was following them. Someone didn't want Ocelot and his crew to have these two girls...time may reveal just who they were. Ocelot didn't have much time to think on this though, for he knew the Trandoshans would be coming out of that door any second.

[Squee]

Remain calm? Melody scoffed to herself. What a freak you are, Remiel. Stay out of my head. Despite the feelings of disdain and the angry glance shot toward Remiel, Melody was now a little frightened of the blond haired man.

Really, who had the power to project thoughts directly to one’s head? Sure, Melody had heard of the Jedi and the Force before, but always figured them as privileged little aliens who learned how to specially handle a light up sword and do cute flips in the air. Never mind the ‘Force’ stuff, though Melody found herself cursing by it from time to time. Melody had never really encountered and Jedi, much less… who were they? The ‘dark side’ persons? Whatever they were referred to nowadays, she hadn’t experience with any of these so called ‘Force users’. To have her own thoughts interrupted by a voice that belonged not five feet from her was, to say in the least, a heart-beat skipping moment. And she wasn’t too keen on finding out why he could do it. If it was a power, she’d rather it be directed away from her. Melody was quite uncomfortable discovering the fact the Remiel could hear her thoughts. She believed he could hear her thoughts, anyway. Was that not an invasion of privacy?

Melody kept her jaw locked and said nothing. Her appearance still gave off her displeasure, but she was forcing herself to seem calmer. When within a cauldron was placed over a fire. A fire that was being fed second by second as the time ticked down on a rational timer. The lower the timer, another poke stirred the fire, and the liquid in the cauldron bubbled ever so slightly and threatened to spill over should the bomb click down to zero.

Ocelot’s reluctance to receive the ‘cargo’ was like air on steam. It breezed across the boiling contents of the cauldron and soothed the threat of spilling just a touch. Outwardly, with her eyes on her gang leader, her shoulders rolled backward a little bit. They wouldn’t smuggle people, good.

But then… Wait, if they didn’t take the girls, the contractor would just have another some body pick them up. Crystalline eyes rested back on the girls, then flicked back sharply to Ocelot. Ocelot… accept. That cauldron’s heavy humming of boiling filled her ears again. The pot’s contents? Her blood. Her furious blood.

And then he did, after the threat the three of them would die if Ocelot refused again. The girls were brought to him, tossed down like ragdolls, where one of them mewled softly, and they both cringed. They kept their eyes away from Ocelot and also diverted from the trandoshans, focusing glazed eyes of discomfort on their hands or the very dirt of the floor. Melody’s eyes closed, and she drew in a large breath through her nose. Never, ever had she expected the first job to be as is was. Two girls… two little girls. Who would use two little girls? It was simply appalling, believed more highly by Melody, who was a woman.

The former full-time smuggler waited until the girls were between her and Remiel, and then Melody led them through the door. The two girls had just cleared, Remiel just behind them, when the ear-splintering sound of glass shattering pinged loudly in Melody’s ear. She moved a half-step to the side on instinct, twisting her upper body in the direction of the pattering noise. There was a shout outside, and Ocelot darted out, slapping the controls to close the thick door behind them. He ran forward and scooped up the girls, bellowing an order than didn’t need to be repeated twice. Melody bounced onto her toes, fingers scrabbling at the remaining, though loosened, binds on her blaster pistols. She didn’t take their comfort to her palm yet, however, and was going to trust the swiftness of her reactive draw for that.

Melody kept up with Ocelot, staying close, and eyes straying to the buildings to find two things. One being Xander, who she knew, she knew, hadn’t fired the shot. And two, for the one that had, starting this running down the street, and turning at least three hearts to a determined pace to take that twenty minute walk into a seven minute run. Remiel had been right about something being out there with malevolent intentions against them.

That fearful thought crept back like some bothersome snake that had a hankering for flesh. How had the man seen anything? Melody couldn’t. Did the men have a sense that simply Melody didn’t have?

“Ocelot! Do I need to take one?” Surely, even with adrenaline and the girls being scrawny, he couldn’t carry that weight at this pace all the way back to the ship.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Remiel's eyes blazed a bright orange, burning down into a hot, scorching, red still flickering with glimpses of orange and yellow as his mind vacillated between fear and anger at the situation the girls were in. He held no fear for himself, and though he didn't wish the others to find their fate to be death or worse, it was the girls he was most concerned with....besides, the galaxy wouldn't miss another force adept teetering on the sharp edge of the blade that light and dark created. Despite this, the rilan caught Ocelot's understanding and Melody's shun. Well, it was to be expected of at least one person...no, she made the second. As he watched the happenings, his body remained relaxed, though beneath he was coiled tightly as a spring.

Weapons had been drawn and lifted and the little rats that thought themselves so clever to hide just out of sight of the others readied themselves for the ambush should they be called upon. With Ocelot's shrug tensions eased slightly, though Melody was boiling just beneath the surface. He didn't blame her, he felt the same way and was only just able to hold the leash on his barely controlled, and newest, ability. As he watched the two children thrown roughly at Ocelot's feet, Remiel felt a low growl building in his throat, along with the urge to forgo his personal vow to not use his saber, save in times of need, to teach all of these sleazy, slimy, filth covered, disease ridden, pockmarked, witless, bantha fodder strewn, gutter crawling....he ended the thought there as Ocelot turned.

Rem didn't reach for the girls to help them up as he normally would have. He couldn't, or he risk burning them...the air around him had nearly become a shimmering mass of heat by this time due to his anger. Dropping his hands to his sides lightly, he felt the malevolent presence again and it only served to infuriate him more, his back twinging to release his wings from their fleshy restraints and show these beings what they were dealing with. As he followed Melody and the girls past the door and he heard the glass above them shatter, he stepped forward, blocking any potential shots aimed at Melody or the girls with his body. He could feel Ocelot coming up behind him swiftly and stepped out of the way as he arrived. The door had been shut behind them, but it would open again if something wasn't done. Growling in truth now, he called one of his blasters to his outstretched hand and turned to face the building once more. His mind expanded and intertwined with the force and his hand followed, the shot ringing out not a moment later and searing the panel, rendering it ineffective. No doubt there would be a second door, but it would matter little to those inside once HE was done with them.

Feeling that Xander was far enough away from the building, he clamped his will onto that anger he had been withholding for all that time. Reaching deeper, he called into play his anger at himself for being used to do an evil will on Rilia...everything....every painful memory he could rip open again, he did. The air around him shimmered for a moment in silvery waves of heat, like those seen rising from the deserts of Tatooine, or the baking pavement of planets such as this, Coruscant, or Nar Shaddaa during the height of summer, rising up and away. Wrapping his attention around the building now, his anger focused on it and those inside it, he willed the crates inside of it to burn...every scrap of fabric, every bit of fiber, every nuance of burnable material...it would burn with his anger. Burn it did.

The crates, as he had suspected, had only partially been filled with illegal substances such as spice...the rest were far more helpful in his task to utterly destroy the blight of that wretched warehouse and those within. Turning once he saw the flickering of new flames and the screams of pain as those inside started to burn with their contraband, Remiel didn't even bat an eyelash as several loud explosions sounded from the building behind them. Those...had been the weapons they had been smuggling. Stupid really, to go against a contract and risk having something you didn't expect happen as the result. Satisfied that those behind them had their hands full with staying alive and not chasing after them, he darted to catch up to the others, the air around him considerably cooler, though his eyes still danced with the colors of the flames that were now leaping behind them.

Ocelot, Melody, here. I can carry the girls far more efficiently than you for far longer. Allow me.

He stated, jogging up beside them as they ran. With the force easily aiding his movements, the run seemed to take no toll on him, his breathing steady and calm as if he were walking at no more than a stroll. Well, to him this WAS no more than a stroll. The primarily physically based former jedi had seen to it in his training and years of work that not only was his body primed for any and all forms of movement, but that it was easily aided by the force allowing him to move more freely and for longer periods of time in the most unusual of ways. Carrying two half starved little girls, to him, was as difficult as carrying two bagged lunches...and about as strenuous.

[Jace]

Ocelot turned as the warehouse was suddenly rocked with explosions. He heard the screams of those being burned alive, and cringed just a little bit. He hated those trandoshans but hearing people burning alive still had an effect on him. He had noticed he had stopped moving, and was brought back by Melody's offer. He was about to hand her a girl, when Rem offered to take them both. He handed the girls off to him, and once again began to move.

"Rem just keep moving no matter what happens, get the girls to the October"

He turned right into the next street as they backtracked towards the ship. The group soon found themselves crossing a small plaza. About halfway across Ocelot noticed something out of the corner of his eyes, and it was moving too fast to be a trandoshan. He his flashed to his pistol, he stopped, pivoted, and fired. He was satisfied when he heard a cry of pain from the direction he fired.

"Mel, keeping going, protect Rem and the girls. I will be there momentarily" his voice was calm, and his demeanor was composed, there was no hesitation at all.

He stood motionless at the entrance to the street that others had just gone through. He suddenly heard footsteps and watched as multiple figures appeared from the surrounding buildings. They seemed to be a motley crew of various species, but they all had one purpose. They seemed to be approaching Ocelot cautiously, maybe his reputation for Close quarter combat was more widely spread then he thought. Before he had time to think more on that he heard a soft thud behind him. He duck as he spun to the left, his other hand grasping the hilt of his blade. A bolt raced over his head, as he came up and slashed the man's wrist with his blade. His instincts took over, and he grabbed the man, and dragged him to the side. He watched as a flurry of blaster bolts connected with the man's, as Ocelot used him like a shield.

He tossed the dead man aside, and dived forward, as he rolled to the nearest cover. He popped out of cover and fired three shots, two of which connected with their intended target.

I am out of practice he silently scolded himself.

They were slowly closing in on him, and they were learning to time their fire. He was finding it harder and harder to get a shot off. He gripped the hilt of his blade tightly with one hand, and the pistol with his other. He wasn't about to go down without a fight.


[Btw this is the opportunity I have created for Necro to jump in and save my skin]

[Necro Stormborn]

On a hill in the distance over looking the vastly populated area on this backridden world sat Jorgun Mythrax, one of the most infamous Bounty Hunters alive. He was seated outside a delicatessen drinking some water... or something like it, and was looking down over the hill side into the streets and outer areas. it seemed like a normal day, but of course things never were normal anymore.

Jorgun glanced at his chrono on his wrist and then pulled out his datapad to check on his investments and the events in the outer rim. However as he did this something below caught his attention. Correction..... something big below caught his attention. A building in the outer rim of the cityesque area burst into flames and exlosions followed all over that area. Jorgun focused on the area, and could feel the heartbeats of the people stuck inside...failing, or beating extremely fast. they were dieing....Why?

Jorgun stood up from the table and walked to the ledge, peering down into the area. His vision adjusted and the helmet made some changes to the input and the image was enlarged and magnified. The was some type of gun fight going on down there. "Oh really?"

Jorgun turned, placed a 100 credit chip on the table next to the drink. A little much, but he didn't care. Then The hulking metal mass that was Jorgun moved towards his speeder, jumped in, started the engine, and zoomed off towards the city.

Passing several seedy areas and developments, Jorgun finally came upon a range where he could hear the gunfire. "Now what's this all about..." He stepped off his speeder and his juggernaut appearance sank into the ground, leaving heavily flattened terrain behind him as he moved coser to the gun shots and building.

Silently he staled the area, moving covertly through the streets, Very large Bule Verpine Repeating Blaster clutched in his hands. He turned the nearest corner, and he could hear a tustle taking place. Ten some excitement rose up in his mind as he spotted an old friend. Shaking his head in a disapproving way Jorgun muttered, " Ocelot..." He then walked out from behind the corner as Ocelot dove behind some type of cover, firing pot shots off and nailing one or two guys in the abdomen and side. the group of thugs... or at least thats how they appeared, seemed to be closing in on him.

Jorgun stepped forwards, his huge mass no doubt garnering the attention of those meaning harm to ocelot, and slung his gun in thier direction. Without asking questions or saying anything, he opened fire, letting loose two dozen blaster bolts in the men's direction. Two men fell straight to the floor as bolts nailed them in the temple and eyes, and one more from 6 bolts riddling his body and sending him sprawled against the wall.

Two of the men decided to back away and learn a lesson... another tried to move in on Ocelot, to which jorgun simply replied by pressing a blue button on his blaster sending an arc of electricity soaring towards the man. The man sizzled and fell to the ground dead where he stood.

Finally Jorgun walked slowly up to the no doubt wide-eyed ocelot and simply shook his head in a disapproving nod once again. "Your clearly not as practiced as you once were....."

[Squee]

For a brief moment in her running, Melody had fainted away from the pace and dared a glance over her shoulder. She couldn’t sense Rem running alongside Ocelot and the girls, her near even Melody for that fact. There weren’t enough footsteps echoing frantic rattles along the rough and tumbled ground. They were drawing looks from other people, she noted casually as she slowed to look behind her for Remiel. When one was running for their life, they tended not to take much heed of the glances people shot their way. Those glances, however, belonged to the minds of stoned people hooked on some kind of life-draining drug. Technically, their glances didn’t count, thought Melody.

She was almost completely stopped as she and Ocelot came to a corner. She risked a further look back, only to see the warehouse up the street alight in angry flames. Where the glass combusted, and wood grew weak enough it groaned at the ache of the smallest weights. There were crates in that warehouse. What warehouse wouldn’t be a warehouse without crates? But those crates had to be filled with…

“Goddess of the universe in a kriffing speeder race!” she gasped.

A crack of explosives popped down the roughened street and buried itself in Melody’s ear. The smuggler woman jumped, eyes growing wide, and she sprinted back to Ocelot and again offered to take up one of the girls. How had the fire started? Remiel? But what had he had that could of sparked the storage building into flames? She didn’t understand. And again, she thought of how he had simply picked up her feelings and sounded like he had understood HER thoughts earlier. As much as Melody was dreading to admit it, perhaps the blond-haired man could do more than just that. A slight shiver like a serpent dragon curled cruelly on her spin, riding the boney bumps like a thrill ride.

Melody was about to take one of the girls when Remiel finally caught up. That hadn’t… taken long for him at all. With how far back he had been? How…? Nevermind that now he was taking the girls. And then Ocelot started off, telling her to stay with Rem and the girls. She shot the strange man a blue-eyed glance that was somewhere between mistrust and determination to get the small girls out of the way. She called a don’t-do-anything-too-stupid comment at Ocelot and followed obediently beside Remiel.

The girls looked rather confused and frightened, from what Melody could see. Dirty, filthy, mangled, poor souls… Melody simply wasn’t into torturing people for others’ pleasure. Though the girls didn’t really know it yet, they were in better hands than they ever would have been. There was simply no way anyone could disagree to not take care of the girls until they could do something better for their futures. To the contact… Melody could think of ways to telling the contact what happened. She had experience with runs gone wrong. This was one of those runs. If Ocelot wished when he returned (and he WOULD, Melody knew it. Her gut wasn’t lying to her today.) Melody could settle the deal with the contact. With a little creative thinking and perhaps a sly lie convincing planted, the girls could be then smuggled elsewhere to serve a higher class purpose.

Her breathing was beginning to labor now, but she suddenly chuckled.

“Ah… just a taste of the good ol’ days. Running from those who wish to sizzle your hind end with blaster bolts because some reckless shooting. Some species just aren’t all that bright.” Trandoshans were only as good as they were paid to be sometimes, Melody had learned. Not always for their brains either.

“Just, hang on girls,” Melody encouraged, able to say her thoughts allowed this time.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As Ocelot barked his order to Rem, he hoisted a girl into each arm as gently as he could for being in a hurry. It took a bit of maneuvering...an arm here, a leg propped up there, a balance, a shift of weight...it was a well practiced dance for Rem, thank the force, but in the end he managed to cradle both girls in front of him so that he could protect them more easily. He was not above using himself as a living shield. Drawing in on the force from the world around him like some strength giving nectar, Remiel allowed it to flow through his veins and muscles, enhancing his speed and strength once more.

Ocelot, be careful. I'll return when I can if you don't show up soon.

He didn't have the breath to wast in speaking aloud so he just hoped that the man would tolerate his intrusion once more. Hopefully his meaning would be as clear this time as it had been last time, what with his attention now divided into more branches of concentration.

Melody.

Her name had only just left his mouth before he lept forward with the speed of a hunting kath hound, he just hoped she got the right idea. She had. The girls curled against him as he sped forward and he divided his attention into yet another spiraling branch, weaving calming emotions around the girls like a blanket of sunlight and leaves. He would let no harm come to them while he was alive and they were in his care. The blond didn't have the time to pay attention to the girl's looks, however, he had too much else to think about...

Was Melody still keeping up with him, or was he outstripping her? --she was there.
Could he sense any close pursuers? --not close, but closing in...
Were there any immediate threats to them or the girls reverberating through the force? --not yet...
Was he pulling in enough of the force to keep his strength at it's most efficient levels? --yes, for now.
Did he have a good enough hold on the children? --yes.
Could he still sense Ocelot? --yes.
Were they closing in on the October's landing pad? --slower than he would have liked, but yes.
Were there obstacles in his way? --none he could see.
Were the girls going to suddenly panic and try to wriggle free of his grasp and make everything MUCH more complicated? -- it didn't seem like it.

He cared little about the looks they received in passing, he only had one goal at the moment and that was to get these poor girls back to the October without any problems. Unfortunately, this wasn't the best day to be running for their lives on Balosar. Whoever had been following them, whoever it was that Ocelot was now fighting....they were persistent. The rilan could feel the reverberation of the threat long before he could see it. The landing pad the October was on could barely be seen in the distance, and Melody had only just spoken. Her rather amusing comment would have made the taller man laugh had he not been so focused on trying to decipher the rippling waves in the force around him. Moments later, he did.

Duck! Now!

He shouted at Melody, trusting that her instincts and whatever training she had would keep her alive with his warning. Brown boots slid across the gravel of the area with a gritty crunching as Remiel halted his motion and pivoted all at once with a deft planting of his foot and allowing the other to slide outward and duck him low over the girls he held as several blaster rounds sizzled over and around them in fiery streaks. He silently praised his master for making him start the art of movement training when he had, at first, so vehemently objected to it. A lapse in the wildly rippling motion of the force and Remiel saw their chance.

Go! Hurry!

He shouted to Melody as he started off again. This wasn't going to be fun, nor easy.

Girls...hold tightly. I'll keep you safe, but you MUST trust me. There will be LOTS of movement.

He warned them. His words were met only with small whimpers and two sets of arms wrapping more tightly around him.

Forgive me, Melody, I cannot protect you like this.

The thought was half to himself and half to her....whether or not she heard it...he doubted he would know until later. His focus narrowed until he could only see vague outlines and dim blurs of motion and color, save for the October ahead of them...his target. Every sense prickled as his sight dimmed and he put all his attention into his goals and predicting what moves he would have to make next. The blaster bolts flew by him in an array of greens and reds that he only vaguely saw. A chill ran along the force and up his spine, and Remiel vaulted into the air, twisting like a falling cat so that his body...and thus those of the girls...barely missed being riddled with those potentially deadly bolts of energy. Knees and legs conditioned for high impact fighting absorbed the shock and utilized it to help speed him forward once more. A wave of the force crashed over him from the side and he skid to a halt allowing a man who had launched himself at blond rilan and his precious cargo hoping to tackle them from the side. Without a further thought, Rem's muscles bunched beneath him and he lept lightly over the man strewn all over the ground before him before darting forward once more in the direction of the October.

Melody, I hope you're alright...

[Jace]

Ocelot was ready to make his final play, his gripped his weapons tightly. His muscles tensed as he was ready be spring forward, but he suddenly heard blaster shots, and people crying out. He relaxed slightly, but he was not out of danger yet. There was another quickly approaching, and Ocelot ducked into cover to avoid his shot. He came up again to fire another round, but stood somewhat nonplussed at the person standing before him.

"But I see your just as rude as ever Jorgun" he said in a almost low growl but no real hostility in his voice.

Ocelot was a man of honor, and he knew he had been saved by Jorgun's timely arrival.

"I owe you thanks, old friend" He said as he offered his hand to Jorgun.

Ocelot doubted that these were the last of them, and if they had any sense, they would have figured out which ship was theirs. If they had figured that out, then they would have ambushes waiting for them. Just as the thought struck Ocelot, he heard blaster fire from not so far away.

"It seems I must go, if you wish to catch up on old times or are sporting good fight, then I suggest you follow" Ocelot stated with a rare grin on his face. He knew that Jorgun wasn't about to walk away from this, that wily old bounty hunter.

With that Ocelot, turned and then began sprinting down the street that Rem and Melody had traversed minutes ago. He figured that with Rem they would be ok; he did blow up a warehouse after all. If he could do that, then he was sure he could get the kids to safety. Ocelot had always had held a healthy respect for those who use the Force, he had witnessed its power first hand multiple times.

When we get settled in, Rem and I are going to have a nice long chat...

A few minutes of running and Ocelot could tell they were approaching the source of the blaster fire. He suddenly stopped and signaled for Jorgun to do the same. He looked up towards the roof, he could see scorch marks on the ground ahead. Some of them were definitely firing from the roof. The buildings weren't high though, just three floor commoner apartments. This is the sort of accommodation a majority of Balosarians lived in.

"You go right, I will take the left" Ocelot quickly said to Jorgun.

Ocelot quickly made his way into the building he had been standing next to, bowling a few people over in the process. He heard a few shots, but the sight of the blaster pistol in his hand was more than enough to quell the angry residents. He quickly made his way to the roof where he saw saw two men with blasters standing on the adjacent building. He moved silently, so he could get a decent running start to jump the gap between the buildings. He began sprinting along the roof of the building, and as he did he pulled his left arm back. Just before he jumped, he threw his blade towards the first man. He then took one more step forward, his leg muscles contracting like a spring, and he launched himself in the air. He went straight into a roll as he landed, hearing the cry of the first man as he did. Ocelot was already at kneeling position and squeezed the trigger twice before the other man even turned. Both bolts hitting the man square in the chest. He quickly walked over and pulled his blade out of the dead man, cleaning it with a handkerchief.

Ocelot could see the landing pad, and the October in the distance, Rem and the others should be there by now. He was close now, all he needed to do was get back to the ship, and hope the others had made it safely as well.

[Necro Stormborn]

Jorgun, if he had been a human, would have smiled. This man named Ocelot knew Jorgun pretty well, and so smoothly sealed a contract with him without ever speaking of it. The fight and the hunt was what Jorgun lived for... And right now, Everything pointed in this direction. He nodded to Ocelot as the man spoke and began to jog forwards.

They ran a good distance until Ocelot signaled them to stop. Jorgun listened softly and understood why. Furthermore, he noticed some of the blaster bolt chars singed into the ground ahead of them. Bypassing this section unscathed would no doubt be a hassel for Ocelot. "You go right, I will take the left" Ocelot quickly said to Jorgun. Then the man trotted off to the left and into the nearest high rise.

For Jorgun however, this would be a completely different methodology of crossing. Jorgun made a small growl then charged forwards. Bolts from windows on both sides of the street rained down on him, but Jorgun pounced right, then lunged left...zig-zagging back and forth avoiding most shots. A few lucky shots sratched his armor, to which he simply grumbled. It wasn't till a thermal detonator was tossed in his path that he had to change course.

Jorgun stopped for a split second and bent downwards compressing his legs into tight positions ready to fire forth. Then He let go and lept with all his strength up to a second story Awning, grasping it and using it to swing himself up and over onto a balcony adjacent to it. From there he ignored the explosion two stories below, and jumped from the balcony up to a platform across the street and from there onto the same building Ocelot had just ran across. Jorgun ran to the end and leaped off of it, coming to a roll as he hit the ground, springing up and sprinting past a few dead bodies left in Ocelots wake.

He ran hard, pressing with all his strength in each stride till finally he caught up to Ocelot. "I think i rather liked your side better....." Jorgun then eyed the ship they were both headed towards in the distance, "Are we really flying away in that rusty pale? Please tell me thats not your ship...." The sarcasm in his voice... as distinguishable as it was, probably was not needed at a time like this. However, For jorgun, he was feeling most alive.

[Grawn]

There it was. The noise Arc had been waiting to hear for some time since the group had left the ship.

Blaster fire.

Oh how he loved the sound of weapons firing which was often followed by the agonized screams of the fired on. Music to the bounty hunter's ears. It brought a smile to his face.

"Excellent", he whispered to himself at his chair within the ship. No one had come to bother him since Ocelot and his lot had left, which was highly unfortunate as Arc had gotten dreadfully bored. But if his instincts were correct, Ocelot had brought the fun to him. Arc stood up and glanced at his partner who was with him in protecting their home.

"Think you can handle yourself?", he asked but didnt bother from a reply from the women as he made his way to the exit. His blood began to race as the sound grew slightly louder, the fight was taking place a distance away from the sounds of it. As he came to the exit, he smacked the button that would release the door and waited impatiently as it opened. He stepped out into the open, his senses about him incase there was ambush.

There was none, only the sight of two figures running towards the Octobers direction. Quickly pulling out his ruby shades, he put them on and pressed a small button on one of the sides. It served as binocular and it zoomed in on the two. Ocelot was one of them, looked a little tired along with an armored individual. They werent particularly what he was interested however, it was the people following them some yards back.

He couldnt make a shot that far, he was good, damned good but he couldnt pull off a shot in these conditions without risking hitting Ocelot and his friend. The only opening for fire was between them and slug throwers werent known for the pin point accuracy of blasters. There wounding capabilities made up for that.

"Damn" he muttered as he pressed the button once more to return to normal vision. As much as he wanted to, firing and possibily hitting his boss wasnt such a attractive option to Arc. For he had no replacement. He would just have to wait.

[Squee]

((A long one, you guys. A L.A.P as my friend would call it. A "Long Ass Post". >.<

"Italics" = thoughts, btw.))

Rem continually kept performing his deeds by with his magical ‘gifts’. If magic could be considered a gift. To Melody, it was more like a curse. What was the use of a cheat in life? Well, a cheat of life. Melody cheated all the time. She had to. Her former profession was a smuggler. Cheating was a way of life. Without cheating sometimes, there were times you could lose your fortune and not eat that night. Well, not eating was out of the option. Melody enjoyed her food, thanks, and preferred to eat when she felt the need to.

Speaking of which, that fruit hadn’t been enough. As she was running, the lower section of her abdomen twisted into a pesky little not. There was a rumble in her stomach. “That’s great, Mel, just think about food. Food in a morbid situation such as this one when the ‘cargo’ turned out to be a couple of little girls…” And, of that note, she saw as the two scrawny things curled a little tighter against Remiel. He was using his magic powers, speeding up slightly ahead of Melody. For a moment, the smuggler even believed he was attempting to leave her behind. It was the fact he never ranged too far ahead that told her otherwise. “Food when you’re probably running for your life. Running for the life of two little girls. I thought you were supposed to be watching out for the evil-doers. You silly little girl,” Melody continued to scold herself mentally. She even rolled her eyes at her belonged thoughts. To each their own set of thoughts and imaginations, to each their own approach.

“Ocelot, I told you not to do anything stupid, and I expect that,” her thoughts continued, drifting away from the stitching pain that was starting to criss-cross up her side. She kept up her pace though, swinging her arms to give her momentum as her legs carried her across the ground, ankles and knees absorbing impact and her muscles flexing to spring her forward after the flying blond man just ahead of her. “Which means, you hurry your little booty to the ship and lets take off so I can eat… And take care of the little girls.” A random reminder made Melody wonder, for perhaps over a hundred times already, why people thought all smugglers were evil at heart. Just a rumor, sure, but… why would someone believe…

“Wait, duck?” Melody was confused at first, her ears picking up Remiel’s sudden order. But she saw him crouch low for the ground and she almost instantly followed suit; in a less graceful, and nearly ridiculous manner. As she heard the order and watched Remiel, her body began to fall. Melody was trying to stop at the same time. Her feet slid before her and she lost all balance. Flailing and tumbling a little, her heels skidded across the ground, bumping at the rough surface and the smuggler woman’s backside hit the ground, and her palms were slashed over, the flesh peeled away. Instantly, her hands began to sting. Melody paid not heed, shoving the pain from her consciousness at the moment. Her short slide ended her within five feet of Remiel, crouched and ducked over the girls, back toward the direction the blaster bolts materialized from. Goofy as the woman’s landing may have been, it saved her brains from being sizzled.

She was already scrambling for a better position to jump up from when Remiel’s shout peeled from his throat. She was up. She was running.

Forgive me, Melody, I cannot protect you like this.[/b]
“Rem?” she thought the question. There was a brief few seconds and then, the blond simply disappeared. No, that was right. Melody blinked, her pace slowing only a moment as she glanced ahead and slightly upward. And when Remiel hit the ground, it was like a god had granted him speed. Again, Melody blinked, and her burning legs flexed heavily again, and, puffing, Melody followed pursuit. Of course, that was easier said than done. When Remiel left, Melody took on the full attention of their attackers. She had never really been fired at before quite like she was experiencing now. Melody turned smart, angling her run further toward a building…

A searing, hot fire burned her suddenly. The woman gave a surprised and panged cry. It first hit her thigh, and then another glanced her hip, and yet another ate away at the cloth and flesh of her upper arm. Hissing with pain and anger, Melody found her injured leg buckling as she came up to a parked vehicle. Her knee ached with the strain of the land, and she shuffled to plant her seat, once again, on the ground. Her hand clasped the forearm that belonged to the opposite, injured limb. She let her eyes close tight, letting the notice of the pain smother her mind, and breathed deeply. Remiel left her behind. The streets weren’t safe with the concentration on her. The smuggler woman’s sapphire eyes reopened, and she glanced to her left, where a department building stood, appearing not much more than a druggie shack by worn materials alone.

“Back ways…” Half standing, half crawling, Melody brought herself through the front door. She charged through, going around the desk, much to the clerk’s surprise, and barged through the door behind him and into the storage areas. She didn’t utter a word. That would bring more attention and questions Melody didn’t have the time, patient, or want to answer. Around the crates at a fast trot, or something of it. It wasn’t a walk, and it wasn’t a run, with an added limp to it. She found another door, and opened it to find a reeking alley. If the natural compass of her brain was correct, she would end up… Aha, yes, she was much closer to the October now. Melody doubled back and cut down another alley, passing between the building and skidding over junk and trash. She tripped over two dozen times, searching to the perfect outward path from here straight to the October. It was before the corner of the street. Melody peered left and right carefully, the ship almost parallel to her position, thought the path listing slightly toward the right. Nothing fired at her. A few things seemed suspicious, but…

Melody launched herself forward, gritting her teeth to the anguished pain her left side was causing her. If she had ever ran during this, it was now. She needed, wanted, desired, to be within the confined walls of the ship, that offered just the feeling of safety. That’s what a ship was to Melody: Safety first, best friend next.

The foot owned by the wounded leg caught something, and Melody found the ground fast approaching. Her arms came forth, she hit the ground, but never stopped moving. The roll was messy, rolling from shoulder to across her back and her legs snapped around and her boots found their grip. She was sure her forearm snagged something as she came up.

Melody nearly fell again, heading up the ramp. Thankfully, she made it into the ship without any more hazards. She scrambled past Arc, breath heaving, hands trembling as they clutched at the blood seeping into her forearm. They weren’t safe yet. But, glancing over her shoulder, she could see two running forms: Ocelot and someone else. Lanara and Axle. If they weren’t on the ship, they needed to quick.

Melody almost fell again; the muscles in her leg contracting, longing to succumb to the burned hole in her thigh. The muscles twitched, and she steadied herself with the side of the ship. She backed her way inside the ship. She needed to locate the medical surprise.

But, yet, as she passed those she knew, Melody couldn’t help but look down at herself, only to mumble a faint, “They ruined my favorite coat. My poor, poor trench coat.”

[Latus]

Slowly, Axle noticed a change. It was subtle, it was weak but it began to creep into Lanara's being. It was one of diminished strength, of weariness. Her steps became heavier, her pace slowed until finally she placed Axle back on his feet and sunk to the ground. It didn't take much for him to realize why. She had lost a lot of blood. The bandage he had improvised for her was already soaked, dyed a dark maroon. Putting his arm across her shoulder he cringed at how much difficulty she had speaking. This wasn't good. The blood loss was so great that she was losing consciousness. If she did... well lets just say there would be some major problems in the near future. As the woman tried to get to her feet Axle couldn't help but stand rigid, one thought invading his mind, Lanara could die. No, can't let that happen.

Be strong Lanara. We are almost to the ship, you have to hold on.

Trying to suppress the urge to cough Axle wedged himself under the woman's shoulder as she stumbled foreword. It took a considerable amount of strength to hold her upright. The muscle suit must have added another fifty pounds of heft to the woman, to her already considerable weight. In truth, Axle was no body builder; he was quite strong for his size but Lanara was almost too much. Every step was as strenuous as flapping into the wind, but he couldn't let himself fall, he wouldn't. This woman's life depended on it. He didn't care at this point if she felt his wings or not and he slid more of her weight onto his slender body.

The spaceport loomed as Axle's breath came heavy. This time he was unable to stop himself from coughing. Several shudders wracked his body as his lungs tried to purge the pollutants. As he finally got control over his body Lanara seemed to get even heavier. After what seemed like an eternity Axle's feet finally struck the egress ramp. A commotion seemed to be erupting off to one side of the ship and he quirked his head in that direction. Blaster fire? As if on command Lanara couldn't keep her own weight up anymore and it all hit Axle. Unable to hold her up he could do nothing but slow her descent to the metal paneling of the ramp, his muscles burning from the massive effort put into getting his companion back. He barely understood her muttering but he knew what it meant. She was going into shock from blood loss.

By the stars! Lanara, stay with me! Don't you dare close your eyes.

Lightly he struck her cheek trying to bring her around. When he saw that it wasn't helping he moved around to the ship side of her. Grabbing her shoulders he tried to lift her, to drag her, to get her into the ship at any cost. It was slow but, inch by inch, he finally managed to get her into the ship, leaving a small trail of blood in her wake. The moment he had her inside the ship out of the polluted wind he propped her up against the wall.

Lanara, hold on. Please hold on. Man down! MEDIC!Turning he shouted into the ship, hoping that someone was still around. After a moment his eyes met Melody's, and he realized for the first time that day that fear had finally gripped him. Melody! Help! Lanara needs help.

[Dire Wolf]

Lanara barely heard the boy's voice as he told her to be strong; it took nearly all of her strength to stumble back to the ship and stay awake, even with Axle's support. Despite her muscle suit's weight it was the only reason that she was moving, the artificial might of the armor was more than able to support the failing flesh that lie beneath it. That was the wondrous thing about the armor: Lana could always count on it to carry her back to the ship when she couldn't herself, but in this case her armor could do little about her spinning world. Every fiber of her being begged the Rilan to just lay down and sleep... she wanted to give in so badly, but she knew that Axle wouldn't let her. She begged him to let her stop and rest.

“I... can't... too... tired.”

The woman looked over at Axle as she felt something underneath the cloth that covered his back... it felt... odd, but she was probably hallucinating. She shrugged it off and continued down their wobbly path. Then she felt a smack on her cheek and loud words emanate from Axle's gullet, she gave the exhausted ghost of a smile, she sounded completely exhausted and in her own little world as he dragged her up the ramp.

“Afraid... I'll ge-... nightmares?”

Lanara gave a little grunt as Axle propped her up on against the wall, she could hear Axle tell her to hold on... hold on to what? She grabbed for the nearest thing, which happened to be the support pole of a table. Man down? Who? She wasn't down, nor was she a man. The woman looked over to see a thin streak of blood that led to her arm, and a now maroon engine rag that was soaked in blood. She tilted her head as she rested it against the wall, she was so tired. Her eyes began to flutter as sleep slowly began to take her.

“Tired... Axle...”

Lanara shook her head weakly in an attempt to keep herself awake, and in the process she locked eyes with Axle. She refused to break the gaze... it felt almost as if this action was the only thing keeping her alive.

[Zarkan]

Sylbia stared open mouthed at Arc as he rushed out of the ship. "Wait!" she shouted after him at the last minute, but it was already too late. Sylbia was about to rush out after him when melody the new girl suddenly appeared at the ship hatch. "Melody whats goin-." Sylbia grimaced and rushed over to melody. The smell of seared flesh wafted from the young woman's leg. "Melody sit down and guard the entren-. AXLE!" She smiled for a moment as she saw the other man before the little color in her face drained out of her face. "Lanarra! axle guard the ramp, I'll get the medic kits." With out another word or any actual conscent from axle or the two woman she sprinted off towards the rather small and cramped medical bay on the ship gathering the meager supply of drugs before going back to the main bay and setting the kits on the deck. "I'll be back in a minute melody you have medical training right, try to stabilize lanarra."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((sooo...I'm gonna just assume that Rem got there first since technically he was using the force to run full tilt and all...))

It was almost funny how easily he had outrun his pursuers. The force granted one amazing skills and abilities if one allowed it, and Remiel knew just how far he could dig...just how far he could push himself, his own physical being, by utilizing the energy the force granted him. It was ALMOST funny. What was very UN-funny about the situation was not only the two frightened little girls he carried, but the fact that he'd had to leave Melody behind to keep them safe....THAT was about as far from funny as the situation could get. The jedi in him wanted him to turn around, to go back and help Melody, to protect her and make sure she would survive...to go back and help Ocelot, he was still alive it seemed since his presence in the force was not gone, distant, but not gone. That same jedi instinct, however, urged him forward with renewed speed to get the children to the October safely before returning for his comrades. It was this mind frame that found the blond man slowing just enough to run up the ramp to the October without the force and try to settle the girls down in one of the empty cabins.

While he set about soothing the two so they wouldn't harm themselves or anyone else, hopefully, he heard Arc's shout to Sylbia, and later the young woman/cyborg's call back. Finally setting the two frightened little rabbits he'd carried here, the tall rilan exited the small cabin and was about to hurry back to help Melody when Sylbia called out her name. Coming around the corner he heard Sylbia's dismayed voice once again. Lanara and Axle also? The spike of emotions that ran through the force clouded his ability to tell who was hurt and who was just upset. Cursing in rilan under his breath, Rem rounded the last corner and cursed again.

Sylbia, I'll care for Lanara, you see to Melody. Hang in there Melody, Lanara.

This...was going to drain a lot out of him. Making a mental note to ask Sylbia to make sure he stayed awake when she returned, Remiel settled down into a kneeling position beside Lanara.

Give me your arm little one. I need to heal you.

It was obvious she was injured badly, blood was everywhere, the red liquid seeping into her clothes and skin, and his skin as he took her arm carefully. A deep blue glow formed around his hands, swirling with some unknown energy. To be honest, he'd only used this ability a few time before, and he hated it...not because it was the ability to heal, but rather HOW it healed. No power came without a price, not even in the force, but this power came with a potentially deadly price. He hadn't been gifted with the ability to heal through the force, no, but he COULD heal using his own life as the energy behind the expedited healing.

Lanara, you need to stay awake...focus on me Little One.

Blue eyes bored into hers as he focused, channeled, that energy in him toward his hands, thence creating the visible blue aura around his hands....this was the only time he ever saw his own aura color. Pushing the energy into her arm in waves of warmth, he brought his mind to bare on the way he wanted her body to react. The veins needed to heal together, muscle needed to restore itself, skin needed to knit, nerves needed to mend. His attention was partially drawn away by Sylbia's swift return with the med kits, and he found enough mental capacity to speak.

Sylbia, after I'm done with Lanara, I'll need you to make sure I DO NOT fall asleep.

With that said, he returned his full attention back to the healing he was doing. Already he could feel the drain on his energy, the color seeping from his eyes slowly. The work was difficult and took longer than he would have liked, but he was no practiced healer who could do such things without much thought...he'd never been trained that way. In the end, however, he'd managed to put her arm back together again properly. Turning to Melody next, he was forced to take a deep breath as he felt the world spin around him slightly. Shaking it off, he gave the smuggler woman an apologetic look. He hadn't wanted to leave her behind for exactly this reason, but he'd been ordered, and there had been no way he could have protected all three of the girls from the numbers they'd been faced with.

I don't have much left to heal you with Melody, but I'll do what I can...

He half stated, half mumbled, his eyes gone from blue to a dull grey from the energy he'd had to use on Lanara.

Let me see your arm.

In truth her injury wasn't that bad on her arm....it wasn't deep anyway, and it hadn't seemed to catch any veins. Both of these things were a blessing. Sylbia could manage with this one.

Sylbia, Kolto compress here. I'll try to mend the leg a little then you'll need to see to the rest.

Knowing that Sylbia would manage easily enough with the injury to Melody's arm, he turned to the blaster wound on her leg. It wasn't bleeding, but the pain coming from it was tangible to the man. Again the deep blue glow formed around his hands. Slowly he dulled the pain in her leg, forced the natural healing to accelerate. Sylbia had already cleaned the injury it seemed...if she hadn't he didn't know who had, or perhaps it had just stayed clean...either way didn't matter to him, it was one less thing he had to worry about. Rem managed to get a bit of the injury healed before he slumped backward, his body shaking from the effort, his breaths coming in short, ragged, bursts. Even his skin had paled during the process. Now, he put his head back against the cool bulkhead and wished nothing more than to go to sleep and knew that that was the last thing he should do.

Go to sleep now, boy, and you're dead. You're no use to anyone dead, so stay awake!

Indeed, Remiel...you are better off alive...so I suggest you wake up.

Rem's eyes shot open at the voice that had projected into his mind, startled by the sudden appearance of his mentor into his thoughts. How had that been possible? They weren't even on the same planet! How had she known he...wait, he HAD fallen asleep for a moment....how had she known? Just how powerful in the force was she, or had that communication been something entirely different? Confused and startled, the rilan again fought off the desire for sleep as it tried to claim him.

[Jace]

Ocelot heard someone running, and quickly at that, he was about to turn around when he saw who it was. He should have known that only Jorgun could catch up to him the way he did.

"Jorgun..." He growled at the Gen'dai's comments about Ocelot's ship.

Ocelot watched as a bolt scorched the wall that he was running parallel to. Apparently there were a good deal more out there who wanted them dead. He saw a figure standing at the ramp of the October, and recognized it as Arc. He was still in full sprint as those behind him were unrelenting in their pursuit. They were a couple hundred meters from the landing ramp, when Ocelot yelled to Arc.

"Arc!" He yelled, signaling for the man to fire on the pursuers.

He finally reached the ramp, and made his way into the ship, rushing towards the cockpit. He didn't like what he saw and heard as he made his way towards the cockpit. He could tell some of his crew was banged up pretty seriously.He hoped that Jorgun would make himself useful wherever best he could. He didn't have time to check yet, they needed to get the hell off this planet. Moments later he arrived at the cockpit, and began the take off sequence. He quickly flipped on the comm, and broadcast throughout the ship

"We are getting off this rock, hold on everyone"

He clicked off the comm, and powered up the shields, as bolts began raining on the October's hull.

Bastards...

The October raced to make its way out of Balosar's atmosphere. Ocelot quickly began plotting coordinates in the hyperspace navigator, they needed to get the hell away from this place. As soon as they were out of the atmosphere, Ocelot punched the button, and sank back into his seat as space disappeared in streaks of blue.

Ocelot had a feeling their trouble was just beginning...