Talon

Talon nodded once, and then he was gone- disappearing into the ships hold through the hatch Zee had manually opened. He had to crawl to get through the partially submerged opening, but when he fell through on the other side, he found himself standing in the commons area behind the cockpit. Well I'll be... Everything was nearly just as he remembered it. The texture of the seat cushions, the smell of the bulkheads, the sight of his weapons rack in the back near the ramp (which was currently inaccessible in the ships partially submerged state. Talon noticed Zee had moved to the hatch opening, and he was now staring expectantly through. "Stay at the terminal outside, Zee, and see what you can do from there. If I need your help, I'll holler." The droid whistled an affirmative and then disappeared from view. Talon turned back to the room before him, and stepped down into the hold. The sleeping bunks were there to the right and left. The 'fresher and the small kitchen area were in the far corner, secluded away. Small cages and the cell were in the back with the armory and magazine, for holding criminals, captured animals, and the like. His bulky, exoskeleton like battle armor was strewn about in the middle, most likely used by the previous pirate pilot. As the Jedi's eyes scanned the surroundings in this fashion, he caught glimpse of something else strewn about. To the side of the ship near the front of the hold, a single cylindrical object rested on the floor. Talon's heart skipped a beat. Was it possible? The Jedi moved closer to investigate. He crouched low. He scooped up the object into his hands. Moments later, a brilliant yellow-orange blade sprang to life from one end of the object. A small grin showed on the Jedi's face. He was home again. The rear interior of the ship epitomized the perfect mesh of battle preparedness and creature comfort. It could transport a group of war ready soldiers to the front lines of battle, but just as quickly double to transport noble delegates from the Alliance on missions of diplomacy. The cockpit to the front of the ship, however, was a completely different matter. The cockpit was meant for Talon above all others, as he was the main pilot. He controlled it, and it was his. With the flick of a switch he could drop a durasteel door that separated the two compartments of the ship. With the rear in check, and his old lightsaber clipped back at its rightful place on Talon's belt, it was here to the cockpit that Talon moved to next. The cockpit was shut down and abandoned, but it had such familiarity that Talon could almost picture the glowing lights of the controls, the easy handling of the joystick, and the blur of space moving by through the front windows. Talon's outstretched hand moved over the pilots chair in the center of the cockpit. He spun the chair around, took a seat, and then spun back again to face the view screen and controls. As if on cue, the ship flared to life. From the exterior, Zee had got the systems back up and running. Talon gripped the joystick, and piloted the ship out of its hole and onto the soft ground beside the interceptor. Moments later, the ramp at the back of the ship lowered and displayed the ecstatic Jedi. "All aboard!"

The man wanted passage- passage to the rebel base. Talon took a long while to simply wait and stare the man over. He still wasn't sure if the forest dweller wanted to help them or hurt them. "Unfortunately, I can't take you to the Rebel base... for several reasons. For one, it is now more the Galactic Alliance and not so much the Rebels. Security also has a small part to do with it. For another, I've been out of the loop for a while, and to be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure where the current base is. I can, however, give you passage to Coruscant or one of the other core worlds. There you'd be able to find the contact you'd need to find the Alliance, and they can tell for sure whether or not your fit for the job." Talon turned away from the forest dweller and back to his ship. "Before I get either of us anywhere, though, I need to get the ship back in flying condition. If you'd excuse me..."

Talon finally turned away from the hull of his ship to look at the forest dweller. He doubted the first part of his acquaintance's words. To the Jedi, the man looked hardly capable of killing him one way, much less five. Nonetheless, it was true that this was not his land. He had no authority to barge in and issue threats. He also, however, had no intention of leaving without his ship. "Very well. My name is Talon, and I am, as you noted, a Jedi Master on a personel mission. That mission is, as of now, proven successful. This wrecked ship was once mine, and I am here to reclaim it." He paused momentarily, and allowed the forest dweller to absorb his words. "If it was my intent on harming you, there would be no doubt that you would already be dead. That said, I again warn you to take your hands off their weapons. I will not ask again."

The Jedi Master leapt softly from the interceptor, and landed quietly on the soft, mossy floor. Zee jettisoned himself from the plug on the wing, and joined his human counterpart. The ship, which had come to a final rest along the edge of a dense forest, was only several steps away, and it only took moments for the Jedi and the droid to reach it. Talon stood at the side, and took in a deep breath. His outstretched hand brushed along the name emblazoned in the hull. So many memories... The snap of a twig announced the arrival of the forest dweller. Even when the being stepped forward with his hands on his weapons and spoke, Talon did not turn away from his prize. "Greetings Master Jedi" Talon released a surprisingly heavy sigh. Was it too much to ask to have a little peace once in a while. It seemed everywhere he went he attracted attention. The Jedi outstretched his feelings through the Force, trying to get a fix on the newcomers thoughts and objectives. They were blurred and unknown. "I'll have you know that if it was my wish, I could... 'dismantle' you in approximately 947 ways. If I were you, I would remove my hands from the blasters and tell me your intent, before I remove them for you." Though he did not mean to be so forward, he did not want to take any chances, and the forest dweller had yet to show himself as friend or foe. Just in case, Talon's trusty droid Zee moved to a position where he could get a clear but protected shot off with his built-in stunner.

With each passing moment, the blip indicating Exalibur II got closer and closer. Finally, when the interceptor passed over an exceptionally high mountain peak and the blip was right to the front, Talon could see the old assault shuttle come into view. The silver hull reflected the high afternoon sun, and announced its presence. "There it is Zee..." At a glance from afar, the damage was not as bad as Talon had at first assumed. In a bid to save his own life, the pilot had found a softer, soilier valley between two ranges to crash the ship. Judging by the burrowing marks imprinted on the smooth, grassy land below, the ship had come in from the southwest. Talon turned the fighter to run parallel to the trail, slowed to a near halt, and brought it down to only several meters above the open field. Now less than 10 meters away from the downed assault shuttle, Talon nestled the fighter on the spongy turf. He outstretched one hand and deactivated the scanning equipment, and then began to power down. As the powerful engines were silenced, the cockpit hatch hissed open and proudly displayed the exiting Jedi Master.

The small, Eta-2 Interceptor ripped through hyperspace and neared its destination. Zee, who had piloted the craft from Nar Shadda, now alerted Talon. BEEP BOOP BEEP-BEEP :WE'RE NEARING THE PLANET WAYLAND.: Another series of beeps and whistles. ROPPING OUT OF HYPERSPACE IN 3... 2... 1...: In the briefest of moments, the small interceptor lurched back into real-space. Talon only felt the tiny fraction of a strain from his rather comfortable pilot's chair. The tiny orb that was Wayland proudly displayed itself in the Jedi's front viewport. With each passing moment, it grew larger and larger. "Alright Zee. Prep for scans." While Zee programmed the scanners to search for the downed Excalibur II, Talon's hands played across the front controls. With the flip of a switch, a digital outline of the planet below appeared in one of the corners of his viewscreen. Talon's interceptor broke the outer edges of atmosphere. Again the Jedi's hands moved to his controls. The push of a button activated the standard scanning equipment. The generated map at the bottom of the screen enlarged and came to life. A blinking red line indicating the scanning equipment's range flared across the spherical rendering. As the ship began its search, Talon began a search of his own. Trusting the smooth piloting of his ship to Zee, Talon adopted the most comfortable position he could manage. His eyes slipped closed, and the tendrils of his mind stretched out. The ship is here. The pirate said it was. Even though his senses were acute, he could not feel a pin-point location. He could feel the familiar aura of his old steed, however. The pirate had indeed been telling the truth. His eyes flickered back open. "Alright, Zee... I got it from here." The droid surrendered control of the ship. He could at once feel the weight of the ship through the joy-stick. With the interceptor's superior handling, the slightest alteration could send the ship careening in the opposite direction. Talon's hand was steady, however. Instead of searching in any logical or patterned way, he allowed his Force-driven instinct to guide him... After several hours of piloting in this fashion, a small blip appeared on the generated map. A match to Zee's search parameters had been identified. In the northern-hemisphere, the terrain had become mountainous and rocky. A crash landing here would have been difficult, and Talon pictured several dents and scratches along the side of his previous assualt shuttle. Nonetheless, the Jedi's excitement was mounting. This was it...

As Ahley-Jade headed through the halls toward her master, Talon stepped quietly through the open turbo-lift doors and into the main lobby. The remains of droids still littered the open space- an indication of Andon's earlier distraction. He nimbly stepped over the empty shells and littered limbs toward the broken in front doors. Several wide-eyed children sat just outside in the dark, trying to get a gauge on the action going on indoors. Talon smiled. "It's all clear. You can go in and explore if you wish..." The kids backed away at first, but once the Jedi had passed, Talon spotted the children dash in. Their curiosity overwhelmed their sense of safety. Not that they'd be in any danger anyway... The four Jedi had seen to that. Now out in the otherwise empty street, Talon sighed. A foul smelling wind rustled his hair. The refugee sector of Nar Shadda was a dreadful place, and the other parts of the planet weren't much better. With his steps slow and deliberate, it took some time for him to reach the Eta-2 interceptor. Zee was waiting, and Talon could see he was beginning to get impatient. He could tell the droid hated waiting with the ship- he was sure Zee would much rather prefer being with Talon on one of his many adventures. Perhaps in the future... As the Jedi made the last several steps to his ship, he stretched out with the Force and called out to his Jedi companion. "Andon... I understand why you wanted to keep Keanu alive- but know that I have endured many conflicts. I can judge a darkened heart, and I do not fear the consequences of action against one." He paused. A Jedi's life was plagued with decisions. Often times the Jedi Master wondered if his decisions were considered kosher with the Council. He had long ago given up trying to please them... He now took matters into his own hands. Perhaps that was why many considered him reckless... "But if you're right about Keanu, I thank you for sparing another death on my account. For now I have business in the Colonies, on the planet Wayland. You may follow me if you wish, or you can meet me back on Rafa V." Talon settled himself into the cockpit. "Come along, Zee. We're heading out." Zee whistled in an exasperated shrill. It was obvious he was ready to get out of here. He was plugged into the socket to the right of the cockpit even before Talon himself was ready. As the Jedi strapped himself in, he smiled. He figured he'd let the droid have a little bit of fun. "Take it on out. We're heading to Wayland." Zee didn't need to whistle for the Jedi to sense his excitement. In moments, the ship was up- and then gone in hyperspace.

Talon called his other lightsaber to him with a summon of the Force, and then fell in step behind the other Jedi, bringing up the rear of the crew. Keanu sat dumbfounded on the floor behind them. The smallest of smiles appeared on Talon's face as he gently shook his head. They never learn... As the Jedi passed the threshold into the hall beyond, Keanu finally overcame his shock and screamed aloud. "Hypocrites! Murderers! He said you wouldn't kill me! You've destroyed me!" Without even turning, the Jedi Master spoke back to the pirate. "You'll live." And then the Jedi were gone, descending through the turbolift back to civilization. Talon took the time in the turbolift to reflect. He disagreed with Andon. Keanu deserved a swift reconciliation. Perhaps Talon was treading in dark waters, but if he didn't get the job done, he was afraid no one would. In his opinion, the pirate had taken far too many innocent lives to be allowed to remain. On the other hand, maybe it was for the best that Keanu be allowed to change his ways. For now, he wouldn't worry about it. With Andon retrieving the pirate's comm codes, they'd be able to check back if he got out of hand. Before he knew it, the turbolift had reached ground floor, and the arrival was anounced with the familiar bing.

"Keanu, now is that anyway to treat company? You really should consider working on your people skills, I mean, a hoard of droids is no way to treat welcomed guests and representatives of the Galactic Alliance..." Keanu mumbled something or other under his breath. Talon could see the sweat beaded up around his eye brows and hair line. The Jedi Master didn't blame him. His entire army had just been wasted by three full fledged Jedi and one trainee. In the most normal of circumstances, one would not consider four people to represent a powerful fighting force. These Jedi, however, had proven themselves not to be "normal". Keanu was unprotected and unarmed, and he had the pointy end of a lightsaber not 2 inches away from his face. "Whadd'ya think Andon? Keanu has obviously proven himself an enemy of the Alliance. This pile of bantha fodder worth keeping around?" His words were in jest... he by no means intended to kill the man, but it was difficult for Talon to keep from tantalizing his prey. Keanu mumbled again. Andon responded with a shaking finger. "Now-now, Talon. You know we wouldn't want to kill the man without a 'fair trial'." Talon nodded. "You couldn't be more right." The Jedi knelt low- to eye level of the pirate- and continued. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" A wave of Talon's hand forced Keanu's head into a nod. "Good. Not too long ago, a certain... character... was murdered on this planet. You know of whom I speak." Talon's hard stare and Force influence melted away the mans psychological defenses. "Why did the Hutts find it appropriate to inform you, when obviously that information would have been highly classified?" Keanu's face was locked in place by a powerful Force-grip. By no will of his own, his eyes were trained on Talon. Keanu hesitated with an answer, and Talon's blade came ever closer. "Alright! I dealt with the Hutts in business. I was alerted because Whyl was one of my major employers involving deals of... questionable legitimacy. I did raids for him in outlying systems and they provided protection. I scratched their back and they scratched mine." Talon rose back to a standing position. "Hm. A pirate involved with Whyl the Hutt... Deals of questionable legitamacy. Sounds like you're quite the criminal." Keanu stammered. "But-" "Are you aware of the number of lives Whyl the Hutt extinguished? How many problems he caused with the Alliance? Do you know how long we've been waiting for him to expose himself?" He paused and turned to Andon, with half a smirk on his face. "I don't think he does!" Keanu tried to speak, but he was again cut off. "The verdict is in. On the account of illegitimate dealing with a dangerous crime-lord, the defendant is found- guilty. On the account of attacking representatives of the Galactic Alliance, the defendant is found- guilty. On the account of contempt of the court, the defendant is found- guilty." Talon lifted his blade. It was positioned to deliver a kill shot... ((That's the cue, Andrew... ))

((More than 3 days...)) Talon's thoughts were focused on the battle at hand. Aided by the Force, Talon's reflexes were heightened to an extreme level. Time itself slowed down for the Jedi Master. The Force, combined with Talon's lust for battle, proved to be a deadly mix. With much of Keanu's army decimated by its own droidekas, Talon's instinct told him to move in for the kill. With his saber raised high, Talon was able to deflect a barrage of incoming droideka fire. Soon it was enough to overwhelm the Jedi, however, and Talon was forced to duck to the side behind another group of supes. The group of droids was instantly pulverized by the barrage of high powered blasts, and the debris fell upon Talon from above. The Jedi outstretched his hand, and flung the debris through the air toward the destroyer droid. It bounced harmlessly off its shielding, but it obviously confused the deadly opponent. Talon used the opportunity. He called into the deep expanse that was the Force, and leapt to the cieling. He suspended himself in midair, and ran along the ceiling. When he was directly over the droideka, he disabled the droids shielding with a flicker of the Force, and descended onto the vulnerable mass. With his free hand, he grabbed the round section of the droid's neck, and with the other he offered a clean slice that decapitated the foe. Talon redirected the still firing blaster cannons on its arms into its neighbor, and both droidekas that had been focused on Talon were simply gone.

"Looks like our plan worked, Talon, it played out exactly like I hoped: with us trapped in a bottle neck. Got any bright ideas about how to take out those Droidekas? I've got one, but some would call it unconventional..." The cavalry had come. Two of the droidekas swiveled to the three newcomers. As the droidekas opened fire, Talon saw things by way of Andon. His thoughts were clear, and however unconventional Andon's plans were, they would work. The first blasts from the shielded droids came to meet the Jedi Master. Although Talon's sabers were lost in the middle of the mass of droids, he could keep the destroyer droids distracted. He somersaulted out of the line of fire behind a sofa that was immediately torn to shreds by the following bolts of energy. Before any could cut through, Talon was back up and running... this time charging into the supes at the droidekas themselves. On the other side of the room, Andon was charging in similar fashion. The pair's minds had linked in a Force meld, each knowing exactly what the other was doing and building off it. Immediately, the two's plan became evident. As the droidekas' powerful guns followed the Jedi's paths, they began to wreak their damage upon Keanu's allies. The Force users were using the droidekas against their own army. As Talon approached the first supe, it raised its wrist blaster at the oncoming Jedi. A burst of Force plasma melted the hand and wrist clean off. In two more steps, the Jedi had reached the droid. He grabbed it by the neck, spun, and hurled it with surprising force. It knocked through the droids ahead like a bowling ball turned aside hover-pins. Deadly lances of energy from the destroyers ripped through the supes neighboring Talon. The bolts continued to move with the target. Talon was forced to put up a deflective Force sheild that helped parry the lasers off to the side. Even with this advantage, the Force was no substitute for n actuall lightsaber, and Talon was forced to roll and take cover. He came up face to face with a mercenary hired out by Keanu. The burly guard offered a toothy grin from behind his leveled blaster rifle. Before he knew what had happened, however, Talon had disarmed him with the flick of his wrist and left him gasping for air on the floor with a karate chop to the throat. Now armed with the mercenary's rifle, Talon mowed down several droids. The droidekas rained more deadly spray, but Talon again repelled the attacks by a deflective shield. As Talon approached the next droid, he spotted one of his silver lightsaber hilts on the floor near his feet. With the rifle loosing random shots from his left hand, his right hand called his lightsaber to hand. Again the lightsaber offered its deadly maroon light to the battlefield.

It took the first droid being mowed down by Talon's sabers for the rest to spring into action. Instantly, the room became a haven of chaos and confusion. Talon- the droids' new target- became lost in a sea of sparks and slagged durasteel as the Jedi Master plowed straight through the first set of droids. One down, two down, three down, four. The first blaster bolt zinged past Talon's head, almost too close for comfort. A second bolt ventured close, but Talon's maroon blade intercepted the bolt and returned to sender. It was here that Talon found a hulking mass of metal slam into his back. He had made his way into the midst of the small platoon, and a super battle droid had decided to get physical. The force of the blow knocked his sabers out of his grip. As the now weaponless Jedi tumbled forward, he reached up and grabbed the arm and neck of his assailant, and as he fell to the ground he whipped the droid forward. The hulk was sent sailing into the air, and proceeded to collide with another 'supe'- making them both temporarily useless. Then Talon hit the ground. The droids surrounding him leapt and attempted an awkward pile-up, but Talon was too quick. He planted one hand on the ground and force-pushed himself away from the ground. His body was still laid out, but as he rose, he spun and placed a firm kick to one of the leaping drones. The kick propelled the Jedi in the opposite direction, and Talon used one of the other droids as leverage to swing up above the crowd. Another leaping droid came face-to-face with Talon's nimble foot, and Talon again used the droids face to leap above the teeming mass below. As impressive as Talon's acrobatics were, the Jedi was not immune to the effects of gravity, and he momentarily found himself being called back to the floor below. Three glowing orbs of burning plasma slagged three different droids on his descent, but one of the flesh and bone bodyguards placed a well aimed shot into Talon's back-shoulder. Again the Jedi found himself in close quarter with the floor, but this time he rolled out of the fall and into a crouching stance near the wall. He came up facing an onslaught of droids, but a strong force push/blast sent each and everyone flying backwards. Disappointingly, only a few didn't get back up. To Talon's further dismay, the door Keanu had been fiddling with suddenly hissed open, and four droideka's rolled out and opened up into attack formation. Talon frowned. His mind connected with that of the Jedi Knight below. "Bring in the cavalry... soon."

The doors to Keanu's suite were closed and locked. Talon didn't have the access code, but he didn't need it. As he stepped up to the double-door, he placed one hand on each individual door. With his strength amplified by the Force, Talon pushed both doors inward- off their track- and into the room on the other side. Each heavy slab of durasteel crashed onto the floor and slid across the ground. He had announced his presence. Emergency lighting showed Keanu was at one side of the room, fiddling with a keyboard next to a door. The vast far wall that had previously been window was now covered in a durasteel shell. Keanu had trapped himself in his own defense. He presently turned to face the new comer. His jaw dropped momentarily. "You..." The new room was much more heavily defended than that of the first. Between he and Keanu, there stood easily over two dozen droids (of various model) and half a dozen burly bodyguards. Those that didn't know Talon would say a half-sadistic smile appeared on the Jedi's face. "Yes. Me." With the hilts of two sabers sliding to his hands and activating, Talon descended upon the pirate's last line of defense.

As Talon ascended in the turbolift, he abandoned his facade of Keanu. While such a trick was helpful, it was quite draining. Talon had no desire to use it when it was not needed. Moments after he had resumed his own shape and form, the lights overhead went out, and the lift seemed to slow to a crawl. Andon had finished the first part of his plan. After the initial slow down, however, his lift resumed its initial speed. Andon had left some of the lifts operational... and by no coincidence his was one of them. Talon continued his ascension in darkness. Sounds of battle echoed up through the silenced building, and announced that Andon's distraction phase was underway. His way to Keanu was clear. The lift slowed, and a quiet ding told Talon it was time... The turbolift doors slid open. It was at this point that the Jedi felt a screaming in the Force. He could sense pain and death elsewhere in the galaxy, but his focus was here. He pushed the feeling to the back of his mind. He would dwell on it later. With no further distraction, Talon stepped forward into the same hallway he had treaded earlier. It was dark. During the lockdown, the gun emplacements in the hall had emerged from their hiding places, but the absence of power had rendered them all useless. The same protocol droid that had greeted him earlier turned to face the turbolift and the man emerging from it. Its glowing eyes were the only thing that provided light on the area. "ALERT. ALERT. ALERT." Talon could hear movement. Metal against metal. Even without the Force, Talon could tell the newcomers were droids. With a mental picture provided by the Force, he could see them forming on either side of the glowing eyes of the protocol droid in the center of the short hall. "Step aside." For some reason, threats to droids just didn't have the same affect as they did on sentient beings. He could hear the clicking of blasters being loaded and readied. All the movement abruptly ended. It was the silence before the storm. "Have it your way, then." A great blast of energy suddenly emanated from the standing Jedi. It expanded outward in all directions... changing the very face of the hall around him. It was mere moments before it found the droids. They were thrown backwards with surprising force. Before they could collect themselves, Talon was upon them, with lightsaber in hand. One battle droid was cleaved in two down the middle, and another was suddenly separated from its head. With one free hand, he let loose two small bursts of plasma that turned the next droid into a heap of smoldering slag. Several laser blasts whizzed by the Jedi Master, but he paid them no heed. Talon leapt into the air, and tackled the next droid with a Force amplified dive. The pair slid across the cold floor, and a Force blast from Talon easily destroyed it head. Talon used the broken body of the droid, and flung it into the next as he rose. The only remaining droid was the protocol droid- now armed with a blaster rifle. He feebly loosed several shots, but they were easily turned aside by Talon's lightsaber. Talon outstretched his hand, and the droid simply fell apart. The Jedi returned his saber to his belt, straightened his collar, and proceeded to Keanu's suite.

It was through the plan of Andon Colos that brought the three Jedi to the front doors of K Inc. As the trio approached, Talon reached into the Force. The mind trick he employed was ancient- passed down from generation to generation of Jedi Knights. It had all but been forgotten... A sphere of influence emerged from the Jedi Master, who was slightly ahead of the other pair. The sphere expanded... soon it was large enough to encompass the whole lobby of the building ahead. As the three entered the building, it was not three Jedi that the receptionist saw, but instead Keanu and two of his henchman. Those inside the sphere of influence were deceived. The receptionist was obviously flustered. Keanu rarely came through the front doors- he usually landed on the roof top and entered his suite from there. When he came through the lobby, one could assume something serious was going on. Talon took pity on the girl, and reproduced the space pirate's voice to the best of his ability. "You'd better get out've here, girl. Something bad's going to happen." The receptionist scooted along the wall towards the door, obviously afraid. Talon paid her no more notice. The trio made their way to the turbo-lifts. In a matter of moments, one turbo-lift was going up, and the other was going down...

As Talon approached the two individuals, he returned the nod to the Jedi apprentice accompanying Andon, and then he proceeded to answer the Jedi Knight's question. "My R2 unit intercepted the information as it was being relayed on a protected holochannel. Keanu- the big head honcho here at K Inc.- is apparently a pretty prominent figure in the criminal ranks of Nar Shadda. An event such as Whyl's death would have been significant enough for him to know about it. If we seek more information, our target'd be him..." Talon's eyes lit up as ideas of storming the scraper flashed through his mind. "K Inc. is not to be taken lightly, however. While not home to the brightest of characters, they do house brute strength, and they do have superior numbers. It may be wise to develop some sort of strategy before attempting to single handedly extract information from El Pirito Numero Uno."

Scorp and Isolder were free to do as they wished, but before Talon could get back to his own task, a comm came raining down upon him. Back to K Inc... This'll be interesting, to say the least. Irony came in many shapes and sizes, but it was never foreseen. Ironic, it was, that Talon was now headed to the place he had moments before escaped from. The flight back to the skyscraper was short and uneventful. As he approached, Talon could spot an E-Wing that already occupied a portion of the street. Two beings stood close by, inconspicuous to the untrained eye. Talon, however, immediately identified them as Jedi. He settled his own interceptor next to the fighter, but kept a leery eye on the front doors of the scraper nearby. His ship was most likely red flagged- marked as an unwelcome visitor. After the cockpit hissed open, Talon hopped down to the paved street below. His crimson trench coat billowed behind him. Two lightsaber hilts displayed themselves proudly at his hips. Since he was already marked an enemy of the pirates, there was no point in going unprotected. "You rang?"

"This is Andon Colos, I know of Daz-Ex's whereabouts...he's currently on Coruscant. I'll be going alone to meet with him, being his Master and all I'm the only Jedi that he'll actually trust. I'll be sure to keep you updated. I know this boy...he is no murderer, if he killed Whyl there was a good reason behind it." Talon had been thrust out of one mission and into another quite suddenly with news of Whyl's death, and he had responded. This new information, however, made Talon's job suddenly easier. It actually explained why Talon hadn't sensed another Jedi on the planet. He was searching for something that wasn't there. Talon spoke into the channel to answer Scorp and direct the other Jedi. ----- "Colos knows what he's doing, and if anyone knows Ether it will be him. Death will not be a concern, and I fear interfering might create more problems than solutions." Even though the saying went 'better safe than sorry', Talon didn't want to have called out two other Jedi for nothing. "Be that as it may, you may follow them if that is your desire. Be advised, however, not to step in unless Colos is in dire need." Talon sensed Isolder's doubt in Daz-Ex. "And the boy is not to be harmed, Isolder. Question him if you wish, but he is not required to explain himself. His reasons for assassination are his own, and the galaxy offers good riddance to Whyl the Hutt." He paused. "As Daz-Ex is clearly no longer here, your services on Nar Shadda are no longer requested. I have... other matters to attend to." -----

Talon's comm was answered quickly. Two more Jedi had been sent to help, and he received an answering communication from Isolder. "Talon Flick, this is Isolder. I have been sent by Ara-lai. What is the situation down there?" The Jedi Master left the comm open from his ship. "It seems Daz-Ex Ether has been here on Nar Shadda... and has been active. Whyl the Hutt's assassination at the hand of Ether will no doubt have serious repercussions. As a Jedi (present or former), he deserves our help and protection. Presently, I'm still trying to pinpoint his location. Keep an eye on ships leaving the system- look for anything suspicious or out of ordinary. I'm going to do a little bit of... 'investigative' work." Talon took the ship through a complete U-turn. He had an idea where he could get some information...

A highly encrypted comm arrives for the Jedi on Rafa V. ----Comm Open---- "This is Master Talon reporting from Nar Shadda. It seems Whyl the Hutt has been assassinated, and the Jedi responsible is on the run." Talon displays an image from the archives of the assassin- a Jedi known as Daz-Ex Ether. "It would be so kind of you to send back-up, as there is any number of beings pursuing him, and taking them alone might prove more than difficult..." ---Comm Closed----

It was actually quite obvious what the pirate was doing. He intended to make up for his friends personally. Sometimes revenge was sweetest when it was face to face. The Jedi sighed. They never learn. The bodyguards trained their blasters on Talon, but they clearly only intended on keeping Talon where he was. This would be a fight for their leader. The pirate spoke. "Regretfully, you will never reach your downed ship. My friends will have their honor restored, and by morning, you will be little more than a smoldering heap of bone." Talon smirked. "And I suppose a big bad pirate king is going to make this happen." Keanu snarled, and pulled two blaster pistols from below his fine jacket. They were immediately slagged by orbs of plasma. Before they knew what was happening, the bodyguards too had their weapons melted. Astounded at what had happened, the four brutes looked at each others weapons, and then attempted to pounce on the Jedi in the middle. He merely jumped, and the four collided below him. He landed nimbly on top of the uppermost guard, and released a powerful Force blast to render the men below unconscious. "Surely not the brightest of individuals..." Keanu was at a loss. He apparently had never seen anyone take out his bodyguards so quickly- or so effortlessly. At any rate, he did not remain idle. He pushed a button on his desk, and several klaxons started ringing. The Jedi rolled his eyes. Fingering the summon feature of his comm link, he alerted Zee to power up and come in for an extraction. He called his lightsaber to hand, and charged directly at the pirate- who stumbled backward. Instead of cutting the enemy down, however, he leapt above his head and sliced through the window- making it easier to break. He shattered through the pane and fell, only to meet with the interceptor flying below. As he crawled into the cockpit, he spoke aloud to his droid. "It seems we will have to extend our search yet again." Zee, however, was more worried about something else. Beeps preceded words on the screen. I'VE BEEN MONITORING THE LOCAL HOLONET WHILE YOU'VE BEEN OUT. IT SEEMS WHYL THE HUTT HAS BEEN ASSASINATED HERE ON NAR SHADDA... BY A JEDI. Since Talon hadn't killed him, that meant someone else had. It also meant that someone else was probably in trouble. Talon piloted the ship away from the pirate's building and sent a highly encrypted and scrambled comm- seeking instruction on the matter.

The turbolift ride seemed long, but in reality it might have lasted several minutes. Talon simply watched the numbers of the floors light up as he passed them, and listened to the annoying 'dings'. The top floor, in direct contrast with the lobby, was actually well lit and very modern. Well cleaned and kept, Talon could guess this was where this 'Keanu' organized his crime syndicate. A protocol droid greeted him as he stepped out of the turbolift. "I am TC-29, Master Recorder of K Inc. If you would please follow me." The gold and silver droid turned. Clearly Talon was to follow, but as there was only one hall, it seemed he didn't have much of a choice. The droid led him to a simple set of blast doors. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was on the other side. The droid moved to a control panel, typed in a code, and the doors slid open. TC-29 motioned him in. The doors hissed shut behind him... The room before him was quite typical for your typical pirate king. It was decorated in a dark, blood red fashion. Several comfortable looking couches arranged in a circular fashion occupied the middle of the room. One whole side of the room was complete window- offering a rather stunning view to the cityscape beyond. On an elevated dais next to the windows rested an elaborate desk and a dark red swivel chair, which of course was swiveled away from him and facing the windows. A clean, well practiced voice came from the chair. "Please know that I could have had you killed over 100 different ways on your way up." Talon doubted it. "All my droids are rigged with self destruct, the turbo-lift could be deactivated mid-ascension, gun emplacements set in the halls could quite easily blast you into thousands of tiny fragments." The chair swiveled to face him. "Even now, my bodyguards could dismantle you and chuck you into a trash compactor. The list is quite extensive. Take it as a show of trust." He paused. Talon took time to take in the face. "I am quite aware of the weapons you are carrying, and am also quite aware of what kind of people carry such weapons. But do not think for a second that you could escape here alive if I intended to keep you." The Jedi retaliated. "Surely if you are so well informed, you are also aware of what happened to your friends on Tatooine." The pirate swiveled his chair back away from Talon. He paused before he spoke "It is true. I received a comm shortly before your arrival here. You want your ship, and you apparently will stop at nothing to get it." The chair swiveled back. Was he bored? Talon nodded. "Well then, don't let me hinder you. I regret to inform you, however, that it is no longer in my service. It served well for the brief time it was under my control, but it seems that one of my... incapable pilots... was not so good at handling it. It apparently shut down on one of our looting raids and crashed over Wayland. That pilot was of course... relieved... of his duties. You could find it there, but unfortunately you will have to pay retribution for what you did on Tatooine." The pirate king stood. His gruff looking bodyguards stirred from their corners. Did he intend to fight?

Talon's lone interceptor dropped from hyperspace. The Jedi was well rested, and had just finished a rather bland energy bar. As soon as he entered the system, he masked his lightside presence through the Force. Though he anticipated no real trouble, this moon was not particularly welcoming to those who followed the Jedi traditions. "Alright Zee, bring it in nice and casual." The droid beeped back uncertainly. The refugee sector was by no means difficult to find. It was quite possibly the lowest slums of the smuggler's moon. Because of this, he was luckily able to land unquestioned and unchecked. Departing from the fighter craft, Talon again hid his lightsaber within his crimson trenchcoat, and instead displayed his blasters. A little bit of asking around revealed that this Keanu was apparently a well-to-do in the refugee sector. He had played his way to the top, and talking to him might be more difficult than he had hoped. Finding him, however, would be relatively easy. He and his pirate cronies had overtaken one of the larger skyscrapers in the region, and it was within walking distance of his landing pad. Before leaving, he left a final instruction with the droid. "Stick with the ship, and don't let ANYONE near it." The droid gave a reaffirming toot. R2-Z2 would do his job well. And then he was headed off towards the mega-structure. Several small street vendors harassed him along the way, trying to persuade him to but one of their cheaply immitated chronometers at a namebrand price. Talon brushed them away without much concern. As he arrived in the lobby of the structure, which was not surprisingly dimly lit, two shabby protocol droids scanned him for weapons. Concealing his lightsaber did him little good now. Instead of sending him packing back out the door, however, they let him pass. Odd... Though the room was dilapidated and glum, the receptionist at the desk gave him a bright, toothy smile. "May I help you?" Talon returned her smile with a slight smile of his own. "I'm here to see Keanu." "Isn't everyone?" She was speaking more to herself than to Talon. "Do you have an appointment?" "Uh... no." "Well that's a shame. I can set you up, but Mr. Keanu doesn't have an opening until next week. Would you like me to schedule?" "No. I need to see Keanu today." The receptionist was beginning to give the slightest hint of being irritated. "I'm sorry sir, but that's just not possi..." She was cut off by a message from her desk. A gruff voice sounded from the holoprojection, but it was difficult for Talon to make out. Whatever had been said made the receptionist go wide-eyed. She was nervous... A moment later, and she again gave a forced smile. "Keanu will see you now. Turbolift to your right, top floor." Talon thanked the receptionist, and was on his way up.

With the simple flick of his hand, two of the scoundrels collided with each other. Each was knocked unconscious immediately. The other smugglers weren't sure what was happening. Another flick of the hand and a cloud of dust filled the air. Visibility was hopeless. Luckily for Talon, he didn't need to see to fight. The smugglers finally began taking pot shots into the air, but Talon was already moving. Several blaster bolts coming to close glanced off the protective bubble he had formed around himself, and richocheted harmlessly into the ceiling. Talon's focus in battle was unequaled. He was proving it. Knocked from their lofty positions by Force-blasts, two stalagmites fell to render two more smugglers unconscious, and a third was being pummeled by Talon's enclosed fists. He only lasted several seconds. 5 down, 4 to go. The leader had dashed out of the frenzy and attempted to reach higher ground where he could get a better shot, but dust still clouded the view. Talon's blasters, which hung mid-air, opened fire. Two more smuggler's fell, but two more appeared from behind another ship. One of Talon's guns was blasted from the air and rendered useless, but now Talon's sole lightsaber was ignited and in hand. Two guns of the remaining original smugglers were torn apart, and Talon inflicted minimal wounds to take them to the ground. All that remained now was the leader and the two new comers. He spun to engage the two. He was met by a small spherical object and a rather annoying beeping object. A grenade! The explosion caused Talon's Force bubble to shatter and dissipate, but it luckily endured the brunt of the attack- for the Master within received only minimal burns. He was, however, knocked off his feet, and this gave the three remaining smugglers to scramble for a better position. One wasn't so lucky, as it was taken down by Talon's remaining floating blaster pistol. The other rendevouzed with the leader scoundrel, and they were now covered behind one of the ships. The warrior sighed as he rose. They never learned... As he charged, Talon blocked three blasts, and then he was upon them. He sliced the one thug's blaster and simultaneously kicked him in the gut to remove the air from his lungs. The leader attempted to gun-whip the Jedi in the back, but Talon was too quick. In his crouch like position, he spun with his leg outstretched, and the scoundrel was knocked flat on his back. With the aid of the Force, he ripped his gun out of hand and flung it aside. "Now... You were saying?" The smuggler paused. As Talon knelt to get closer, the smuggler shouted in fear. "We sold it ta sum o' our pirate friends on Nar Shadda. Keanu 'twas the name, down in the Refugee Sector. Now PLEASE! Don't hurt meh." Talon smiled and shook his head. "See. That wasn't so hard, was it? Thanks for your cooperation." He turned, and exited the cave. On his way out, a 12th scoundrel, who was obviously drunk and had just woken up popped his head up out of a port. He had two guns ready to blaze, but a the sight that beheld him most likely confused him. All of his comrades were laying on the floor groaning, the dust was settling, and a SINGLE warrior was exiting the cave. What was going on? Figuring he was just dreaming it all anyway, he went back to sleep in the belly of his ship. Calling both his blasters to him and returning to the swoop, it didn't take long for Talon to return to the small city. He returned the bike to the rental's, and made a point of showing the Toydarian shop keeper that his omnoculars were, in fact, broken. After leaving the alien floating about his shop in a semi-enraged state, he returned to Docking Bay 27 of Bantha Interplanetary and found that Zee had restocked the fighter and was prepped for launch. "Time to go, Zee." The droid whistled once, and in moments the pair was in flight- heading towards Nar Shadda.

The Jedi Master did not linger in the populated area. He instead rented the services of a swoop bike from a nearby dealer, and was on his way through the arid desert. The map Zee had given him showed that his ship was located in the deep recesses of a nearby krayt-cave. Luckily, the cave's occupant had long since moved out. Unfortunately, however, he found a different, rather unpleasant surprise... As Talon approached the cave, he noticed several other vehicles parked along the rim. Pirates... or worse. Instead of alerting himself to the beings within, Talon pulled out the omnoculars provided with the bike. A crack ran down one of the lenses... How typical. Although the crack was distracting, Talon could still see. Inside, a complete little stashing base had been outfitted. Talon could only see nine of the scoundrels, but there could have been any number hidden from view. He did not, however, see his ship. Leaving the swoop where it was, Talon made the rest of the journey on foot. The element of surprise would be helpful in this situation... It only took moments for the Jedi to cross the distance- as he was aided by the Force. He silently snuck up to the lip of the cave, where he unholstered both of his Westars. Allowing the Force to help him, he floated the two weapons to both sides of the cave. He was covered. Again using the Force, he created a distraction on the other side of the cavern. While the smugglers turned in that direction, Talon quietly snuck up to a position in the conversing smuggler's circle. After content that there was nothing amiss in the rear of the cavern, they turned back to their conversations, and found a new comer... an unknown phantom. They were all too dumbstruck to say anything, so Talon spoke first. "Hello... I'm looking for my ship." The smugglers remained quiet. Finally one piped up. "That Excalibur II?" The Jedi nodded. Each of the smugglers seemed to burst out talking at once."Well, well, well. Never thought anyone'd be a' comin' back fer that one." "Actually took Skip quite a while te crack inta. Skip's quite the slicer, see." "Who in tarnation is you?" The smugglers all continued speaking, each trying to get his own voice in. Talon interrupted. "ENOUGH! I just want to know where my ship is, or else there'll be trouble." All the smugglers grew quiet, but more than nine guns suddenly cocked and aimed on the Jedi. The apparent leader spoke up. "We don't want no trouble, y'hear?" "Neither do I. I simply want to know where my ship is." "Well, it ain't here! Sold it! But I don't think you gonna see it again anyway. Ye went snoopin' in the wrong cave." "Tell me who you sold it to, and I'll get out of your way." The smuggler made the worst mistake of his life. "Make me."