Naboo

[Lord Ar-Pharazon]

OOC: I've held this up long enough. I apologize for that, and am going to make this easy for you. Also, the ordering is getting messy. This post should hopefully just get us beyond that.

 

IC: Ar-Pharazon watched the bullet pass by his face, which was not fired very well at all. He smiled, but not because of his apparent survival, but because he knew that this was a rare chance to really see what CoreSec could do. In turn, it might give him the chance of his divine lifetime.

 

”œAll right. Let's see how this plays out.”

[Nishant]

While he had been prepared for what he knew would be an effect of some kind, and so in that sense was not surprised, Sidus' body was surprised by the sudden emptiness. Later on, he would look back and describe the feeling as not wholly upsetting, somewhat exciting, but jarring nonetheless. Physically, his attack was no slower, nor was his aim any different, nor did his focus waver. This was, of course, because he was not "actively" using the Force to heighten or alter any one of these things.

 

The only change was that the passive precognitive ability that had grown over time (and the loss of it made him quite proud of just how much it had improved) vanished. Aside from this, and the momentary disorientation it brought out, there was the emptiness, which was a feeling later to be reflected on as not quite so disturbing (Sidus would theorize that this was because his connection had not been severed, but because he had entered a zone that silenced the Force).

 

Regardless, immediacy reigned, and Sidus' knife had missed its target. Or, rather, been deflected. He's fast. Sidus sidestepped (clumsily, all things considered, but still) the quick counterattack of the rifle butt, and then Sidus decided that it wasn't such a good idea to be so close to a rifle's mouth, and he dropped low in a crouch as shots were fired point blank, skimming by his narrow evasion.

 

"I surrender. So what do you say about that?"

 

Luckily, Sidus was already crouched, or his moment of What!? would have cost him dearly. As it was, the moment passed, and he thrust himself backwards into a roll that took him to Ar-Pharazon's left and put a reassuring distance between himself and the Mandalorian lawman.

[Karys Narat iv-Adas]

OOC: Sorry to do this people but I'm pulling out. I had hoped this wouldn't take so long as to arrive in time for the start of the Gala attack but that never happened. I'm hoping if I pull out now I'll at least get some action in that regard.

 

As he leaped from roof to roof Lucifer felt something from the force while he also saw Ar-Pharazon seemingly give up. The disturbance seemed as if the heart of darkness itself were under threat...upon this he suddenly turned tail and leapt the other way along the rooftop reversing his direction of movement back to where his ship had previously been.

 

Sending a neural message to his AI via his implant he had the ship ceasefire and turn back towards him and pick him and his apprentice up. As his ship turned up he had the ramp extend open and leapt up to board using the force.

 

Sending a message via his com he contacted his apprentice.

 

''My apprentice. Something has happened and our plans must be advanced quicker than expected. Retreat back to the ship where I am and board immediately for departure from this rock.''

[Raven37]

"Yes Master," Drake confirmed, his annoyance at being deprived of a good brawl apparent. He had thought that maybe Ar-Pharazon's surrender was a trick to get the CorSec to lower their guard but he wouldn't have the chance to find out. Drake turned away from the battle and returned to the Black Heart to await his Master's command.

[Moon Knight]

OOC: I get the feeling people are waiting on me, so I'll post.

 

IC:

Ar-Pharazon did indeed find a way to survive, although it wasn't clear just how. It was just as well, as Fett had come expecting a challenge, and for a Mando'ad, it was better by far to win despite extreme adversity than to gun one's way through talentless rabble like he had recently done on Nubia and Tatooine. How else could he learn and improve himself further than pitting himself against new and powerful challenges?

 

Somewhat to his surprise, however, Ar-Pharazon then surrendered, and his apprentice broke off the attack, apparently as taken aback as Mand'alor was meant to be. Fett, however, didn't really operate that way. While he had not expected the dar'jetii to surrender as soon as shots were fired, he did not allow the shifting circumstances and random events of battle paralyze his ability to operate.

 

And so he didn't hesitate. He was too honorable to shoot dead a man who had surrendered, but also too smart to think any ordinary means of restraining Ar-Pharazon would be effective. "You surrender?" Fett repeated, partially so that Mirdala would hear him through his buy'ce and be aware of the scenario. "Then you'll no longer resist being taken into custody." The Mandalorian flipped his assault rifle over to stun and fired twice at the infamous demagol and Sith Master.

 

Then he looked at the apprentice. "You assaulted me, which means it doesn't matter what kind of criminal record you had before today," he said. "Following Ar-Pharazon is not the way. You can either come quietly or start running. I don't care."

[Lord Ar-Pharazon]

”œThis is not your fight!”

[Nishant]

Well, great. Master could have told me this before I attacked the Mandalorian. As for you, you walking piece of armored hubris, I suppose I'm going to kill you one day. This was one of those odd moments where, given his own choice, he would have replied with a rather pleasurably venomous comment to the Mandalorian's self-righteous mumbling. But, his master said go, so he would go.

 

In the long run, he needed Ar-Pharazon for the training he could provide, and he would settle for no one else. He was certain his master intended mayhem with this choice of "surrender", but Sidus would not risk skewing his master's intentions by doing anything other than what he was told. At the moment, anyways. As he had acknowledged, he needed Ar-Pharazon, and he needed his approval to garner his training.

 

So it was that he smirked at the lawman, turned and ran with a speed that was obviously augmented with a power these soldiers would never have, and leapt into open air from a platform near the hangar, sinking quickly from view.

[Karys Narat iv-Adas]

At his apprentice return The Black Heart closed it's ramp and started to head for the deep of space.

 

As it exited the atmosphere seemingly undetected the mighty ship shifted it's course slightly as it's Sith Lord master input several co-ordinates that would give the ship several micro jumps to avoid detection from even the most avid hunter.

 

As the ship entered hyperspace Lucifer spoke to his young apprentice.

 

''We have much to do. A battle to prepare for however first, I believe you must have a weapon worthy of a sith and the training to use it and for that reason we head first to my sanctuary on Byss. There you shall construct the true weapon of the sith...a lightsabre or perhaps two should that be your preference and that shall be where I will teach you how to handle such a elegant yet dangrous tool that has served us for centuries to reign destruction upon our enemies.''

 

With that Lucifer turned back to the various control panels as he hit the switch sending the ship rocketing towards Byss and his apprentices journey to the next step of training in preparation for what awaited him on Gala.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

From the fact that Lord Ar-Parazon was still standing after she'd delivered her shot, Mirdala could only surmise that through some great act of the universe, her well-aimed shot had missed. The sound of blaster fire reached her ears a few seconds later, and she watched her traat'aliit'ad open fire on the dar'jetii and his lackey. That demagolka is shabla lucky, she thought derisively as she readied another round and prepared her next shot.

 

From the distance she was firing, she knew that there was no way that a single shot could have given away her exact position. Even with the use of droids and other computing equipment, the only thing that could really be determined was a very general direction, especially since the slug had apparently missed and not penetrated anything in its path so as to give even a slight trajectory from which to extrapolate a possible position of a sniper.

 

Her watchful eyes didn't miss another pair of figures disappearing into a ship and apparently beginning take off procedures. Were they a possible exit route that Ar-Pharazon had coordinated in anticipation of an ambush at his ship?

 

For a moment she considered her options as the ship rose higher into the air, its occupants' intentions unknown to her at this point. Her instincts told her that they were somehow connected with Ar-Pharazon, and their next series of actions confirmed this theory beyond a doubt.

 

A ping from her buy'ce advised her that the ship had activated a scan of the area, and her only supposition was that the search was meant to draw her out, or to attempt to locate her in some way. This might have worked if they'd been dealing with any other police or military-trained sniper. Unfortunately for them they were dealing with an ori'ramikad whose training went far beyond standard.

 

Mirdala had been raised to be invisible and had built her career on tracking and infiltration. She knew how not to be found. If she ever chose to truely dissapear, even Kandor would be hard-pressed to find her. These were the skills that she was putting to use now as this over-arrogant dar'jetii attempted to locate her.

 

Thermal scans would be ineffective because her kute masked her own body heat, and she'd been in her current position for several hours so any temperature differential between her beskar'gam and her surroundings were neutralized since she'd been there long enough to achieve thermal equilibrium with her environment.

 

Scans for any electrical signals would be laughable since there were several things in the area giving off a stronger electronic signal than anything her specially-designed suit was giving out. The suit's systems were also engineered to suppress her bio-rhythmic indications and the ysalamiri kept her hidden from his ability to detect her through the Force.

 

Not that she needed any of that, since in his over-reliance on his own technology was leading him bounding in the wrong direction towards a rooftop that some crates were stacked on, seemingly serving as a dwelling for a transient in the area.

 

Mirdala didn't envy him the headache that he would have once the effects of the flash-bang wore off, but at least he was spared the now-constant sound of turbo laser fire chipping away at the buildings as it laid down its cover fire. Yet more needless distruction to a beautiful city.

 

Her HUD kept tabs easily on the leaping dar'jetii, and as he neared her position her hand tighttened around the hilt of one of her kukris, preparing to defend herself. Then, suddenly, he turned and bounded back towards the open entrance ramp to his ship.

 

Though she couldn't presently feel the call of the Force, something told her that whatever the mystical power had in mind as its supposed greater will, it was with her.

 

As he parted, she caught the tail end of what was being said via their link, "I surrender."

 

Surely she had misheard, but seconds later her traat'aliit'ad confirmed via their link. Stun bolts were fired, and she saw Ar-Pharazon drop.

 

Things were, however, not at a close, as Pharazon's lackey had attacked a CoreSec comissioner and was now being presented with his options, opting to choose the latter dashing off with Force-enhanced speed and leaping high in the air.

 

Mirdala swiftly moved into action as she loaded one of her specialized rounds into her weapon, aimed true and fired as he reached the apex of his jump. As the round hit him, dust erupted from the non-leathal round surrounding her lenedat in a cloud of fine particles.

[Cas Holloway]

Cas had assumed--they all had assumed--that the Sith Master would not come quietly. After all, why would he? It made no sense that he would. He had skill and the Force on his side, and he was a notorious murderer and terrorist. He had to know that his crimes would earn him the hardest sentence.

 

But for some crazy reason, the man surrendered, ordering his companion to run. He had thought that Fett had addressed the young man, but he hadn't heard what the Mandalorian had said. Regardless, he knew Mirdala would take care of the younger one. Sure enough, the moment that the black-haired man ran, another shot rang out from her sniper position. Hopefully they would get him before he got away; the man had attacked Fett with a knife, and that had automatically made him guilty of attacking an officer of the law.

 

Cas pinged Nubian security to keep their eyes out for Nishant; he gave them a description just in case the Force allowed the young man to evade Mirdala's shot.

 

Then he stepped out of his cover and walked up to the now-unconscious form of Ar-Pharazon. It felt good to have him in custody after all the time he and Armiena had spent reconstructing his crime and searching for him. He pulled out a pair of stun-binders and cuffed the Sith Master.

 

Hauling the form of the human over his shoulder, he began to carry him back to their ships and the escape-proof holding cells onboard. The sooner they got him back to Coruscant, the better.

[Nishant]

OOC: Okay, so I'm clear why this post goes the way it does. Sidus dove into open air, with the clear intention of free falling as far as necessary to escape. In the course of jumping, he was hit (apparently) with a "non-lethal" shot. Considering I have no idea what a "non-lethal" shot entails, although it apparently entails an erupting cloud of dust, I'm assuming it's stun-based. Either way, thus:

 

IC:

 

Of course, of course they would not leave him alone. Lawmen. Even when he was a socially acceptable boy, he had difficulty being patient with the rule-makers of the Chalactan Temple. And now he had to deal with mercenaries flashing imaginary badges of justice in his face, turning themselves into anointed property.

 

And one of them had shot him in midair. A great shot, surely, but, well, he was now free falling and they would have no way of picking him up. And stunning him before he free falls? Surely they could have tried to simply kill him, as he would die when he hit the ground. Or, would have died, had he not been what he was.

 

Incapacitating a Chalactan was not easy.

 

For his nervous system, stun was just another pain signal, meshing quite nicely with those signals he had learned from a very young age (through what some might call torturous racial methods) to absorb, deflect, reflect, rebuff; whatever word one might choose to describe it, the effect was the same.

 

Sidus spent a singular moment of his fall stunned, mostly from the fact that he had been shot in midair (which he found quite cool), and then he was free falling quite normally, his legs and arms outstretched to catch as much wind resistance as possible. He was aiming for the roof of a much lower building, and as he neared it he was rather excited about what he had in mind.

 

During his fall he was slowly filling himself with the kind of buoyancy he had cultivated during Rising Meditation, and he was making it flow within him more and more rapidly. Within fifty feet of the building's roof, he released the greatest Push he could towards the building, which held against the force of it, and in the rebounding effect of this energy Sidus had little trouble merging his Rising quality, so that he came to a slow, albeit not quite graceful, landing.

 

Only then did he notice that, although the shot from before had not inhibited his faculties, he did have a rather interesting laser burn on his back, just to the left of his spine. It arced a little upwards, but truly, a great shot.

 

Sidus found a stairway nearby and quickly descended. Now was the time for evasion, something he was quickly becoming familiar with. He had to attempt the technique his Master had shown him. He had not "properly" learned it, but since when was that an issue? He stopped halfway down the stairway and pressed himself against the wall, shedding his uppermost tunic. This would be illusory, not physical, but it would work nonetheless. Sidus turned the Force over and over himself, rolling the area just off his skin like clay, molding the image of himself into something...else. He was using the image of a bright-skinned boy with yellow hair, one who he had seen earlier on Naboo, in the crowd he had exploited.

 

When he continued down the stairs, Sidus appeared as a slightly shorter, slightly bulkier young man with fair skin and short, rascally blond hair with sharp blue eyes, in a shirt of a color it had not previously been, simple pants and boots. He tossed his knife over the railing for good measure, and walked away a different person.

[Moon Knight]

Moon Knight nodded to himself when the habiir'dar'jetii decided to run at Ar-Pharazon's bidding. Perhaps the kid wasn't as stupid as many of his dark side brethren. Even Ar-Pharazon now collapsed under a couple stun rings from his assault rifle, indeed not having even put up a fight. It was in some ways a triumphant moment, to have brought such a criminal to justice so easily, and in other ways it was an unusual anticlimax. He'd come with three cops and a jetii Master, expecting an extremely difficult fight to match or surpass his previous engagement with Ar-Pharazon on Phu, and yet now the being dropped like a rock with not a lightsaber drawn.

 

The Mando'ad was a very suspicious man, and many beroyase were accused of paranoia due to the dangers of their profession. Something didn't quite feel right here. On the other hand, the attack had been well thought out. Maybe he was just used to the initial plan failing, and this time Ar-Pharazon had truly been caught off-guard.

 

As the apprentice ran, Mirdala shot him with a supression round. He frowned and spoke on their private link. "I offered to let him go," he said. He was getting to know and trust her very well, but occasionally she reminded him that she was a bit of a loose cannon. Then he nearly laughed--he was far more of a loose cannon than she was, as at practically every opportunity he had made choices the opposite of what a proper police officer would make. It drove Manning mad, which, Mand'alor had to admit, was an unnecessary but amusing bonus.

 

"Alright, pack it up," he said to both Mirdala through the comm and Holloway through the external mic of the buy'ce. "Keep Ar-Pharazon unconscious until we get back to Coruscant, Commissioner. We'll figure out what to do with him from there."

 

No ordinary prison would hold Ar-Pharazon. Fett started heading back to the Rangir while thinking about perhaps commissioning a new prison dedicated to such dar'jetiise.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

OOC: Sorry about that Nishant, I read your post several times and was visualizing jumping from a platform in to the open air above like an alley way or something, like he was slipping between the buildings. Now reading it I see my mistake and I thank you for going with it. I see now that you were actually jumping off of a ledge or something to that effect and not as I'd thought.

 

As she'd taken her shot, something in Mirdala shifted. In the hours left alone with her own thoughts and the unabating hunger that gnawed at her almost constantly now, the demons of the last few weeks had found her. The need to hunt, to pursue, the one that attacked Kandor now raged strongly in the young woman beyond her ability to control the urge.

 

Perhaps even slightly before she'd taken the shot the change had occurred, since she normally wouldn't have taken a shot with a non-lethal round that would have placed her lenedat in mortal harm. That should have been her first clue to her rational self that something was amiss.

 

The previous weeks she'd spent being tortured, assaulted, drugged, and beaten, along with her own fight to survive the encounter, had left her impulse-control and rational mind exhausted. For the moment she was content to let the hunter take over.

 

She had every right as an officer of CoreSec. The habir'dar'jetii had attacked another officer, her traat'aliit'ad, and the man she loved. She could make the arrest, but she'd have to find him first. No doubt her quarry knew this as well, though perhaps not that the one who hunted him was also Mando'ad, but at least that there was another officer on his tail.

 

She affixed the ysalaimri case to her back, broke down her rifle to it's case, and reached for her sidearm. The former beroya extracted herself from her hiding place and began tracking her quarry. It wouldn't be long until she found him.

 

The dust in the round that had settled on his clothes, and in his lungs as he'd breathed the fine particles, actually contained microscopic nanites that would allow her to track his movements for nearly a week, so she wasn't worried with the time that it took her to pack up and sling her gear. It wasn't long before she was in pursuit of his signal, Fett's orders falling on deaf ears, as it was the hunter in control, and not Mirdala.

 

Her path took her through the alleyways between the buildings, and would take her past the spaceport as she followed the signal to where the dark-haired habir'dar'jetii eluded her.

[Moon Knight]

ShadowFett frowned under his buy'ce when Mirdala did not, in fact, pack it up and head for the Rangir. Indeed, his HUD was now informing him that, after failing to acknowledge, she was on the move... still chasing down the dar'jetii apprentice. He quickly realized that she was tracking him with the nonlethal round, a resourceful and efficient way for a beroya to hunt down and take prisoners alive. However, it didn't explain why she was even going after him at all.

 

"Holloway, we'll meet you back on Triple Zero," he said, then took off at a run, watching his map and trying to extrapolate where Mirdala would be at such a time as he could intercept her. He had no interest in having her bring down the lenedat he had decided to pardon, and it was clear that either her comms had gone out, or she had switched off her mirshe to focus single-mindedly on the hunt. It was a dangerous way to operate, but one that had characterized many Mando'ade that Fett had met. The ability to turn off oneself, becoming nothing but a verd was something even Fett had applied during particularly dangerous fights.

 

Cutting through alleys, Moon Knight began to close on her location. He made a sharp turn and a wall rose suddenly before him. A boost from his jetpack and he was over it, back on his feet and rounding the last corner, having picked a good angle of pursuit due to her out-of-the-way position on the rooftops when she'd began. Mand'alor suddenly stepped out from behind a corner, bracing himself as she attempted to charge past, and she ran right into him, slightly off-center.

 

Her comparatively diminutive frame bounced back a step as their beskar'game clacked against each other. The collision was painless due to the armor but jarring. "Mirdala! Gev! Mirdir! Stand down, Lieutenant. It's done." He said the words so that they would be heard externally in case her buy'ce had indeed lost their link. It meant that the handful of pedestrians within an earshot would hear him, but right now that was not the most important thing to Fett.

[Cas Holloway]

The Arkanian touched the comm piece in his ear. "Copy that, Fett," he acknowledged. Getting a firmer grip on the Sith Master slumped unceremoniously over the tall humanoid's shoulder, Cas proceeded to the CoreSec ship he had piloted to Naboo.

 

He deposited Ar-Pharazon in the Force-neutralizing holding cell aboard and made his way to the cockpit. These next few hours would be dangerous, and he'd have to be on his guard in case the Sith woke up. Therefore, he set in the coordinates 0-0-0, took off, and ten or so standard minutes later, was in hyperspace.

 

The autopilot engaged, the Arkanian cop made his way back to the back to the Sith Master. He pulled out a hypo and injected the man with a sedative that would hopefully last until he was safe in a CoreSec cell on Coruscant. But Cas wouldn't take any chances; he made himself stand guard outside the door for the duration of the trip.

[Lord Ar-Pharazon]

Ar-Pharazon had a dream where he punched an angel in the face, killing it.

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

She was in full pursuit of her lenedat, when a figure in familiar black beskar'gam suddenly appeared in her path. There was no time for her to stop (not that her single-minded hunt would have allowed her to do so), and so she dipped her shoulder low, plowing into him. It was almost as though she'd run into a brick wall, as she staggered back a few paces after making contact. The hunter was now off-balance and very annoyed at the delay, as she drew her kukris defensively.

 

The noise of their collision had drawn a few on-lookers into the alley, but they quickly hid from view when they saw what the source of the noise had been. Few were ever stupid enough to get between two Mando'ade who looked like they were about to launch themselves in to battle against one another. Still, curiosity merits a certain amount of idiocy, so a few of the overly curious remained, though just out of sight.

 

"Mirdala! Gev! Mirdir! Stand down, Lieutenant. It's done."

 

She paused in her slow circling of this latest obstacle to her goal of bringing the one that had attempted to harm Kandor to justice. After a few moments her stance relaxed as her own mind returned after processing the language familiar to her in a voice that she trusted. She finally recognized Kandor for who he was. She couldn't believe that she'd let herself slip back like that, especially during a delicate operation like the one that they were on at present.

 

Disobeying orders got people killed. Suddenly she knew that she couldn't be trusted in the field until she'd put her demons to rest. Even that thought tore at her deeply. Mirdala wasn't used to being the one who was the liability. She wondered if Kandor would even understand what she was facing.

 

The only response that she gave him outwardly was a single nod as she sheathed her weapons once more. She remained silent on the walk back to the Rangir. Mirdala didn't miss that Holloway had been sent ahead since Fett had needed to come track her down.

 

After activating the boarding ramp, she entered the vessel without a glance towards Kandor and settled herself in the co-pilot's seat, leaving her buy'ce on.

[Moon Knight]

ShadowFett was quiet for the walk back to Mirdala's ship. His traat'aliit'ad's own silence betrayed the shame that she felt for what she had done, also confirming that there was no comm failure involved. He contemplated the consequences as it related to both of them, understanding that he couldn't fully grasp what she'd been through in the last several weeks and accepting that it was inevitable for those experiences to have changed her. She was by far the strongest dala he had ever known, and he had little doubt that she was able to conquer her demons without his help.

 

And yet, their relationship had ascended. Fett knew that he could not bear her scars for her, nor carry her burdens. Just as she had taken time to recover from the death of her riduur, so would it be with this. There were challenges ahead. But there was a difference this time--he was there, too. They had decided that they were better together, and even as Mand'alor he could accept that she complemented him as both an individual and a combatant in ways that he hadn't anticipated anyone ever doing.

 

Now back at the Rangir, Moon Knight took the cue when Mirdala slid into the copilot's chair and took the pilot's seat himself, starting the Firespray-class vessel's ignition sequence. A few weeks ago, even after they had begun confiding in each other things that no one else knew, he would have remained silent, letting her work through the issue herself as he knew she could. But now, as he lifted the vessel off the ground and headed for deep space, but before reaching their hyperspace checkpoint, he turned to face her.

 

"Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke," he said, the first half of a Mandalorian proverb that he found himself using a lot these days. "There is no shame in what happened down there, considering all that you've endured. It's amazing you oyacyir after all that." He put a hand on her shoulder. "But we need to work this out before you go back into the field. You're mandokarla, cyar'ika, and together we're even stronger. If there's anything I can do, tell me."

[Mirdala Ad'Goran]

She placed her hand on his and gave it a small squeeze as she nodded once more. Self-pity wasn't a cultural trait that the Mando'ade possessed, and she wasn't about to let what had just happened continue to affect her going forward if she could at all help it. Mirdala knew that she still had Kandor's respect and affection, and that was all that mattered to her.

 

 

"Vor'e, Kand'ika," she finally intoned. After a few moments, she removed her buy'ce and turned to face him, carefully composed once more. "You have to understand, I've never switched over to...whatever that was...before." The raven-haired woman paused for a moment, considering, as a haunted look crossed her face as though she'd suddenly remembered something. She bit her lip and continued. "That's not entirely true. It happened on Tatooine. That part of me is part of the reason I survived, and served gra'tua to those that had...had...done what they had done." She couldn't even say the words yet, but instead gave his hand another squeeze, though her voice remained eerily calm and detached, as though she were relaying events that had happened to someone else.

 

"I still have cravings for the spice and whatever else it was that they gave me," she leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. "And right now I think that is the worst of it. I tried to use it to drive my focus, to work for me, but in the end I think that it allowed the base hunter part of me to take over, and ignore your orders."

 

Mirdala looked back at him, knowing that, even though she hadn't lost face in his eyes, her actions could have gotten someone hurt that day. She didn't know what she would do if she were to lose him now, especially if it was the result of her actions. The very though of it was almost too much for her to bear, and so she looked away for a moment as he set the coordinates for Coruscant into the Rangir's hyperdrive.

 

"Until I can get a better handle on what triggers this, I'd rather not leave your side for long if possible. That's twice now you've been able to bring me back, and I don't want to know what will happen," again she paused, considering possible implications that might be made as well as the agreement that she wasn't to be back in the field until this was under control. "I also have a few side projects that I can busy myself with if you need to go on a field assignment. It's when I'm alone with nothing but the sound of my own thoughts that it really starts to eat at me."

 

She leaned forward suddenly and detached the ysalamiri case from her back and looked down at it intently, before amending, "I don't know when my Force Sensitivity will return, but I'm keeping this little guy with me until I'm fully back in control with myself."

 

Once again she grew quiet and watched the stars streak by as the ship jolted forward into hyperspace.

 

((I guess next post in the space thread?))

[Nishant]

OOC: With permission from Lord Ar-Pharazon.

 

IC:

 

So Sidus was disguised, alone, and had witnessed the capture of his master. Considering he thought the whole thing a farce, for a great many reasons (the foremost being that his master could have flicked his wrist and the lawmen would have died), he spent only a short time deliberating about what to do next. He decided that he would begin with the intention of continuing his training with his master. This required their reunion.

 

Sidus doubted it would please his master if his ship remained on Naboo, where it was open to the perusal of the "authorities". So, he would remove it from this planet. He would not take the Chariot to Coruscant, of course, even though that was where he would go eventually to find CoreSec, and his master. But he would also not take the ship to a Sith planet.

 

For one thing, he was an apprentice, and had no idea who he would encounter on such a planet. The least of his worries would be the inability to find a transport to Coruscant from such a place, but there were worse scenarios. Such as, Sith he might encounter could take slight at Ar-Pharazon's ship being moved about by a boy-man. If he were detained by the idiocy of power-hungry fools, he would not be able to find his master.

 

So a neutral planet, out of the way, where the least questions would be asked and the simplest instructions given, where a transport could be secured with ease.

 

Resolved, Sidus made his circuitous way back to the platform where CoreSec had so rudely interrupted the day. Now they were long gone, and had quite stupidly left the Dreadfully Unpleasant and Very Unholy Chariot of Unwarranted Suffering untouched. Lawmen. Sidus knew the ship was likely laden with uncountable security measures against intruders, but he trusted that he could make it quite obvious to the ship that he was not and intruder.

 

Quite simply, he knocked on the exterior of the ship and broadcasted the air that had grown about him in the presence of Ar-Pharazon. Enter, if you please. He was, upon entry, immediately accosted by a droid, to whom he explained in brief that he was Lord Ar-Pharazon's apprentice and if it was necessary to test this claim in any way he would readily adhere to such protocols of his master's ship.

 

In any event, it was without much delay that the DUVUCUS was off ground and very soon off planet.

[Beck Pilon]

Day 1: 04:30 hours

Location: Naboo Outskirts

 

***** Mission Two: Cover of Dark *****

 

Taking an angled approach down to the planet's surface, any sensors would pick up his shuttle and lose it as it appeared to move on to another city. But the moment he got outside of the range, Silent Specter turned the shuttle around and flew it low to avoid being spotted upon any sensors. As he slowly brought the ship down, he picked a spot that was on the edge of a tree line. His own sensors showed no signs of anything near it that could discover the shuttle once he had it hidden, so he then powered it all down. Before he left, he made sure that he first took from his helmet a scope camera, one that helps both record and aid in his HUD for sniping out targets. Since he was in standard clothing, he would be able to conceal it easily within his belt.

 

As he left the shuttle, he locked up the ramp to keep others from entering it, just in case someone did manage to stumble across the shuttle. Once he had it locked up, he began mark a tree or two to help him remember where the shuttle was, seeing as it was just after midnight local time. The darkness would help keep the shuttle hidden, but would make it harder for him to get back to the location in broad day light. Once he made his marks, he started off on the long walk towards the main city of Theed.

 

Eight-Seven arrived on the outskirts of Theed just after 5:00 am. It was a long walk into the city, yet Eight-Seven made sure not to push himself too hard, as he didn't want to walk into the city all covered in sweat. As he began to walk the city streets, he observed the citizens begin their daily lives, walked or driving to work, children began to get up and get ready for their schooling. Eight-Seven made special notes of where people wandered and where they didn't, as he was sure that if he wandered where they didn't, he would get himself in trouble. Carefully he began to follow some people who looked as if they were heading towards the palace, but then about three blocks away turned down a side street and entered some local cafe. Eight-Seven followed them in and ordered a drink of caf and then sat outside at one of their tables.

 

As he sat there, he took notice of the water running a block away. The water ran past the palace and dropped off over the waterfall. The other direction held an almost clear view of a hill front that faced the city of Theed. At this moment, he withdrew his system scope and looked through it to get an idea of how far the hills were from his point. Nine klicks. That's a bit far for a sniper. But I may be able to make it work. It was then that he took notice of a worker of the cafe cleaning some of the tables around him. Carefully, he decided that he would pry some information out of her.

 

"May I ask as to why you look as if you're getting ready for someone important?"

 

The woman didn't look up, but responded with a soft, yet quick and sharp voice. "Someone important is coming. Every morning, the Governor comes here to get some caf and a bite to eat before heading on to the palace at 6am. He's been doing so ever since he took office."

 

Eight-Seven nodded his head musingly as he pondered her words. It seemed strange that someone within office would hold such a strong and predictable morning, but Naboo must not really be concerned about terrorism striking at them, nor having someone trying to kill off their planet officials. Finishing off his caf, he stood up and tipped the woman.

 

"I hope your life gets easier for you."

 

He lied to her. He knew full well that her life was about to get crazy, if she didn't end up dead within the next twenty-four hours. In fact, Eight-Seven knew he was going to target her for his shot. He didn't bother to wait around and then made his very long walk back towards his shuttle. He had much to prepare for within the next few hours, and the more time he spent within the city during the day, the more time he would loose to make his plans perfect.

 

Silent Specter arrived back near the edge of the tree line around 5:00 pm and searched for his markings along the trees. After about fifteen minutes, he found the shuttle and unlocked the ramp and made his way inside. He then began to work carefully upon setting his chaos trap. It took about four hours to create the perfect collection of liquids, and with what he had was very limited, but he knew that such effects would cause mass panic. He never did like the classes taught within the Rebirth Program about chemicals and explosives, but he did know enough through them about what sort of things would create what. As he finished, he carried the package to the landing ramp and then brought along his armor, but only his helmet and DC -17, for that would be the only things he would need. Taking a different approach, he stopped along a hill side near a river that followed into the city of Theed. Setting down his helmet and weapon, he then jumped into the river. With the package and other materials in a backpack, he began to swim for the city.

 

After an hour swim, as it was much easier than walking, Specter entered the city through the river. It took him about an hour to locate and find the block that had the cafe, but once he did, he pulled out the backpack and withdrew the homemade bomb. Placing a timer charge in it, he set it up for the exact time he knew would be useful for him and then made his swim back towards his helmet and weapon. He felt confident that no one would spot the weapon, or even him swimming since it was late at night. As he arrived back at his spot, he climbed out and made an attempt to dry off only his head, and then placed his helmet on. Now, it was the waiting game.

 

As he waited, he found that he had a perfect shot on the door, but would need to angle himself to get anyone who was sitting down. He also made cure that his HUD showed and linked with the timer of the charge. Looking at his chrono, he saw that it was now 5:49 am. Almost time. He made sure to keep watch of the cafe, taking note of when his waitress arrived, other employees and some random civilians. Just then, on cue as to the information he received, the Governor arrived with three aides. Being patient was a part of being a sniper, and a quality the Eight-Seven held. He waited for the man to take a seat outside with his caf at the table next to the one he sat at yesterday. He then waited until his HUD showed that the timer was at 0.001.0 and then he pulled the trigger.

 

****************************************************

 

At the cafe, the sound was like a muffled boom. Clearly something had gone off, but there was no indication as to what. As the Governor stood up to see what the sound was, or if he was in danger, a single round went through the man's head. He stumbled backwards and hit the wall of the cafe and then slide to the ground. Behind him on the wall, wherever his head was at was no a blood trail. The commotion was enough to stir the cafe staff, but the single waitress who had talked to Eight-Seven, never got a chance to see what had happened, The moment she opened the door, she flew backwards on her backside, using both hands to hold her neck as a sniper shot went through her neck. The cafe staff immediately rushed to her aid versus the Governor.

 

All thew while, the bomb that Eight-Seven had made was now doing it's job. It was a liquid chemical that became gas upon exposure to H2O and heat. Since Silent Specter placed it just above water level, the explosion forced it to react and spread throughout the city. The gas would cause great stomach pains before leading to death. Due to the nature of the gas, it would only be airborne for eight hours. However, because of the way it was made and the way it attacks, no one would find out that the air doesn't carry the gas anymore until six days after the initial explosion.

 

**********************************************************

 

From his spot upon the hill, Eight-Seven was made and let out a single curse as he missed the woman's head. But it didn't matter, she would died before sharing to anyone that she had told him the information of the Governor. And that was the way of a commando handling covert ops within the Rebirth Program. You went in, you did your job, you left without anyone taking notice. Eight-Seven prided himself upon the factor of which he delivered. Picking up his DC-17, he made a quick jog back towards his shuttle and left the planet away from scanners and sensors, imminent. hopefully soon, he would be back at the Imperial remnant base where he would get some deserved rest with all of his leg work he just performed.

 

((Next Post Space.))

[Sasori]

The ship of Sasori Soren flew gracefully from the skies above Naboo directly toward the capital city of Theed, where the wonderful craftsmen of Naboo Came together, worked together, and produced some of the best quality items to be found in the galaxy. The Grey Avenger landed softly on a landing pad as close to the markets of the Capitol as it was possible to be without being a diplomat. The shifts ramp opened and Sasori got up from his seat, looked to Cassandra, and offered his hand without hesitation.

 

"Let's go see what they have in stock."

[Cassandra]

With the assistance of her new friend, Casandra got up. As soon as they hit the ground, she wrapped her arm around his. "Got to escort your lady properly." She winked.

 

"What's our first stop?" They walked towards the market district. She was quite excited to get some new clothes. Clothes that were actually decent- instead of the rags she had on at the moment. She crossed her fingers for a nice halter-top red dress that buttoned up in the front. It made her giddy just thinking about it.

[Sasori]

Sasori considered the shopping opportuinites he knew about on Naboo, or at least he used to know. He was sure he would still be able to find a fine clothes shop or stall or storefront of some sort. This was Naboo, home of the elegant wear that makes even the hobos of the planet look wealthier than the middle class of Coruscant, and then the extremely...exotic stuff their nobles and politicians wear that can make one either burst into laughter or just be perplexed be the sheer wierdness of it all. With his new partner in crime, as it is, on his arm, Sasori walked easily over to the markets, where it was lucky enough to be just past morning, and the shops were fully stocked and ready to go. Jewley, robes, dresses, hats, holsters, droids, and all sorts of crafts that made Naboo an epicenter of galactic culture.

 

Sasori, in a moment of laziness, used to Force to quickly take out his credit card, which he handed over to Cassandra.

 

"There is a maximum of 2 Million credit spending on this account, so go crazy and spend as you will, when it stops working I figure that is a good enough limit as any. I have to see a few people about the surprise I promised you."

 

He lifted her hand to his lips once more and left Cassandra to spend as she desired, while he got things arranged for a very welcome surprise for her. Once he had made his way out of view, Sasori leaned on a nearby wall and pulled out his holocomm, pressing a few buttons he soon had an image of a friendly Rodian woman on the holo.

 

"Oh it's you, what is it you need this time, did you get another peice of your ship shot off because dammit Soren I cannot allow you to keep that beautiful ship any longer if you keep-"

 

"Whoa whoa whoa Guina, I haven't done anything to the Avenger. She is fine, I am actually looking to get a gift for a friend," Sasori interrupted.

 

"Pfft, you never get me any gifts, and after all I have done for you!"

 

"I pay you to fix my ship Guina, and I even allow you your overhead fee you charge the nobles that I know you don't charge the bounty hunters."

 

"Well, sometimes a girl wants more than just a few extra credits to know she is appreciated by her loyal customers and people she thinks are her friend Sasori."

 

Sasori paused for a moment and truly felt saddend he had disappointed a friend, he would have to make up for this big time.

 

"I am sorry about that Guina, I am headed off of Naboo soon enough and I will send you something from offworld, something nice okay."

 

Guina looked at her feet and then back up to Sasori.

 

"Well, I suppose that will do Sasori, I am sorry, I just, I feel like I am your friend and you just treat me like a business. Not everything is so cut and dry."

 

"I know what you mean, my time away from business as usual has helped open my eyes to more than a few things Guina, speaking of, I need a specific item I know you should have in stock, but I need it painted cerulean, a CEC Y-8"

 

"How exactly is this not business as usual?"

 

"I am doing it for a friend, she lost everything recently, and I remember what that is like and I want to help. The Y-8 is not the prettiest but it has it where it matters"

 

"I know that Soren, and yeah i'll get it to you and get it painted, should be done in about 2 hours and i'll put is next to yours given you are at the same place as always"

 

"They should just reserve that space."

 

Guina chuckled and so did Sasori.

 

"Okay, i'll be in touch"

 

With that Sasori shut off his comm and went back to Cassandra, who it appeared hadn't hit her limit as he didn't recieve a holo messaging indication such.

 

"How is the shopping going Cassandra." Sasori said from behind her a short smile on his stubbled face as he looked at the merchandise she was browsing through.

[Cassandra]

How did she get so lucky? Attributing it to Karma, she bounded off into a high-end shop. Dozens of dresses, and just fashion in general. If she bought the entire store- laid the dresses out in a room- then jumped into them, she would die happy. Buying things from shop to shop, she wasn't spending much. Most of her purchases were sent to the ship, but she held onto a few things. One of the places she stopped in was a weapons dealer on the edge of the district.

 

Restocking herself with most of the things on her old ship, she went on her merry way, only keeping a blade and blaster with her. Even her battle armor- which she lost when she died on Corellia, was replaced. Save for the helmet, that was bought and it was going to be upgraded.

 

Making her way back to where her and Sasori first parted ways, she poked her head into another shop. She was growing bored, she wanted to go back to the ship, but Cassandra didn't know the security code to go aboard. Or if there was even a code to go aboard. So playing it safe, she satayed right there. Just scrolling trough the random rack of clothing, she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. Smiling, she looked over to see Sasori back, looking through lingerie with her.

 

"Oh yah know, found a knick-knack here and there. I tried to go it easy on your credits." She winked. "You see anything you like in here?" She laughed.

[Sasori]

Sasori didn't laugh but actually looked at the items in front of him, he hadn't even looked at what shop she was in and felt slightly out of place but not embarrassed. He flipped through some of the items on the stand looking at silks and lace and synthleather. Intriguing, and all of them kept leaving images in Sasori's mind he didn't mind thinking, but kept under control, being in public and all.

 

"Plenty of things to like, but it all depends on how it's worn, if the person wearing it do sent know how to use it, might as well not wear it at all."

 

He stepped away and sarcastically sized up Cassandra.

 

"Maybe, CoreSec has a way of making people all by the book even when off duty, though perhaps..." he looked her up and down again, "maybe."

[Cassandra]

Cassandra sighed after he mentioned CorSec, hanging up the corset that she was looking at, she looked at Sasori. "Let's go grab something to eat." She said, wrapping her free arm around one of Sasori's arms.

 

"Your treat." she winked, holding up his credit card.

[Sasori]

Sasori walked with Cassandra without a second thought about it, by now this lady about his arm seemed naturally attuned to him, odd enough given he was never one for companionship in the past. The last person who came even close to being his partner, he killed in his own office in order to secure his place as a Black Sun Vigo. Strange how fast one persons world can change, and it seems it only takes one whiskey to do so.

 

"Hell, if you asked me right now I'd buy you a restaurant. But I know a nice place near the Capitol building that serves some wonderful seafood if you are up for the more exotic local favors of the planet."

[Cassandra]

"Your buying, your call! I am down for anything, as long as you don't probe my head or talk about CorSec." She felt safe...It had been almost seven years since she felt this comforatable around a man. After her savage beating at the hands of... She pushed the thought out of her head. Cassandra was happy, she wanted to stay that way.

[Sasori]

Sasori realized his mistake as soon as she mentioned it. It was not intentional for him to make her think if the past, but simply to try and make her look at it laughingly, laugh at the evils of before and become optimistic on what lies ahead. It was how Sasori saw every day, every moment, one where the past never mattered and is all one big thing to joke about. Perhaps one day Cassandra will understand that, but it seems too soon.

 

Regardless, Sasori was still treating the lady to a day of frivolity and there is no reason his one word mistake should make the entire day sour. In fact he knew it wouldn't, especially once the surprise arrived.

 

"Then let's go, they have some of the best seafood in the galaxy, I don't know how they do it, but the Gungans and the Naboo must have some hell of a partnership to brave the waters on this world."

 

Sasori walked toward a building that had words elegantly posted, as far as the elegance of basic letters can be anyhow, Raneeras. He opened the door and ushered Cassandra inside where a they saw a finely dressed woman behind a podium. She looked up and grabbed two small datapads labeled MENU.

 

"Come with me please table of two" she said flashing a white smile.

 

She was goood, not many people in the galaxy of service persons can easily tell how many are in a party without asking, especially at a place like this where it is more common for a small group dining together to arrive. Sasori was happy that the place was living up to its reputation, and hoped Cassandra was equally impressed. They were seated at their tables by the hostess and given their datapads.

 

"Anything to drink, appetizers?" she said politely and flashed back and forth from Sasori to Cassandra.

 

"Yes, a bottle of the 03 Concord Dawn Chianti," he began, knowing that the smooth red wine would go perfectly with the clams, squid, and salmon that this restaurant was famous for, "and a plate of the Mollusk Sampler."

 

"Good choice sir, I'll have those right out for you," she said and departed toward the back of the dimly lit restaurant.

 

Sasori looked to Cassandra and smiled. He thumbeed through the rest of the datapad seeing if there was anything he really liked the look of for their main course, finding that they had Ottee Steak available. He wondered how they accomplished killing one, but then removed the thought from his head as it was far too complex a thing to even ponder. He looked back at Cassandra instead and set down his menu.

 

"So, what have you thought about doing after we are done with this? The shopping won't last forever and I don't want our partnership to end so quickly."