Bespin: (Black Sun's) Cloud City

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena shook her head briskly, her ebon ponytail writhing frantically with the motion. Now that she had something to do, not knowing whether it would result in violence, bloodshed, or simple mayhem, she found that her hunger had taken a seat on the sidelines. "No, let's do it now. One of the rules of soldiering, Shawmus: never go into a dangerous situation right after a meal. It never ends well."

 

The Jedi Grandmaster lifted her belt slightly, reassuring herself that she was armed with her usual assortment of lightsabers, her sidearm, a vibroknife, and an array of blades that were nearly invisible to the naked eye. She sincerely doubted that she would require that small arsenal, but it was only habit. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and quickly located the Sith's developing Force presence amongst the racing pinpricks of life on Cloud City.

 

Got her. She seemed to be wandering in the upper levels of the city with the unguided intent of a tourist. Armiena nodded, then led her Jedi friends out of the Ghost Breath, making sure to alert her ship's AI of the situation.

 

"Var, when we find her--trust me, that Sith is a female--you take the first move." She spoke to both of them. "If I come for her, looking like this..." She shrugged; even through her outer robe, the tell-tale bulges of her weapons were visible.

 

"I'm likely to scare her off or provoke a fight. I can hide my presence and wait to see if I'm needed. Besides, even by just observing, you might be able to pick up something valuable." She added to Shawmus.

 

Her brow furrowed as they continued to close onto the Sith's Force presence. So soon after his first contact with the Force, Armiena wasn't certain that Shawmus would be able to sense the emotions that were bound to surface over the course of their encounter, but it might make for valuable practice...

[ForceFusion]

"Right," Shawmus said seriously. "Yes, Master." He decided against adding a comical comment, as dealing with the Sith was undoubtedly serious business. He was hungry, but obviously the duties of a Jedi were more important. That was a lesson in and of itself, he thought. "Is there anything in particular I should look for?" Shawmus asked, then tentatively added "Or try to sense?" He wasn't entirely comfortable with Force-terminology or common Jedi language, but in his brief moment with the Force, it seemed as though it was an extension of his five senses, almost a sense of its own.

[Avararda Dinn]

Avararda couldn't see Armiena motion towards the bulges in her robe. The lack of eyes really was sometimes a disadvantage.

 

Regardless, he shrugged his shoulders. She wanted him to go first, which meant that he was probably there as the first shield to her apprentice.

 

It also meant he got into combat first, should this female Sith act against him.

 

He nodded and turned towards the disturbance in the Force. She was near two non-Force users, most likely torturing them for information. His face twisted into a look of grim determination as he advanced towards the Force-ripple.

 

It took the Knight merely minutes to locate her. Although he could tell she was young, the girl was gargantuan; her height belied her age. He could not tell what species she was.

 

Only a few yards now separated Var's party from the female. She was...

 

Happily engaging in conversation?

 

Confused, Var called out to her.

 

"You're not welcome here, Sith."

 

He left the rest unsaid; Sith were not known for their conversational skills.

[darth shadowlord]

The Grand Duke landed on Bespin, Draken once again on the move. Sith he may be, but he did enjoy travelling. He stepped down from his ship and took in a deep breath. The air was clean as he opened his mind up to the Force and let his mind expand over the city.

 

There was both light and darkside users in the city at this moment that seemed to be about to have a conflict. He shook his head and cloaked himself in the force.

 

After he was cloaked, he closed off all, but a tiny trickle of his force signature, thus enabling himself to remain cloaked. However, only if the force was searched hard by a extremely strong force user could he be spotted. With that in mind, he moved toward the Jedi and what he sensed were several Jedi.

 

Draken closed in on them and stopped about twenty yards away, his hands droping down to the hilts of his sabres. Now he would wait and see what would happen. He wouldnt jump directly into battle without cause even if he was a Sith.

[Jen the Mudkip]

Jen sees Draken somewhere

 

"What are you doing here?" She asks him mysteriously, "you're not supposed to be here!!

 

She tosses her long hair back wanting to know an answer

 

*sees the NPCs leaving the place*

[ObliviousKnight]

"Anything you can sense, really." Armiena murmured to her Padawan. "If you can, you might be able to pick up flickers of emotion, gain some sense of her thought processes." Concentrating more intensely on the Sith woman, Armiena was able to gather a sense of her sudden confusion and surprise. She tracked her gaze towards a spot some twenty meters behind her back; even as her white-robed form whirled about to face the newcomer, the Jedi Grandmaster received a revelation of the Sith's arrival.

 

Her brow furrowed as her senses probed his presence. He was undoubtedly a powerful Sith--his Force presence was somewhat diminished, but it felt as though it was straining at the bridle of his discipline and skills.

 

Her emerald eyes once again focused on the material world, rather than the frantic universe of racing life in the Force. Armiena was unconsciously aware that she had taken a step in front of her Padawan, shielding him in the suddenly likely possibility of the tense situation devolving into violence. Despite these protective measures, the woman actually smiled as her eyes met the unexpected Sith, as though she was merely caught off guard by an unforeseen meeting with a friendly acquaintance.

 

"Ah. I didn't see you there." Armiena began, offering the regal Sith a low nod of greeting. Her hands rested on her hips, a neutral gesture that still left open the possibility that she might reach for the crystalline hilts of her lightsabers at a moments notice. "Strange, meeting a Sith here, but I guess you could say the same for us."

[ForceFusion]

Shawmus stepped instinctively back when Armiena used her body to shield him. The sight of a pair of Sith was quite an intimidating thing for someone so inexperienced with the Force. Though he knew the gesture was useless, he fingered the practice saber hoooked to his belt.

 

Armiena's seemingly civil opening tactics were a surprise to Shawmus. Weren't the Jedi and the Sith supposed to be mortal enemies? Though in a different situation it would have been Shawmus' first reaction to ask the question with some sort of sarcastic quip, he did even attempt to find his voice. Silence seemed to be a good survival mechanism at this point.

[darth shadowlord]

((OCC. Jen you wouldn't know Draken or see him, he was cloaked from view by means of the Force. ))

 

Draken bowed slightly to Armiena. His manners were equal hers as required since he was first a gentleman and second a Sith.

 

"Well met Armiena. It has been some time since our last meeting." He smiled as he thought back to Vernza Torrah.

 

"Indeed, I could ask the same question of you. It is not a usual practice for me to be meeting Jedi in my travels and when I do, it always seems to at the end of a lightsabre" At the moment, Draken refused to acknowledge the Sith apprentice that was a short distance away from him.

 

His first concern was first and foremost the two Jedi standing near him. He could tell that the padawan was only bearing a practice sabre. Armiena however, he did not know how she was armed. His hands, he kept in clear view as he really did not fancy a fight at the moment.

 

He would rely on the Force to decide what he would do.

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena's wiry back muscles stiffened, her only visible reaction to the Sith Master's response. She had a feeling that she had seen this Sith before--he was Draken Shadowlord, one of the Sith that Alora Darkknell was training during her brief stay on Vernza-Torrah. Then she expelled her tension through a deep breath, exhaling a red mist visible to those that could see through the Force.

 

All around them, various civilians and NPCs had gotten the bright idea that they really had more important business to do than gawk at a number of Force-Sensitives having a tense encounter. A few lingered to stare at them like vultures, morbidly curious to see how this situation would conclude, but Armiena was able to reach into their minds and give them the impression that they were running late for an important appointment. Within moments, all five of them were alone. Even the random civilians who accidentally stumbled upon them quickly saw wisdom and gave them a wide berth before hurrying on their business.

 

Take the apprentice. He's badly outmatched here; he has to know that. Armiena nodded gravely to the Sith Master, as though acknowledging his remark and indicating that she had no desire to speak further of her misadventures on Vernza-Torrah.

 

And her shoulders shrugged lightly in her overrobe, a motion that seemed to be an instinctive attempt to will away her tension, but served to open the garment enough so that it could easily fall free of her body if she needed to reach for her lightsabers.

[Avararda Dinn]

"You're outmatched and outnumbered, fool. Surely you know this." Var kept his breathing calm in an attempt to save himself from jumping into battle.

 

The people around began to evacuate the area. He could feel them leaving, fear emanating from them as they ran away from the scene of the Force-users.

 

He quickly tightened the raggedy blindfold covering his empty eye-sockets before opening his robes to reveal the two most precious things in his life: two silver hilts, both with intricate designs. He smiled as they gleamed in the sun. He was oblivious to the small shine.

 

The Knight felt Armiena. She radiated peace; Var could not contain his envy.

 

This is why she is the Grand Master and I am not.

 

He had always been an aggressive person, most likely due to the fact that he was a Sith before a Jedi.

 

It was now that he was hoping for a chance to illustrate his abilities.

 

You're mine, Sith.

[Sabian]

Through the thickened tension of the opposing parties impending feud, a single shot rang clear in the distance. Loud, booming, the sound traveled with great speed, air whipping just past the end of the younger jedi's nose immediately following. With an explosive crash, the precisely aimed projectile embedded itself in the nearby wall, barely blasting through the first layer of cemented rock which protected the alleyways and those inside the fortified buildings. A thin layer of whispy smoke gathered along the skinny trail the bullet made before dissipating entirely from the scene.

 

A dark, harold figure emerged from the foreground, a tight and fiery red uniform held across the tall man's body. The silvery glint of scattered light traced softly along the contours of an enlarged revolver, wavering up and down the hilt as he took his time entering into the lighted view. What appeared in full light was what resembeled a humanoid character, long scars barely hidden behind circular spectacles that shrouded his eyes beneath them. The crimson collar on the jacket was held just above his mouth, concealing his lips as words now poured from his twisted mouth.

 

"Hold it right there," The simplest twist of his wrist belayed the heavy end of the pistol's handle to jaw forward, the trigger face spiralling around his forefinger in a complete blur before the end of the firearm aimed squarely towards the eye of the aggressor, "Hands where I can see 'em."

 

The mysterious man's jaws clamped hard onto one side, gnawing hard against the surface of his teeth in a grinding fashion. His thumb rested just above the angled hammer of the raised gun which, for now, still faced upwards in the unarmed position.

 

"State your business... and speak slowly."

[Avararda Dinn]

The blind man sneered, sending a particularly nasty grunt towards the new offender.

 

Two Sith... and then this fool. What else could go wrong?

 

Avararda made no movement to aid this new person, but didn't make an motion to offend him, either. Enough people were killed because of their stupidity and egotistical state of mind while in the face of danger. He sent a Force-message to Armiena.

 

"So the whole thing was a set-up? And we fell right into it... If you have a plan, now is the time to enforce it."

 

Although unable to see by conventional methods, Avararda still turned his head towards the gun-toting maniac.

 

"My business, friend, is none of yours."

 

The Jedi Knight could feel other people gathering to watch the event. It wasn't often you had multiple Force-users in one location, much less in a fight.

[darth shadowlord]

Draken pondered the situation quickly. He was rather outnumbered and he knew this quite well. He also knew that Armiena wasn't about to do anything unless he did anything threatening. This Knight however was rather amusing to him, espeically considering what he said. ”œYou're outmatched and outnumbered, fool. Surely you know this.”

[Sabian]

Underneath the glare of the orange hued spectacles, the scarred man stood high above the earth. Wavering blonde hair, soaked in lush vibrant color, parted back as a steady breeze was felt bracing up against his body. Cold and stern, he lingered from drawing any closer for that moment. Instead, the mysterious steadied himself, making only minute changes in the way the pistol stood borne against his palm in the unsettling wind.

 

"On the contrary, this business is entirely my own, for I serve not an order, but the people themselves... I feel it in your heart, as I have in many Jedi's heart. Passion for peace is just as wicked as the soul who wields the agents for suffering. I have seen both their consequences far too many times. I shall be damned to see it again in the place I have called home..."

 

"Now," The angle in his chin and the tone of his voice dropped signficantly, knees bending lower to the ground, the free hand which did not support the weight of the firearm turned around to throw the hammer back one more time, a definite click resounding from the chambers once loaded again, "I will ask you one last time..."

 

"Display your hands where I can see them... Turn around and go back to where you came from, all of you!"

 

His voice rang clear and loud, folding his left arm back into jacket where it laid complacently against his hip. Despite the late hour of the day, he remained confound in his decision to express his opinion in the manner in which it was intended. The resolve shall be made here and now, for if it did not, the powerful mediator himself would play a role in seeing that each side, Sith or not, remembered this day well...

[ObliviousKnight]

"Damn fool," Armiena growled as she obediently turned on her heels. "If everyone only fought when their own home was threatened, the galaxy wouldn't have found itself in the condition it is now." Her lips curled, unseen to the newest party to the confrontation. "It would be ground under the heels of warmongers and tyrants, with only prejudice and slavery in the future. I hope that you'll never have to be grateful that there are people who aren't content to turn a blind eye to evil."

 

Through the cloth layers of her robe, the Jedi Grandmaster vaguely felt a unexpected vibration at her waist, distracting her from her rant. However, she wouldn't be able to investigate its cause, as lowering her hands would likely provoke their assailant into opening fire with his antique revolver. It would hardly do for Armiena to be shot down by an ancient firearm like the victim of a ruthless firing squad, no sir.

 

"But, since you asked so politely..." Armiena's emerald gaze trailed to the darkening sky and her lips formed an ironic grin. "We'll leave. There's no need to start shooting. All we want to do is finish our business on Bespin and leave." Her head swiveled to face her fellow Jedi and nodded towards Avararda Dinn, briefly holding contact with his ruined eyes and his mind. "Let's go."

 

With those two simple words, Armiena began to resolve the confrontation by taking the first steps away from the scene, leaving behind her a scent of satisfaction, rather than embarrassment. The dull roar of a freighter passing unusually close to the ground rent the air, growing steadily louder as the deranged pilot refused to acknowledge his error and continued to play daredevil in the air above Cloud City. Armiena's hand brushed at her side, deactivating the comlink hidden below her robes.

 

Sometime, somehow, while the newcomer was just beginning his rant, Armiena had accidentally activated her comlink and contacted her ship. The Ghost Breath's advanced artificial intelligence, surmising that Armiena's life was in great danger, decided--somewhat overprotectively--to come to her assistance. It was a curious accident, to be sure, but one that ensured that she would be able to complete her objective for the evening and get away with her life.

 

"We're leaving." In the distance, a technological specter dipped between the angel-white towers of Cloud City. One with extraordinarily keen vision would have glimpsed the boarding ramp of the unexpected fourth-party dropping to admit the dramatic entrance of the second party--the Jedi.

 

Orders are unchanged. Grab the apprentice. Noting with considerable relief that her ship's artificial intelligence had seen the wisdom in decelerating enough so that her body wouldn't turn into human jelly upon impact with the Ghost Breath's inside, Armiena estimated the distance...

 

Just trust me on this, Shawmus.

 

...And she hopped the few meters separating her ship's boarding ramp, dragging her Padawan with her in an invisible fist. Her body twisted in midair, trying to absorb as much of the inevitable impact as possible while the maw of her ship engulfed her form. Even so, she grunted in pain when her body struck the Ghost Breath's plated floor and began to unceremoniously roll away into the freighter's lounge. She tried to cushion Shawmus' landing and help guide Avararda's flight and that of his reluctant cargo, because her friend was only going to have one chance at this most insane of departures. If he failed to make the entrance into her ship with captive in tow, he wouldn't get a second chance to escape before the Ghost Breath soared away, leaving him behind with unforgiving hosts...

 

((From what I understand, Jen Kenobi actually wanted to be abducted so she could turn Jedi. She requested to be taken in by us.))

[Avararda Dinn]

The action happened immediately, but Var knew what was going on. He could feel it, shaking in his body like an earthquake.

 

Or maybe it was Armiena's ship.

 

The vessel roared overhead, quaking the ground. He could feel Armiena jump, and with her, Shawmus.

 

If I had eyes, I'd roll them.

 

The Jedi Knight was forced to move into action. He swatted away the gun in his face. The speed of the entire thing caused his opponent to stumble back, leaving Var the ample time he needed to jump.

 

This all happened within a matter of seconds, but to the Knight, it felt like months.

 

While in flight, Var altered the Force to grab the little girl and pull her with him. It wasn't the most subtle of movements, but she was either dead down there, or hurt up here.

 

The burst of Force sent Var off-center. He slammed into the side of the opening of Armiena's vessel. The girl was sent sprawling into the ship, scattering across the floor. Var slumped to the ground, dazed.

 

"Go..." he mumbled.

[ForceFusion]

A single thought passed through Shawmus' mind as an invisible force thrust him through the air towards the unexpected escape route in form of Armiena's Ghost Breath. The thought was simple and clear: What a strange encounter. It started as Var and Armiena decided to investigate the presence of what turned out to be a young, female Sith. Then came the arrival of an older, stronger, male Sith. Finally, a strange, blabbering human brandishing an absurdly ancient weapon made an appearance. And now they were off. Almost.

 

Shawmus slammed into the bulkhead inside Armiena's ship, though softer than he would have thought given his previous velocity. He muttered something which was intended to mean "I'm alright." Armiena would get the picture, surely. She was after all, the Grand...something or other. Something powerful. Shawmus was quite confused. He grunted again.

[ObliviousKnight]

Even though Avararda had warned his companions to escape while the chance still presented itself, Armiena wasn't around to hear him. The Jedi Grandmaster was already sprinting through the ship in search for a very specific item, her hurried steps ringing against the Ghost Breath's metal floor. Above the cacophony of her footfalls and the confusion progressing at the ship's boarding ramp, her voice be heard yelling instructions to the Ghost Breath's artificial intelligence.

 

"Aryian!" Armiena, realizing her error in identifying the AI as her fiance, bit out a curse that would have made her mother keel over in horror. "Get us out of here! Get the boarding ramp up; divert all discretionary power to the engines!" With a speed that astonished even the Jedi Grandmaster, Armiena reached the ship's tiny sick bay and nearly turned the room inside-out in her search for a particularly powerful sedative that she kept on hand for emergencies. Even though no one seemed to be suffering from dire wounds, this situation surely qualified as an emergency.

 

I'll be lucky if I can return to Bespin after this... Boots clanging against the floor plating in a warlike rhythm, Armiena sprinted back to the boarding ramp, where, thankfully, the Sith Apprentice seemed to be dazed by the impact against the Ghost Breath's bulkheads. Armiena tackled her roughly and pinned her to the ground in a matter of seconds, her straddling her back while the Sith was sprawled face-down on the floor.

 

"Don't worry." Armiena whispered into her ear, struggling for balance as the Ghost Breath took flight. "I can only imagine how you're feeling right now, but... you'll be alright. As long as you're in my care, I'll make sure that no harm comes to you." She only hoped that the Sith Apprentice had given some credence to her reassurance, because Armiena pricked the skin on her wrists with her syringe in the next second. Barely two seconds later, Jen Kenobi's entire system would be flooded with a powerful sedative and anesthetic, sending her into a hopefully pleasant dream world.

 

Once the Apprentice's breath evened and her frantically pumping heart slowed, Armiena finally allowed herself to relax... just in time for a battering ram of turbulence to catch her off guard and fling her against a bulkhead.

 

"Ow." She shook her head to break the halo of stars swirling about her eyes. "I..." More head shaking followed. "I won't try that again." Armiena glanced at her fellow Jedi; they both seemed to have been dazed by their unorthodox entrance, but suffered from no more serious injuries.

 

Grunting under the lighter woman's weight, Armiena dragged the Sith Apprentice onto her back and hauled her unconscious body into the sick bay. After she had secured the younger woman into the room's single bed, she took care to lock the portal before she checked on the condition of her friends.

[Avararda Dinn]

Avararda was just bringing himself to consciousness when Armiena entered the room. He stood up, and brushed himself off.

 

"I would really appreciate if you didn't," he said, attempting to lighten the mood. After removing the small amount of dust from himself, Var checked himself for his lightsabers. Both of them were there, allowing Var to relax a small amount.

 

And then he remember what he did.

 

I saved a Sith...

 

He looked up in horror to Armiena. He just realized how bad it looked, especially in front of the Jedi Grandmaster.

 

"Armiena, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was just thinking-"

 

What was he thinking? Surely he didn't bring her along for what reasons he wanted to say.

 

I wanted to kill her.

 

No.

 

"She felt so weak in the forces of darkness. Can't she still be converted?"

[ObliviousKnight]

As Armiena shook off the remains of her dizziness, disgust swept in to fill the void in her mind that it left behind. It was a minor miracle that the three Jedi had gotten away so cleanly and with only the most minor of injuries, considering how badly they had botched the confrontation with the Sith after that vigilante chose to intervene.

 

And now, after having prepared himself to slay both of those Sith with his lightsaber, Avararda was suggesting that they attempt to... introduce the young woman to their study of the Force. He was suggesting that they abruptly transform their image from that of bloodthristy gods of war, into sincere, kind saints. Armiena let out a long sigh; after having approached the Sith Apprentice with predatory intentions, it was going to be much more difficult to implant a seed of the Light within her.

 

"After that... fiasco, it'll be much more difficult, but I stopped believing in impossible a long time ago." Armiena's words left no doubt; she was highly frustrated by the recent events. "Now, I suggest we strap ourselves in before make the jump to hyperspace and get thrown off our feet again."

 

With such an unpredictable guest in tow, it would be impossible and extremely dangerous to the Jedi for her to return to her headquarters on Phu. However, there were plenty of abandoned Jedi bases that they could afford to have exposed, should the Sith apprentice prove to be impossible to control--including one that had recently been attacked and nearly destroyed by the Imperials, only to be pulled from the grave...

[darth shadowlord]

Draken smile and shook his head. It would appear that some things never changed. Oh well, the Force was rather fickle as was most other things in the Galaxy. He commed his ship and had it wait for him at the end of the walkway. He then sent a brief comm to two of his men on Serenno, ordering them to meet him at the Last Call.

 

He walked to the edge of the walkway and stood up on the railway looking down on the ship, no one else could see the ship and would think that he was about to kill himself.

 

He turned around and looked at the crowd was gathering, he could feel their worry and fear for his life. He was enjoying the feel of their fear and he began to manupliate their fear to a greater level.

 

Smiling at the crowd and winking at one beautiful woman in the crowd, he let himself fall over the railway. A collective scream went up from the crowd. and he could feel their horror at the fact that he had jumped.

 

Twisting the collective minds of the crowd, he fored them to jump after him, thinking that they could save his life. They plummeted after him and he threw out his hand and pushed them farther out so that they would miss his ship.

 

He laughed and spun his body around so that he could catch hold of the landing ramp. Once he caught hold of it, he pressed down on it and flipped up into his ship and headed toward the cockpit, reveling at the feel of the four helpless victums deaths.

 

Draken guided his ship off of the planet and into hyperspace headed to Courscant.

[ForceFusion]

Shawmus finally pulled himself into normal, healthy-feeling consciousness again, and was quite pleased that he could remain oriented within the ship. Of course, he had no idea what was going on. That was somethign he would very much like to erradicate.

 

It was simply done. He stumbled around the ship for a few minutes before finding Armiena. "So, mate," he began, remaining chipper despite his headache, "what's going on now? Headed anywhere in particular?"

[Sabian]

An eerie sound came from the back room of the run down apartment complex. Stirred awake by it, the rugish looking man stumbled to his feet in a daze, already early in the morning on Bespin. One hand toiled around in the desk he had kept hidden from sight, stowed away against the wall of the guest room. The sound became louder once a single drawer was opened, flashing orange and yellow lights indicating something from the small receiver. Weary eyes looked on the dial, an encrypted holoformed message with no video feed replaying at the single touch.

 

This voice...

 

Clasping the device tightly, squeezing the exterior mechanisms tight enough to cease with the verbal message, the shadow of a form lingered over the desk with bags under his eyes, trying to make sense of the moment.

 

Have you been running so long that you don't recognize an oppertunity when it comes calling? (Quite literally, too.) ... No, I can't get back into this.

 

The free hand clasped at his thin scalp, fingers closing around the thick fibers of hair that frayed out across its surface. There was no way, he had chosen a simpler life, simpler then the pratices of the Jedi. He did not want to return, especially to a place of history where he laid his sins aside to drift away with his duties.

 

Hours passed until the dawn's rays shined down upon the man, still lingering at the desk, sitting at the small stool which rested against its feet. Continuing to mull it over, Sabian did a thing he has not done in quite a while. He meditated. Relaxing, without the use of alcohol, he pondered on the matter at hand. After even more time deliberating in such a state, he opened his eyes at long last and spoke silently to himself...

 

"I'll do it,... but not as I am now. Not as that man's name. I can not take his identity any longer. He has died long ago... I must become my own, even if it be borrowed."

 

There were a few characters that he would much less not associate with that would be willing and able to do the plan devised. Pride was not a matter with this, having the strength to go through with it was most important. New attire, new information, another life; so many faces his owned, but a single his own.

 

Later that day, after having devoted himself to seeking much less credible advisors on the subject and taking a few loans out for a new set of wings, the newest name addressed to his person was signed "Conner Denten," -- a rather bland name for his tastes, but the more common, the easier it was to pass by.

 

With everything in hand, work and home left behind without another word, the now Conner Denten arrived at the public spaceport where his newest possession was held, refueled and set course for the most luxurous casino

in the entire galaxy; where it all started, back again...

[Durose Roshan]

After his long absense, Da'wynn once again returned to Bespin. He was originally assigned here to build a shipyard for Thorpe Corp., but had never received the go ahead. Now with Thorpe seemingly out of the picture, he would have to move on his own accord.

 

However, he actually was only using that reasoning as an excuse. What he really wanted was to find Noola. He hadn't seen her in so long. She hadn't responded to any of his comms. He wasn't sure if she had been kidnapped or if she had just disappeared. One thing he was sure of, though, was that he missed her. And he had to find her.

 

Ordering the fleet to commense preparations for the long delayed shipyard, Da'wynn stowed away to the planet's surface. As long as the shipyard was under construction, Da'wynn had an excuse for remaining in the system. He was going to milk it for all that he had.

 

Setting foot on the planet, he immediately headed for their room hoping that Noola might by chance still be there or at least in the area...

[Rune Vale]

It had been some time since Rune Vale had set foot on Bespin, his home planet - at least as much of a home as he'd had. He had been out working his mines, increasing his holdings. Two new asteroids rich with metals and fuels had been discovered and he had to find new miners for one of them. He worked his business completely separate to how he worked for Black Sun occasionally. He wasn't a 'public face' within the crime organisation, instead kept himself hidden. It worked more to his advantage that way.

 

He walked through the corridors of Cloud City, entering his apartment building and looked around. The comm showed messages waiting for him. He flicked the switch, listening to them. There had been one from his connections, leaving information regarding the Organisation. An encrypted file was with it. Rune would look at it later. It seemed he was going to be heading off again before long. First he would find his new miners and have them shipped off to the newly found rich asteroid.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto's Mech landed on the roofs of Bespin, having dropped out hyperspace some time ago. He had come to the planet with hopes of regaining some of his identity. Having been the Dark Lord for so many years, he had since forgotten how to work solely for his personal interests. His life had been dedicated to the Brotherhood he had worked so hard to empower, and now that he was forcing the Sith to find new legs, he had plenty of free time on his hands. Free time that he hoped to use to regain a few pieces of his sanity.

 

The platinum haired Sith skimmed along the rooftops of the exposed city topside, walking slowly and making unearthly jumps when they were called for. His eyes lit up when he finally found the spot he was looking for. Piles of boxes were stacked vicariously around what apparently was made into a storage alley. On the floor was a massive black spot, where blood had been cleaned up, but couldn't be fully scrubbed out of the duracrete. Kakuto sat down atop a small stack of boxes, admiring the dark side stain he had left in the force while waiting for the Sith to arrive.

[Zadkiel]

The dirty blond Sith that had seemingly disappeared several months back rocketed over the tops of the buildings of Bespin. He had never been here before and had he been the kind of person to enjoy stunning sights he might have enjoyed himself, but his mind was ripe with the latest apprentice that he had left behind as well as the training he was to receive here. He had wasted far to much time on apprentices...his duty to the order was fulfilled in his mind and he would never again take an apprentice.

 

Now it was time for him to focus on things of far greater importance; furthering his own power and preparing himself for the trials of a Master. His ship touched down half a kilometer from where he felt the Dark Lord. He quickly covered the remaining distance, turning a corner and coming face to face with the powerful figure.

 

He bowed, quickly showing his respect and waiting for the other to speak.

[Kakuto Ryu]

Kakuto smirked, chuckling at the display.

 

"Enough. I didn't deal much with formalities when I was Dark Lord, I should hardly need start now."

 

From atop his perch he looked the Lord over. He didn't look to be built like a warrior, and he seemed to lack the arsenal of one.

 

"What is it you've come to learn?"

[Zadkiel]

Zad looked up, raising an eyebrow at Kakuto's words. He hadn't heard anything about the man stepping down from his position or having it stripped away from him, but that was to be expected with the absence he had taken.

 

”œDuring my time as a Sith apprentice, I was trained by Alora”¦you and I both know that she is severally lacking in the department that I need to learn from the most. I figured who better to learn from then Ryu himself. So I come seeking knowledge on the ways of the warrior.”

[Kakuto Ryu]

"I understand..."

 

Kakuto respected Alora's odd tactics, but if there was one thing she knew nothing about, it was how to perform in real combat. Zad was pretty much screwed in this respect.

 

"Then the first thing's first. As a warrior your art is reckless attack. Your lack of armor will be a serious burden on you. When an attack comes your way, you'll often have to dodge it, or find another way to resist it, because without any armor a bad hit will damage your body, impair your ability to attack, or worse--kill you before you can finish the job. You wear armor so that you can ignore shots, minimize damage, and allow you to continue your attack unhindered. If you are fighting anything like myself, you'll often find the numbers stacked heavy against you, and you won't always be able to deflect and dodge everything."

 

Kakuto banged his fist against the breastplate of his armor.

 

"Taking damage is a part of life for a warrior. Mitigation through gear is essential, because every second you're blocking is a second you're not attacking. Pick your defense carefully. Get to know what you can deal with, and what will hinder you. Pain is acceptable. Incapacitation and death are not. Which leads me to my next point--"

 

Kakuto extended his hand wistfully, shooting an arc of force lightning at Zad, which seemed to persist in coursing through his body longer than what Sith Lightning naturally would.

 

"Pain is your ally. Masochism will be a boon to you in combat. Take your pain, embrace it, amplify it! Make your pain into your hate. Hate me for hurting you. Hate yourself for feeling pain. Hate the enemy. Hate his attempts to kill you. Hate his existence. If you don't have anything causing pain to you, cause pain to yourself. Anything that causes pain is empowerment."