Ryloth

[SithAcolyte]

Darla had run down to the one of the gunner posts ready for an air offensive with Faust. She heard a crash and voices.

 

He's on board!

 

From what darla had heard she wouldnt stand much of a chance head on with him alone. But she wasnt alone. She had faith in everyone onbaord.

 

Your gonna regret this faust...

 

Since she was already seated in the gunner chair Darla deciede that she may as well do some damage. She unleashed the blaster cannons energy at faust un-maned ship, probably on auto-pilot. Her years as a fighter pilot had paid off, Darla was a crack shot.

 

She fired at all the ship's major systems. Volley after volley of energy bolts ravaged the ship sheilds. Eventually breaking through. Her mind open to the force Darlas' aim was uncanny. She focused her anger turning it into the mental strength she needed to make the perfect shot.

 

Boom!

 

She made a direct hit one of the fuel tanks. Unless someone fixed the breach the ship would blow. A chilling grin crossed Darlas' face.

 

Her heart was beating like a piston and her viens pumped adreniline to every muscle in her body. She prectically jumped from the gunners' seat and ran towards the cockpit. She saw Yuusuke, gunned aimed at Faust.

 

She already had her saber in hand, she ignited the crimson blade.

 

Now I fianlly get to use this baby... Darla had not had the chance to use her new saber in combat. But she defiantely knew what to do with it.

 

She treated Faust to fierce grin as she stood behind Yuusuke, ready to cover his back.

[Vladimir Faust]

As Faust engages Yuusuke, his cybernetic control over his ship flexes itself. The ship weaves and dodges, its resiliant armor holding up, a testament to the design. By sheer will, the ship tries to evade, not returning fire unless absolutely needed. Then one of the fuel cells is hit. Faust, attention still fixed on Yuusuke, mentally orders the ship to power down the itinerant cell so no further damage is done on its account and lets loose the ion cannons again.

 

"Fool, do not come between a hunter and his prey, or you yourself shall be slain in turn," Faust grates between his teeth as he senses his ship take damage, stearing it, and firing his attack.

 

The Salvation is shaken as the Bhelliom's ion cannons disable the ship's power, firing on and finally knocking it out, sending it lurch downward. Using this destraction which he was prepared for, Faust cuts up suddenly with his Sith steel and cortosis virboblade, slicing Yuusuke's blaster in half. A large explosion of blaster gas rocks the cabin as his blade reflects the energy in a wide spread, setting fire to the cockpit and knocking out the already useless controls. Faust follows up less than a half second later, kicking the former FLEA officer savagely in the chest, sending him flying backward.

 

Ordinarily the attack would have only broken a few ribs and maybe punctured a lung or two from that. To what would be Yuusuke's and Darla's amazement a crimson shaft of light emerges from his chest and his life's energy starts to fade as he starts to sink into unconsciousness, impaled upon Darla's saber blade. The Jedi approached from behind Yuusuke with an activated blade, giving Faust the means of finishing his opponent.

 

Faust's grin meets Darla's, and he lets out a cold laugh, drawing his blade up defensively to parry any attack from blaster or blade. He smiles, knowing her threat reduced by the ysalmari he carried, but knew a beast, cornered, could still fight with ferocious intensity.

 

"A foolish move Jedi, for such cramped space. Your actions have just cost your friend his life. How does it feel murderer, having taken your first innocent life?" Faust's eyes warrily watch her, anticipating he next attack. On her blade, a mortally wounded Yuusuke gives off a groan, needing medical intention in the next couple minutes if he would live past this black day.

[Yuusuke Hakusho]

To both Darla and Faust's surprise, Darla's saber shorts out as it comes in contact with his armor. Yuusuke shook his head,

 

"I expected more out of you Faust. As a former law officer, I'm prepared to battle any opponent, even a Jedi, or Sith. I gave you fair warning, I will use lethal force if necessary."

 

Yuusuke was not as confident as he made himself sound though. He pulled the useless attachment from his arm. That had been his main weapon, most of his other armaments were attachments that changed the setting on the weapon. Without the actual weapon itself they were useless.

 

With two hands free now, Yuusuke pulled his force pike from across his back, activating it. He swung out, the energized end catching Faust across the chest, slicing easily through any armor he may have, and cutting deep into his chest, cauderizing the flesh as a lightsaber would. Yuusuke slammed the butt of the weapon into Faust's jaw, knocking the bounty hunter into the fire behind him. Yuusuke quickly stepped clear.

 

"Your turn Jedi, finish him."

[Reagan McGreggor]

Reagan stood up from being thrown out of the cockpit and called down to Tares and Rane. YH and Darla were in there alone and she pulled her blaster free to join them.

 

Looking over her shoulder, she heard Rane and he droid coming up to the cockpit when she was thrown into the bulk head. God Damn, my ship is going down

 

"Whatever you three are doing, Cut it out, dammit. Faust you Psychopath, pull the ship up. Do you want to die before you get your money?" Being royally pissed, tried to push the door open when it slammed shut from YH's impact into it again.

[Vladimir Faust]

Faust spins quickly, evading the blow and minimizing the damage done by the force pike, his own blade moving like a blur. The force pike snaps and breaks, sending out more sparks. Grimacing, more blood flies out in his wake.

 

"Enough!"

 

Faust's hands fly into action again. The vibroblade extends forward, cutting through Yuusuke from the other end, gutting him and giving him a painful, though no where near fatal wound. Faust reaches into his flame retardant coat and seems to move backwards, pulling something out. There is a sudden bright flash and...

 

Gone.

 

A flaming trail can be seen outside the window, a sign of Faust's escape. No sign of the Bhelliom can be seen or force felt in the distance. The Salvation lurches violently, still suffering from the ionization blasts.

 

A lone KiLLeR remote rolls across the floor, Faust's voice coming out of there. There is a mocking laughter, but a serious rage and frustration as well.

 

"Well played my pretty birds. Sadly I've taken my leave as your ship is ionized and about to crash with your wings all broken and clipped. If you survive the sudden impact on landing, I'm sure we'll meet again. Ta ta!"

[SithAcolyte]

Dam! Faust was almost as good as they said.

 

There was little left that they could do. Faust had fled and they were going down quickly

 

Yuuske was bleeding from a wound in his stomach. Opening the medipack Darla fumbled with the contents. She had no idea what a lot of them were.

 

If only Id learnt how to heal with the force....

 

Darla pulled off Yuusukes' armor and began to dress his wound. She tied the bandage tight. The pressure should stop the bleeding. Yuusuke was lucky, it wasnt too deep.

 

"Are you alright?" She asked breathing heavily.

 

Darla was frustrated that Faust had escpaed, but she got the feeling that theyd frustrated Faust a bit too. No-one was indestructible...Not even Faust. Darla just wished she couldve got a good clear shot at him without any of his gadgets or armor....

Edited March 22, 2004 by Guest

[Reagan McGreggor]

Finally getting her bearings, she pushes open the door to see Darla kneeling down at YH's side, wounded by not dead. Taking in the situation quickly, Reagan bends down and scoops up the Killer remote and hurls it out the window. Diving to the controls of her ship, she pulls back on them as hard as she can trying to get the front of the ship up to have less damage on impact.

 

Rane coming in behind her with his droid join her, the droid going over to the computer to attempt to make some maintenance to help save the ship. Between her and Rane, they get the front up just as the ground comes into view. "Hold on, this is gonna hurt...BADLY!"

 

As the ground came up and met the ship, Reagan lost her hold on it and started going forward, out the viewport that Faust had just vacated. With quick reflexes, Rane grabbed a hold of her arm and hauled her backwards. With everything else, if his droid had not caught her she would have had some serious damage.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the ground finally came up and slapped the ship and she started skidding across the surface. She finally came to a stop some 100 kilometers from where the original impact was and all on the ship seemed to let out the breath that they seemed to be holding. Standing there for a moment, she was not sure what to do first.

 

"Okay, you..." she looked at the droid. "Run a diagnostics reading on the ship, see what is wrong with her and where we need to start repairs...Besides the open airconditioning system that Faust just gave us where my front viewport used to be." She looked down at Darla.."You, get him to a bacta tank below. He should be okay with a few hours in a tank. Then get up here and help us, we have to get out of here as soon as we can. Faust may not be done with us, and we only have a limited window of opportunity to get us ready and out of his way."

 

She looked over at Rane, "Thanks for the save. I owe you two now." Looking around, she still didn't see Tares..."Well, Rane and I will start on the viewport as unless that is fixed, we are going no where fast. Someone find Tares, we need to get this ship out of here."

[SithAcolyte]

"Sure." Darla said lifting up Yuusuke. "Ill be back as soon as I can."

 

She was a little shaken up and adrenaline was stil pumping through her system. Using the force to enhance her strength Darla carried Yuusuke with ease. Once they arrived at the medical room Darla made sure the tank was ready.

 

"Dont worry you'll be as good as new in no time." She smiled at Yuusuke trying to keep his spirits up.

 

She hoisted him up and into the tank. She made sure that his breathing mask was on properly and then lowered him into the tank. A few hours of bacta and he should be perfectly healed. Hopefully Faust wouldnt return in that time.

 

Darla waved to Yuusuke throught the murky bacta and headed back to the cockpit. Practically sprinting Darla was back within minutes.

 

"Yuusuke's in the tank. Anything I can help with. Im a fairly decent mechanic."

 

Darla's breath came in short ragged gasps, he body was still in combat mode and it would take her a while to calm down.

[Yuusuke Hakusho]

Yuusuke felt blinding pain after Faust's attack. He was barely conscious as Darla fixed his wound, and plunged him into the bacta tank. He managed to speak a barely audible "Thank you" to the Jedi apprentice. As his body healed, Yuusuke's thoughts wandered.

 

I barely survived my first encounter with Vladimir Faust. I may not be so lucky when we meet again, but at least it bought us some more time.

[Vladimir Faust]

Elsewhere on the surface, on a deserted stretch of windswept moor, barren of anything remotely resembling life or civilization, a single ship rests while it and its owner undergoes some needed repairs.

 

A small touch of bacta healed the chest wounds and face wounds and fresh bandages ensured the already cauterized stab mark would not risk further infection. Faust double checks his equipment, making a plan of attack.

 

Damn this bounty... If Raska wanted Reagan dead, it would be over by now. Taking them alive is the hard part I suppose. Those Jedi I will add to my collection. I'll mount their heads on the bow of my ship for the trouble they have caused.

 

Satisfied, Faust sets about repairing the damage to his ship. The armoring should not have taken the damage it did, due to the reinforcement of the hull and the powerful shields. Acknowledging the fact it was a lucky shot, even for one that was force guided, Faust repairs the fuel cell and patches the hole.

 

No matter where they try to escape to, I have the means to track them already in place. However the sooner I catch up with them, the sooner I can cut their miserable throats. They will not make it off Ryloth alive.

 

Faust snaps his fingers, punctuating a mental command. A small panel on the Bhelliom slides open and a dozen or so small orbs float out. Faust gives a terrible smile and leaps back into his fully repaired ship. Flanked by the orbs, the ship ascends and vanishes towards its destination.

[Tares Vortex]

From behind, Tares climbed up a ladder and onto the main deck. Alittle ruffled, he looked around at the others as repairs went underway. His efforts with the mechanical equipment below deck seemed to have failed.

 

Making his way over to Reagan, he glanced back at Darla, then turned to Reagan, "This ship isn't going anywhere with out a complete overhaul of the cockpit, we may need a new vessel...."

[SithAcolyte]

Darla was glad to see Tares.

 

"How do we get another ship? we only brought starfighters and Faust destroyed Rane's ship." Darla tried to think of a plan while she helped repair the parts of the ship still fixable. "We're gonna have to at least get thing back into the air so we can get another ship from the spaceport. Perhaps we could hijack something...I we stole someones elses' ship then we may throw Faust off the our trail."

 

It was the best idea that she could come up with. Personally shed like to have a re-match with Faust. But like Reagan had said that was probably suicide. The risk didnt seem to matter to Darla, she wanted to see Faust dead.

[Reagan McGreggor]

Reagan turned to the two Jedi, "Uh...are you suggesting that we steal a ship? I mean Tares, wouldn't that be against some kind of Jedi code, or are you going back to your smuggling roots?"

 

She looked around the ship and a sinking feeling hit her that they were going to have to leave her precious ship. "Okay, your right we have to get another ship. We can't go in your ships, they are only for one person. And Rane's ship was blown up. So we have to "borrow" one. First, we are in the middle of no where, I am not walking with Faust out there. We would be sitting ducks. So we have to get this bucket up in the air and as close to the spaceport as possible. I think that she'll make it. I hope that you jedi are strong enough, we may need you to push..."

 

She was only half kidding with her last statement. This was getting worse and worse by the minute.

[Vladimir Faust]

Time passes and dusk falls over Ryloth, passing into night as the futile repairs continue on the Salvation. The calm is suddenly broken by a blaster bolt creening through the open cockpit, nearly missing Reagan's head.

 

"Hello my litle birds!" Faust's voice calls cheerfully from out of sight, somewhere beyond the bow of the ship in the darkness covering the planet. "I didn't have to miss you know! I thought it'd be fun if we settled this once and for all with a little test of skill, mano a mano. I could blow up your ship with you all in it any time I wanted, but I thought we'd play a little game first. My vibroblade is waiting out here for any challengers wanting to try and take me. It will be a merry reunion all around, I assure you!"

 

From that inky darkness, the sound of Faust's voice trails away, its faintest reverberations leaving his cruel laughter bouncing around in the ship. Left behind was a dreadful certainty somewhere outside, Faust was waiting for them, hidden in the darkness.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla jumped out of the open cockpit into the desert night before anyone could stop her.She stood upright, shoulder back, the breeze blowing her long dark hair behind her.

 

" I accept your challenge Faust." she shouted to the darkness her voice seeming to echo endlessly through the night.

 

She ignited her lightsaber lighting up her face with a crisom glow.

 

"Show yourself!" She shouted at Faust.

 

Even if she died at least the she would buy the others some time. Through the force she sent a message to Tares..

 

Get the others to safety. Dont wory about me, this is my choice.

 

Darla wited for the mysterious killer to show his face. she drew the force to her prepared to do whatever it took.

[Vladimir Faust]

For a moment Faust is actually amazed by the bold charge of Jedi Darla as she ran blindly into the darkness to challenge him.

 

Idiot.

 

From the ship it seems there is a bright flash. Suddenly Darla's lightsaber falls to the ground with a thud. Around it, ashes blow.

 

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

 

Still concealed in the darkness, Faust stares down with his modified, inhuman eyes and blows the smoke off his disrupter pistol. One down, four to go.

[SithAcolyte]

Darla's soul entered the Force as her body died....

Edited March 24, 2004 by Guest

[Vladimir Faust]

((Darla, I hate to break it to you, but you're dead. You weren't shot by a blaster but a disruptor rifle which even a lightsaber cannot defend against. See you in three days))

[SithAcolyte]

My vibroblade is waiting out here for any challengers wanting to try and take me. It will be a merry reunion all around, I assure you!"

 

OCC: Wouldnt even fight me. Totally cowardly.

[Tares Vortex]

OOC: You just had to go and kill my padawan didn't you?

 

IC: At the sight of the destructive bolt ripping apart his padawan's molecules, Tares' silver saber quickly snapped up as he jumped out the broke cockpit window and onto the ground.

 

On his feet, Tares slashed up onto a fuel pod of the Salvation, sending engine fuel spilling onto the ground:

 

OOC: These next actions are assuming Tares is out of the Yslamari's range

 

IC: With the force, Tares took the fuel drop by drop and splattered onto the nearby trees of the forest. Sensed outstreched, he guided down a torch weilder into his waiting hand and lit it towards the fuel.

 

In a firey blaze, the fuel ignites and quickly spread out in all directions around the ship. With in seconds the surrounding trees were blazing brightly, revealing the bounty hunter....

[Reagan McGreggor]

Reagan ducked as the blaster bolt nearly missed her head. Now that was a bit too close for comfort. She turned around to see Darla jump out the viewport and ran to it. "Darla, no are you insane?" She never got the answer as she watched Darla cut down. Just as she was about to turn back to the others, Tares followed out his padawan and took up her fight.

 

"Tares no, dammit, I need you here. Do do this Jedi stuff." She knew that it was futile but....

 

Tares just glanced up at her and sort of saluted. Rane came up beside her followed by YH who had just come out of the Bacta tank.

[Vladimir Faust]

and a great series of explosions rock the ground around the Salvation. Along the ground, fires race, but no sign of the bounty hunter can be seen. Suddenly several blaster bolts streak out from the darkness and aim at the cockpit, courtisy of Faust's lethal remotes, threatening to tear all inside to ribbons.

 

Looking out directly across from it the shattered window, sitting in the cockpit of his own ship hovering silently some 18 meters off the ground, Faust leans back, holding a disruptor rifle in his lap as the hatch on his ship clamps down and the shields on the Bhelliom power up. Blowing Reagan a kiss, Faust suddenly pulls up and backwards as his chain gun sparks to life- fixed in a wide spread of Tares. Weaving erratically to avoid any oncoming blaster or groups shots, Faust pulls up, an eye on the seemling dead turrets of the Salvation and the other on the Jedi he intended to gooify with force overwhelming as hundreds of bullets- the same type that killed Master Prophet and designed to take down ships- shoot themselves at Tares. From over the planet the sound of opera music can be heard from the Bhelliom.

 

"I'm going to cut down the Jedi," Faust's voice echoes from the speaker of his ship, cutting over the sound of an lucious aria. "Afterwards, you have one chance to surrender or I'll be blowing you all to kingdown come and writing you off. You have no chance to survive, so surrender or perish!"

[SithAcolyte]

Goodbye

Edited March 24, 2004 by Guest

[Tarrian Skywalker]

No, he didn't save the dead. See you in three days...Great rp, I look forward to seeing more of you. Hmmm, maybe turning you to a sith will be fun.

 

Darla is deceased. You can post in RP in Three days, no posting OOC. That can be handled in PM's thank you.

[Tares Vortex]

OOC: Sorry Darla, I tried arguing for ya but Vlad's post was legal. The ruling is that you are dead.

 

IC:

With the force, Tares dashed under the Salvation in a blur, letting the bullets dig into the main hold of the already damaged ship. Outstretching his senses even more, he began to feel the parts of Vlad's ship not hidden under the field of the Yslamari.

 

Directing the flow of the force, Tares took ahold of a large section of the Salvation's engines. With strength, one of the engines several meters away from his "below the cockpit" location ripped from the main hull of the Yt-2400. In speed, Tares lifted the engine until it hovered above the rest of the Salvation.

 

Right as Vlad made an other pass in his evasive manuvers, Tares slammed the engine into his shuttle, taking out the shields and damaging the chain gun into a non-functioning state....

[Yuusuke Hakusho]

Yuusuke's bacta treatment was complete. He felt the bacta drain from his chamber, and opened his eyes slowly. Yuusuke had just emerged from the tank, when he hear gun shots. Quickly dressing, Yuusuke left his armor behind, and ran toward the cockpit just in time to see Faust's ship. He calls to Reagan,

 

"Do the gun turrets still work?"

[Reagan McGreggor]

Reagan turned to YH showing signs of stress, and raised her eyebrow, "I'm not entirely sure what works on this heap at the moment, have you shot them yet?" She was more then a bit sarcastic, "They should work, he only got the main power, back up power should still be online."

 

Rane's droid ran to the guns without a word to anyone.

[Vladimir Faust]

"You little punk!" Screams Faust, taking in the damage to his ship. The Bhelliom, a scant 15 meters in length and protected by Faust's ysalmari in its entirety still suffered an attack by the force users deadly aim and application of basic physics.

 

"How dare you attack me, Jedi!?"

 

With a furious scream of rage, Faust locks onto the exposed engines and fuel tanks with his quad lasers and opens fire, intending a wide burst of fuel to take out the Jedi hiding under the ship. The darkness inhabiting Faust however inhibits the hunter's common sense and even a mere sense of proportion.

 

"DIE!"

 

The results prove fatally excessive.

 

The crimson bolts vanish into the ship and in the next seconds a holocaust occurs as Tares, Yuusuke, Rane, and Reagan are caught in an expanding ball of flame several hundred degrees centigrade as the tanks and fusion engines ignite and combust, destroying the Salvation and in all reasonable probability, its crew.

 

Faust stares down, turning away from the fireball, at its apex of fourty meters in radius. He heads back to the city at top speed, leaving the site of his failure behind. Thought he expects the worst, he still keeps an eye open for any surprise attack, knowing it never pays to count a Jedi master or their companions dead until you've seen the bodies.

 

Idiot! I doubt that there's anything even left to collect! Brilliant manuver. Oh well... It's all a game anyways. Heads are just a way of keeping score.

 

Flying away to repair his ship, Faust sets his remaining remotes to spy out what will be the crator of impact when the fire dies down and report any signs of life.

[Reagan McGreggor]

Rane watched in horror as the bolts headed for the ship. Just before impact, he contacted his droid and gave him quick directions. Looking at Reagan, "Sorry sweetheart, this is most likely going to hurt." With that, Rane picked up Reagan and threw her out the viewport. Not having any forward knowledge of what he was doing, she was not prepared for the fall and landed hard on her side. Slowly rolling on her back, the communicator on her wrist being activated by the fall starts to beep quietly sending sounds and voices to the matching one with Adi Wan. Then blackness of unconscieniousness took her as she saw Rane land not far from her and kneel down next to her.

 

Still in the ship, the droid following Rane's directions heads up from the lower gun turrent to meet YH where he is sitting in the upper gun turrent. Using his droid strength, he broke out the view bubble and hoisted YH out the top and jumping to the ground the droid tries to break YH's fall as best he could, but still YH lands on the ground hard as well.

 

Tares could be seen diving out from underneath the ship as the explosion engulfed what was left of it.

 

Reagan lay on the ground, her long red hair covering most of her face as her breathing was labored from the impact of the fall. Rane knelt down beside her, he didn't notice the slight noise the communicator made from the loudness of the explosion and the fire from the ship.

[Tares Vortex]

Stepping out of a role, Tares quickly looked up at the retreating Bounty Hunter's ship while sheading his flaming cloak.

 

As the ship disappeared, he could feel the presense of the others.... minus Darla. With a shake of his head, he sighed and walked over to Rane and the others, "Damn."

 

A flood of emotions threatened to control his urges to track down the bounty hunter and rip out every organ situated in the body until the hunter was no more than a bloody mess. Yet logic got the best of him, knowing he still had his word to keep.

 

Channeling the energy of his emotions towards his wounds, he looked over to the Salvation, "I'll get us a new ship."

 

With that his fighter hovered above and slowly landed. With in minutes the Jedi was off the ground. On his way up, he could sense the remaining remotes. Ignoring them, he made his way into hyperspace....