Yuusuke Hakusho

Yuusuke scoffed inwardly at the bounty hunter's remarks. Remove the intimidations, and Faust's attempts at psychological warfare were surprisingly weak. The former law officer was nothing like Faust, of that there was no doubt. He knew Faust's game very well. As these thoughts flashed in his mind, he suddenly felt the crushing pressure intensify. Yuusuke fell onto one knee. He was silent as Faust finished his long-winded speech. Struggling, Yuusuke Hakusho spoke, "You are a vile creature aren't you? You employ your Sith tricks instead of facing me man to man as you said you would. So be it. Despite my better judgment, I will play your game." Painfully, Yuusuke moved to his feet. Part of him wished he'd brought Ara, she'd protect him from this. But he would be too worried about her, and he needed this to be between him and Faust. The bounty hunter had clearly changed his tactics since their last encounter. Yuusuke would have to fight the supernatural, something he was entirely unfamiliar with. Yuusuke began to focus his concentration on a single set of thoughts. He was no Jedi, and had no Force power. But he had a strong will. He began to play the images of Faust's various murders in his mind, seeing only these replays run through is mind. It allowed him to remain resolute, and regulate his breathing despite the pressure in his chest. He at last spoke again, in a clear, but still strained voice. The pain was intense, but Yuusuke showed no outward signs of the agony he was in. "We are nothing alike Vladimir. Yes, I take the law into my own hands when faced with a corrupt system. But there is a higher struggle in play here. It is not merely criminal versus law enforcement that a lawman recognizes. It is good versus evil. That transcends the laws placed by the Republic or the Empire or even the Jedi. It is not always clear who is on what side. I certainly have done things I regret in the past that would keep me from always being on the side of good. But some people are so wicked it is obvious which side they stand upon because they never cross the line. You are one such person. I pursue you because your mere existence offends me. You cause pain and suffering wherever you go. People fear you." Yuusuke faltered somewhat, but remained on his feet. "I even fear you somewhat. But unlike them, I do not dread you so much I am unwilling to stand up to you. Justice only exists if there are those willing to bring the hammer down. I'm one of the few people who are willing to wield that hammer. It doesn't make me purely good. It just makes me an enemy of pure evil. I've never had any purity to lose in the first place. My soul is blackened, like anyone else's. But yours is long gone, it doesn't even exist. I don't know where I stand in this galaxy, but I gain solace in the knowledge that in a few minutes I will be putting a blaster bolt through your head. I can't bring justice to the innocent, I can only bring it to the guilty. And you are guilty." Yuusuke propped himself up on his ship from the exertion. He couldn't completely resist Faust's dark side powers. But if Faust believed they would be enough to kill him, he had another thing coming. The only way he'd kill Yuusuke is by ending the man's life in person. Even then, he'd be wise to vaporize Yuusuke's body just to be sure. As long as Yuusuke was alive, Faust would have to look over his shoulder.

Yuusuke nearly collapsed. Faust had to be awful close to be exerting that type of power over him. It led Yuusuke to believe the fifteen minutes estimate was probably accurate. Knowing Faust he was probably just a few minutes closer than he led Yuusuke to believe. Yuusuke had enountered a Sith warrior before, and this seemed awfully similar to what he'd experienced then. Yuusuke had suspected Faust was working with the Sith, but it appeared he'd picked up a few of their tricks himself. I know longer possess the power of the Moon Knight. But Marc Spector taught be a few things about feeling the aura of others. Even a non-Force user can train themselves to feel evil approaching. But this was definitely a conscious attack on Faust's part, not merely a feeling. Yuusuke pointed his blaster pistol at the projection of Faust. He remembered Ara's pain, and Yuusuke's resolve improved. "I am a law abiding citizen. I would be willing to put you in front of a Republic court if you surrendered yourself. I'm confident you'd be put away. But if you resist arrest, I'd feel no guilt taking the law into my own hands. Vigilante justice is still justice. And you would have had your chance to give up." Yuusuke had learned long ago the law in this galaxy was not present in most governmental institutions. It was why he was a former law officer. "Time's almost up. Do you remember our first encounter Faust? You weren't so smug impaled on my force pike. Do I sense some reluctance on your part to face me?"

Yuusuke exited his ship, and hopped onto the surface of Kashyyk. He adjusted his tie as he made his way to the middle of the clearing. Yuusuke spoke into the comlink on his wrist, "Alright Faust. It's just you and me, no custom built ships. Show yourself, so I can place you under arrest." Yuusuke had waited for this so long, the fear was almost nonexistant. Yuusuke wanted this to end one way or another.

The Negotiator emerged from hyperspace. Yuusuke landed randomly in a clearing in one of the giant wookiee forests. He made certain there were no villages for miles around. Yuusuke was very familiar with Faust's willingness to use civilians against his opponents. The former law officer activated all his scanners. But he knew this was a trap. He didn't seriously expect to not be surprised when Faust chose to reveal himself. But I've got a few tricks waiting. Yuusuke fully expected to perish on the wookiee planet. It was just a matter of whether Faust would be going with him.

Yuusuke's Corellian Lancet exited hyperspace. He made his presence known to Indy.

Yuusuke entered the Hammer of Justice and headed for Space.

Their mission complete, Yuusuke left the holographic training area. He was finally able to get back to his quarters and finish getting ready. Indy had interrupted them that morning and Yuusuke hadn't yet armed himself properly. Perhaps it would hurt to take a quick look . . . Yuusuke made his way to the hangar and entered his ship. He examined the shining Space Armor housed in the ship's hold. Still there. Yuusuke had taken quite a liking to the armor that had once belonged to the Moon Knight. He had a feeling it would come in handy. Yuusuke returned and awaited new orders.

Yuusuke was waiting at the gate as Sara admitted him. He marveled at her shape changing ability. He had never seen such a display personally. Shapeshifters had always seemed so mysterious. Actually seeing a shift didn't do much to change that perception. Keeping an eye out, the Death Striker entered with as much stealth as he could muster. If they were spotted, it would be difficult for Sara, even in the form of a guard to explain letting in a stranger. Yuusuke moved quickly up against the wall where he couldn't be spotted. He whispered as quietly as he could, "Nice work." Yuusuke held his tongue from voicing his one criticism. She should have killed the guard. Even tied up, he could pose a threat. But Sara had gotten them in here. Yuusuke had contributed little thus far, it would be outrageous for him to critique her. "What now? I could take the roof areas if you finished the guards on the ground." Yuusuke usually preferred the direct-guns blazing approach. But with such few armaments between them, this seemed more Sara's territory.

Yuusuke was more than happy to accept Sara's suggestion. He nodded, "Sounds like a good plan to me. Like I said, being a lawman in the city this isn't exactly my area of expertise. And bones aren't going to get me very far, I need a blaster." Yuusuke reached up his sleeve and unwraveled his grappling rope. He might not have brought any weapons, but his suit had some of its own surprises. He ripped his right sleeve off, I loved this suit. All this for a training excercise. The Death Striker reached up the sleeve ripping the retracting device from the lining. Yuusuke handed it to her with the grappling rope. "Not sure if this will be much help for you. Some of these buildings are tall, you might be able to get up on a dune and swing over the fence. But don't forget it's electrified."

Yuusuke sharpened the bone on the animal's skull as they walked. The realism of this simulation continued to surprise him. This sort of thing would have been helpful when I was in law enforcement. Yuusuke still missed that line of work. But the Death Strikers were formed to conduct an equally imporant mission. The past was no longer his concern, Yuusuke fully intended to help this organization reach its goals. As he thought about this, they finally crossed a small ridge and saw the base looming below them. "Drop!" Yuusuke and Sara both dropped to the ground. Yuusuke's sunglasses were built out of macrobinoculars and they focused on the base below. On the side facing the two Death Strikers, a large electrified fence could be seen surrounding the base. The building wasn't actually a true building. It was more like a collection of different sized buildings crammed side by side. Some extremely tall, others much smaller. There were two guards on this side of the building and one standing on top of one of the buildings above the two guards. At least those were the ones he could see. "Take a look." Yuusuke passed the specialized glasses to her. "Not much security for a top secret weapons laboratory. If you could take out the guards from this side of the fence, I could think I have a way to get us over it."

Yuusuke raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. He'd been trained to recognize such creature's. Evidently he was getting extremely rusty. Yuusuke didn't think of himself as prejudiced against alien races, but Clawdite's were notoriously untrustworthy. Sara's proven herself. Yuusuke focused back on the assignment. "You know more about this than I do. I've always worked in a city, I'm not used to missions on backwater worlds." Yuusuke let Sara lead the way as they searched the area. If they separated they would have been able to cover more ground, but with no instruments Yuusuke was not at all confident they could keep from getting lost. Best stick together. In the eerie glow of the moonlight Yuusuke was the first to find animal remains, as he tripped over a skull four times the size of his fist. He rose quickly, hoping Sara hadn't noticed. "Found something. Probably a dead womp rat. Criminals used them as cheap guard animals on Coruscant." Yuusuke picked up the skull in one hand, and a bone the length of his arm in the other. It wasn't much, not by a long shot. But it was better than nothing.

OOC: Mandalore's back IC: Yuusuke shook his head in astonishment at the sudden mission that had been thrust on himself and Sara. Indy was full of surprises. Yuusuke turned back to the present and surveyed their surroundings. Lucky it's night. I expect this thing can simulate intense heat. The problem was those three moons. Any cover the darkness would provide was completely lost. Who am I kidding? The real problem is I'm unarmed and wearing a business suit. Yuusuke reached into his pocket, placing his sunglasses on to block the glare of the moonlight. "Well, we've got a long walk ahead of us. I don't think we can do any real planning until we get there. I don't suppose you brought a blaster or two to breakfast?"

Yuusuke shrugged. "I suppose I'll just train some more or something. Unless you have something planned." Yuusuke couldn't deny this reprieve was pleasant. Having a base of operations again was even more pleasing. But eventually they'd have to get back to work. Indy knew what she was doing though. "We do need to make contact with the Rebels again eventually. But we don't need to rush it."

Yuusuke smiled at Indy's words. He had known it had been a difficult situation, him coming into the Death Strikers just after Marc Spector was killed. Especially when he'd come as the Moon Knight. It must have seemed as if he was trying to replace him. Indy's assurances told him he was fully accepted, and being second place to the leader of the Death Strikers wasn't a bad bonus. But some of her words troubled him a bit. Friendship. It's difficult to accept friends after what's happened to everyone else that was foolish enought to call me that. Yuusuke knew that line of thinking was silly. He couldn't let past tragedies harden him to his allies. "I promise you Indy I intend to do everything I can to make the Death Strikers successful. I won't see any of my friends fall again, especially you." Sara came in at that moment. Yuusuke greeted her arrival and continued with his breakfast.

Yuusuke followed Indy. He didn't think he would be hungry after his troubled night, but his stomach was aching at the smell of food. Yuusuke loaded up a plate and sat across from the Death Striker leader. "This is the first time in a while we've been able to relax. I think the Death Strikers have finally found a home."

Yuusuke's dreams were troubled. Though he'd rejected the mantle of Moon Knight, some of the memories and residual power of Marc Spector remained in his mind. Often he was plagued with vision-like dreams, some pleasant, but most were of violent battles conducted in the days of the Old Republic and even beyond. But his dream was different, more vivid than he'd had in quite a while. He stood in the Temple of the Moon watching the ghost of Marc Spector conversing with a strange man with wild black hair. Yuusuke could not make out what they were saying. The shade of Marc guided the man to the altar. It was the same thing that had happened to him when he had become the Moon Knight. With sudden abruptness the vision cut out, and Yuusuke awoke. He almost cried for the sudden emptiness he felt within. The last of my connection with Marc Spector must have been broken. But why now? The realization was quick. There was only one reason that it would happen after over a year. A new Moon Knight had been chosen. Yuusuke knew it was for the best, he was not suited to the duty. But he still couldn't help feeling as if he'd failed somehow. The former FLEA officer looked outside. It was well past dawn now. He dressed quickly, in his usual dark black suit. Yuusuke opened the door just as Indy came around the corner. "Good morning. As you can see, I've picked a room. I think Sara has too."

"I should have expected it was Vortex. He is a great man." Drake Vortex had saved Yuusuke's life once. That was not a thing one ever forgot. Enjoying the tour Yuusuke followed Indy and Sara. When they arrived in the barracks, Yuusuke scoped out the available rooms immediately. Instinctively, Yuusuke picked the room closest to the exit. It would leave him in the closest position to stop intruders or attackers if they breached this floor. Yuusuke was baffled by this whole place. It was shaping up to be the perfect base. But this is a lot of room for three people. It will be impossible to defend this without more recruits. Perhaps Indy had an answer to that one as well. This place is still impressive either way. Indy worked a miracle here. Vortex built it, but it was Indy's planning that conceived the whole concept. Yuusuke walked back out of the room he'd chosen, and waited for them to continue. He spoke to Indy, "If anyone finds this place now, we'd be in trouble. Will our defenses be enough to protect us until we get more recruits?"

Amazing Yuusuke was truly surprised. And, he had to admit, very impressed at what Indy had accomplished. He had always had confidence in her abilities as leader, but this did a lot to reinforce that. She had lead the Death Strikers, and Yuusuke through very dark times, and seeing this unbelievable new base brought back the memories of why this organization had been started in the first place. To eliminate evil in the galaxy. Yuusuke hadn't been there of course. It was a memory the Moon Knight and Marc Spector had left him with. But that did nothing to diminish his excitement. He suddenly realized he'd been staring in stunned silence for some time. He turned to Indy and spoke, "Of course we want a tour. But Indy how exactly did you manage this?"

Yuusuke's Corellian Lancet exited hyperspace, and headed for the planet below. He wondered what exactly they were doing here. Yuusuke hadn't remembered visiting this planet before. Vaguely he recalled sending a transmission to Indy here, but he could recall why she had been visiting this planet. Shrugging to himself, the Death Striker shut down his engines and hopped out of the starship. He greeted Indy with a nod.

Yuusuke gave a small nod to Onderin, before following Indy to the hangar. He watched her ship take off and followed in The Negotiator.

Yuusuke didn't always like advising Indy like this. He was afraid he was pushing them toward his own goals instead of what was best for the Death Strikers. But he felt they both needed a fresh start. They'd been wondering around aimlessly for a long time now. It was time to get some direction. "I don't think we have a choice here. I don't like that bit about them being able to take over the Death Strikers if necessary. They will have no authority over the Death Strikers no matter what. But what exactly would they be taking over anyway? Me? I mean, we're the whole Death Striker group at the moment. So we really have nothing to lose here. If things aren't going well, we can always cut our losses."

Yuusuke had not taken a seat. He stood behind Indy, allowing her to do all the talking. As leader, she knew what the Death Strikers wanted out of this alliance much better than he did. The former law officer studied the Admiral as he conversed with Indy. The man seemed trustworthy, and Yuusuke had always had respect for the Jedi. Yuusuke couldn't deny he'd prefer if it was Kirana sitting there, as they already had several dealings, but thus far Starlisk seemed level-headed.

Yuusuke's Lancet touched down, and he quickly moved to meet up with Indy and the unknown Rebel. Yuusuke wore his dark suit still, cleaned of the dust of battle now. He pulled his tie tight and waited for the other two to speak.

The Negotiator burst free of hyperspace. Yuusuke Hakusho had returned to Selvaris in one piece physically. But he was completely exhausted mentally. How had he allowed this desire to destroy Faust consume him so much? Yuusuke couldn't answer that question. The Death Striker observed the space around him seeing Indy heading for the surface. Yuusuke sent a request to land as well. "This is the Death Striker Yuusuke Hakusho, I'm with Indy."

Yuusuke looked at Indy. "I doubt we can offer much help. But if Coruscant is getting attacked we need to give her whatever we can offer." Coruscant was Yuusuke's homeworld. He had a vested interest in not seeing it fall. "I'll meet you there." Yuusuke entered The Negotiator and headed for hyperspace.