Private Looking for Hay in a Needlestack

[Darth Strosius]

Nar Shaddaa

A world of crime, villainy, and other diabolical acts that can only be whispered of in polite conversation. One of the many gems in the Hutt Space Consortium's domain, stained in blood both old and new. Normally the Inquisition didn't find itself venturing far beyond the borders of Sith Space, and certainly not into the realm of an 'ally' if they did, but this occasion was a special one indeed. A call for aid.

A local crime boss had tipped off the right people to Jedi activity on the planet and thus it was only natural that someone was dispatched to see who or what was causing such a stir. Apparently some Jedi Master had been welcoming refugees and rogues from newly conquered Sith worlds, using Nar Shaddaa as a way to make the refugees disappear and be sent on their merry way with new identities and enough funds to get to the Core. With such a potential breach of security it was no wonder that the Inquisition had sent forth two agents to investigate what could become a major problem.

Alisteri just wished that he hadn't been one of them. "That Hutt had better have set this little fake meeting up properly. I'm already tired of this Force-forsaken cesspool of a planet." The masked man muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the taxi speeder and onto the small landing pad. Just ahead lay the cantina where the Jedi was supposed to be waiting for them, hoping to find more refugees rather than a pair of Sith.

As far as he was concerned, Alisteri had seen far too much of Nar Shaddaa for one lifetime and he'd only been to the world twice. If it hadn't been for some accursed Jedi sticking their nose where it didn't belong then he wouldn't have to suffer the world at all. Better to get this little errand over and done with quickly. He glanced at the Inquisitor that was accompanying him on this mission, gesturing to the building with a nod. "Did the bartender send us anything yet? I'm not sitting around and waiting for our target in some dingy cantina."


Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

Temerant stepped out onto the taxi pad with his fellow Inquisitor, pale eyes glancing around, scanning for any manner of ambush: it would not be the first time he'd walked in somewhere at a hutt's behest, only to find himself on the wrong end of a few blasters, and knowing the duplicitous nature of the self-serving slugs, it would likely not be the last.

He wore urban wear over his specialized suit, which did not really detract from the... blackness of it all. Still, the man did not seem terribly out of place in the famously dangerous ecumenopolis. Quite the contrary, in fact.

"Cespool of a moon," he corrected the man in response, slamming the door shut behind him. "Nar Shaddaa is not a planet. There's a reason they call it the 'smuggler's moon'. Though it is an easy enough mistake to make, what with the breathable atmosphere and the thorough urbanization of every foot available," he conceded, though the veneer of politeness did little to conceal the fact that he was not impressed.

"And I do not know what manner of treatment you're accostumed to, but I should remind you, Inquisitor Strosius, that I am -not- your personal assistant," the man grumbled, his voice somewhat modulated by his helm, yet giving insight as to its natural gruffness. "I am not privy to any information that you wouldn't be with a simple swipe of your fingers," he pointed out - though in fairness, Alisteri would've had ample opportunity to watch the man near-obsessively going over files and checking for updates in the taxi. "But no," he relented at last. "The bartender has yet to make contact. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he is remiss to do so. Informants are rarely a brave lot, and we do not exactly inspire confidence in our lesser, particularly away from home," he noted. "Now, you can do whatever the kriff you want. I am going to go do my job," he remarked bluntly as he began to make way towards the cantina, not bothering to wait for a response. "Though do be mindful you don't get mugged. I do hear this is a bad neighbourhood," he told him. Almost playfully, one might surmise, were it not for the plainness of his tone.

Darth Strosius Brandyn Sal-Soren

​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

Wearing: Worn out street clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber [hidden]
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Tag: Darth Strosius Darth Temerant


Cantina's were a source of entertainment for some, business for others and of course for some it was a way to drown themselves in liquor so as to escape their current state of mind. For Brandyn, it was entertainment. No, he was not their watching the Twi on the stage, he was instead there to meet with a contact that had become a friend over time.

Nar Shaddaa had never been a long assignment for Brandyn, but he had been here several times, if only for a few days at most. It was always to make contact with someone, garner some intel on The New Way's underworld activities and then move on. On approximately half of those meetings he had had encounters with a young Klatooinian, Caznar. Unlike others of his species, the young Caznar seemed to have the desire and willpower to achieve more than just being a thug, mercenary or bounty hunter. Brandyn had found the young man's optimism and dreams to be endearingly familiar. There was a kindred-spirit nature to his affection for the Klatooinian.

But Caznar was late.

Leaning forward in his booth, Brandyn gazed down at his watch. A smudge of grease was wiped away from the face of the timepiece, as Brandyn confirmed that, yes, Caznar was late. He looked up towards the door in a case of cosmic coincidence to see the young Klatooinian skittering in at a pace that clearly revealed his panicked state.

Brandyn leant backwards, pushing into the shadows of his booth. Eyes narrowed as Caznar found him, and took his seat.

"You are drawing attention to yourself. And I suspect that is not what you want to be doing right now," said the young Jedi.

The Klatooinian glanced to and fro, realizing that eyes were certainly curious as to his predicament. He took a deep breath, and scooted sideways into the shadows a little more.

"What happened, Caz?" Brandyn said, already grimacing.

"I thought they wouldn't notice."

"Who...wouldn't notice?"

"Talgo..."

"...the Hutt?"

"...the Hutt."

"What did you do, Caz? What did you do?" Brandyn said. His face was now being rubbed by the palms of his hand. He felt a headache coming on.

Despondent, Caznar stared at the table. "I thought...I could finally get off Nar Shaddaa, maybe make my way Coreward. I just need some creds."

"Did you...steal...from Talgo?" Brandyn said, voice lowering with every word till it was barely audible.

Caznar's mournful nod left Brandyn leaning back in exasperation. He wanted to reprimand the young Klatooinian, but really what good would it do. His life was surely in danger now, and there were very few places that Caznar could go to avoid his untimely death. "Right...so...I have a secret I have been keeping from you...I tell you now, Caz...because I have a way to get you off world, but you need to trust me...Caz...I am a..."

...Jedi. The last word was left unsaid as the appearance of two dark silhouettes in the door brought a cold shiver down his spine.

"You're a what...Bran?" Caznar said, before glancing over his shoulder noting the figures entering the cantina, and then looking back with a frown at Brandyn, "who are they?"

"Just keep to the shadows. They are not here for you," he said, leaning into the shadows more himself. He was grateful for his semi-permanent state of Force masking he maintained in environs such as Nar Shaddaa. Whoever these two were, they were not here for Caznar. And he wasn't sure if they were even here for him.

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

"A moon yes, as if it isn't dense enough to be a planet from the population and cities." He rolled his eyes beneath his mask at the correction, although he was relieved that his partner was in a much clearer state of mind than he was. Alisteri appeared to be far less prepared than the other Inquisitor, choosing to merely wear his usual armor just without the Sith iconography, and with a rather bristled attitude. Nar Shaddaa itself just set his nerves alight like few other worlds did, for a variety of reasons.

The masked man clicked his tongue at the admonishment and glanced back at the other Inquisitor with a slight tilt of his head, as if he hadn't just sat next to the man reading over all of the information that they had been given before they arrived. "My apologies for causing offence Inquisitor Temerant, I'm simply eager to have this Jedi scum dealt with." They weren't exactly there to capture the target after all. His hand had been twitching to reach for his lightsaber since they had entered the system, a Jedi was always a rather fun stress relief to battle.

The news of the bartender having yet to confirm their target wasn't surprising but it was still disappointing to hear. Criminals were always a cowardly bunch, even if they did serve a cartel or wider organization. He fixed Darth Temerant with a slightly surprised look as he stormed off and left him behind, heading to the cantina's entrance. He had half a mind to bark a respinse at the comment but bit his tongue and sighed as he reluctantly followed after his fellow Sith and entered into the dingy cantina.

"Talgo the slug had better have done his job, else it'll be his head I cut off." Alisteri muttered under his breath as he glanced around the bar, keeping his presence within the Force as hidden as his visage. Plenty of seedy people, but they were only after one. "Caznar, where would you be hm?"

Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

"That would be quite a feat," Temerant idly responded to his peer's remark as he scanned the place alongside him. "I've yet to determine where a slug's neck starts. Perhaps they keep it in the same place they do their loyalties," he suggested in a private tone. "Do be mindful when we locate the target. Klatooinians are deceptively tough," he added.

His gait had slightly changed as they'd exited the taxi. Whilst it denoted the same sense of confidence, it was less martial, his body language adapting to present a less formal picture. He even slouched some as he took a seat at the bar, motioning for the bartender. "A blue milk special for me and my friend," he petitioned.

Of course, there was no such thing as a blue milk special. It was code, indicating who they were, and what they were here for.

"Ah!" the bartender exclaimed a little too keenly. He was a bothan who looked a little worse for wear, dark fur having lost all semblance of lustre, a nasty scar adorning his left cheek, the patterns of the cracks suggesting it was not the result of an altercation, but derived from disease. "I've... Not had one of those requested in a while. I'll have to see if we've got any blue milk left, and I do have a booth to attend to first..." he very subtly rocked his head in the general direction of their target. If nothing else, the bothan seemed to retain some of the proclivites for discretion that made his kind such excellent spies. "But I'll go check out back real quick," he offered.

Of course, what he really meant was 'I'm going to go hide before you lunatics make a mess of things.'

Temerant grunted. "Hrn. Be quick about it. We're thirsty."

"Of course, of course..." the bothan agreed, trying not to show too much eagerness as he headed towards the cantina's backroom.

Temerant's indecipherable visage glanced over to Alisteri in silent query, expectant of his readiness.


Darth Strosius Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

Wearing: Worn out street clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber [hidden]
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Tag: Darth Strosius Darth Temerant


"Damn."

Caznar was clearly tempted to look in Brandyn's general eyeline, but resisted. "What is it Brandyn?" He said. The fear in his voice had hit a point of near resignation to his fate.

"Walk straight to the men's room. I will follow you in a few seconds. Don't look back." Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything. Brandyn wasn't taking chances given the circumstances that Caz had created for himself.

"Brandyn..."

"Go," the Jedi hissed beneath his breath.

The Klatooinian finally obeyed, making his way at a pace just a little two fast to go unnoticed by the patrons of the cantina. Brandyn felt a bristle of frustration at his lack of composure, but did not follow him with his eyes. Instead, he watched the men at the bar and their interaction with the barkeeper. You didn't work the shadows of various worlds, and countless cantinas without learning instinctively when you have been picked out of the room as a target, and Caznar had most certainly been picked out.

Calmly, the Jedi stood to his feet, spun on his heels and slowly began his walk towards the back of the cantina, and the men's room.

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri couldn't help but snicker to himself at the slug remark, offering an amused hum in reply. "Tough as they may be, I've yet to meet any flesh that can withstand a lightsaber." He spoke back in a low and hidden voice, even as they slipped deeper into the cantina. Much like his fellow Sith he had adopted a more casual, but still determined, stride to the bar. For any average onlooker he may have came off as some bounty hunter or simple hired gun, as was the intention.

He crossed his arms and glanced the Bothan up and down with his hidden gaze as he leaned against the counter. As anticipated the informant did appear rather flighty but at least the code was accepted and understood. "Better bring double drinks for the trouble bartender."

Watching the informant scurry off was a bit amusing, but he had other matters to attend to. With a sigh he turned and leaned back against the counter with his front facing the entrance to the cantina as he subtlety glanced around. Sure enough in the rough direction that the bartender had nodded to there was indeed a patron hurrying off to the back of the building.

"Found us a booth." Alisteri pushed off of the counter and began weaving his way through the crowd and around tables to follow after their fleeing target. There did seem to be more than one person getting up to follow after the Klatooinian but a quick glance ahead at the bathroom soothed his initial concern. Alchohol did do a number on the body after all.

Even if their target did have some friends it was of no matter, the reports indicated only one Jedi would be there so there was little else to fear. What were some dingy refugees and criminals going to do against two Inquisitors anyway?

Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

The Knight Inquisitor nodded to his words, standing from the counter to join his liege lady apparent's apprentice. However, unlike him, he was none-too-eager to find any opposition. In their line of work, especially outside the Order's confines, discretion was the name of the game, as far as he was concerned. Flashing red lightsabers in public was less than desirable, all things considered. And this was doubly true for the Hutt's domains, he'd found out the hard way.

Having posed as a bounty hunter on several occasions, he'd encountered all kinds of unexpected trouble. Once, he secured a target alive, and had to dispatch a band of kriffers who'd jumped him simply because they assumed his prisoner had to be worth some credits if a bounty hunter was onto them. Another, what was meant to be a simple elimination had turned into a one-man-war against what seemed at the time to be half of the moon's criminal element. Of course, that was unlikely to be the case with a Jedi, but in games of subterfuge, he'd long since concluded the best policy was to assume your intel was lacking, and prepare for the worst.

Hence, as they walked, he scanned the bodies they weaved through for an appropriate victim to help him cause a distraction. He wasn't the most adept at this sort of thing: expressing his power through the Force had always come more easily to him on a physical level. But he was a Knight Inquisitor, and he'd been trained in all manner of little tricks.

In a Nar Shaddaa cantina, it didn't take him too long to find his opportunity. Spotting a booth with a few aliens deep in their cups, he took note of a faust who seemed to have the others in fits with his japes, clearly intoxicated, which would make him all the easier to manipulate. Not very far, a vicious looking chistori seemed to be in some manner of heated argument over his holocom. Perfect.

Subtly, Temerant pointed his fingers towards the faust at the height of his napel, letting them dance before closing into a fist as he exerted his influence.

In a matter of seconds, the faust had turned towards the chistori. "Hey, you! Ugly!" he demanded the saurian's attention. "Why don't you crawl back to whatever zoo you escaped from? You're killing the vibe in here!" he shouted at the reptile behemoth. There was a brief moment of confusion on both their faces, which was quick to turn to dismay in the faust's, and anger in the chistori's. Were the faust not naturally chalk-like in complexion, Temerant was sure he'd have seen the blood drain from his face, much like it did from some of his companions, some of them instinctively moving for their weapons in their shock.

"What did you just say to me?!" the chistori roared.

"N-n-no! I don't know what came over me, I'm so-" he never did finish the sentence, as the chistori leaped over the table.

"Food!" he snarled as he fell down on the faust - clearly as some kind of insult. Or so one might hope.

And then all hell broke loose. Nothing quite like a cantina brawl to keep the patrons' attention elsewhere.

"Some people are so sensitive," Temerant commented wryly to his partner as the crowd shifted towards the soon-to-be sprawling altercation. Moments later, the door to the men's restroom found itself opening to let the two Inquisitors inside.

Darth Strosius Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

Wearing: Worn out street clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber [hidden]
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Tag: Darth Strosius Darth Temerant

A couple of smelly Weequay pushed out of the men's room just as Brandyn was about to enter. He made way for them, and cast a glance back just as the ruckus was beginning. Diversionary tactic.

It was a tactic he had even used himself. Probably wasn't the most Jedi of things to have done, but undercover work brought about many a grey moral area. Before the door could close, Brandyn's shoulder was already making contact and pushing into the room. Caznar stood on the other side, worry writ large across his face.

"There isn't any other way out of here Brandyn..."

"That's the point, Caz. Might by us some time if we make a way out where they are not expecting one to be found," Brandyn said quietly. The good news for Caznar was that these hunters didn't know there was a Jedi on their prey's side.

"I think they will know if we blow a hole in the wall, Bran," Caznar said, casting side-eyes at the human who was going from stall to stall placing his hand on the back wall and pausing for a moment, "what....are you doing?"

"Here...this is the spot," Brandyn said before reaching under his coat and pulling out his lightsaber. With a snap-hiss, the blade sprung into life and Brandyn jammed the point of the blade into the wall and began to cut.

The Klatooinian took a step back. "You're a...you're a...wait...you're a Jedi!?"

The slice of wall began to fall forward, but a quick push through the Force saw it fall away from Brandyn. He kept a hold of it through his mind, and allowed it to hit the ground without much of a thud.

"Come with me if you want to live," Brandyn said over his shoulder as he clambered through the hole in the wall, and into the storage cupboard of the shop behind the cantina.

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

As Alisteri and his partner weaved through the crowd he idly ran over a handful of scenarios in his mind of how to best this Jedi. From what information they'd gotten from the Hutt, it was likely a master that they were dealing with so proper planning and tactics would be key. The scum of the galaxy didn't care much for the politics of the Jedi and Sith unless there were credits or favors involved, meaning that if a fight broke out in the open then the cantina's crowd could go either way in terms of assistance or hinderance.

Probably for the best not to involve them on the off chance that the Jedi had built up some good reputation among the locals, leaving less bodies to clean up in the aftermath. Another concern however was the possibility that their target wasn't alone in his mission. Most belonged to some sort of order and would have allies of some manner to call upon regardless of how the locals felt about them.

The last thing they needed was to face off against an entire strike force just to slay one nosy Jedi, so they'd have to be quick before any reinforcements could be summoned. Thankfully quick and discreet were something of a specialty for the Inquisition. If they played their cards right and there did happen to be a further Jedi presence on Nar Shaddaa then perhaps his master would even sanction a wider investigation, and thus offer more chances to cull the corruption and crime in addition to the Jedi. One could hope.

He glanced at Temerant as the other Sith moved away, a smirk cropping up under his mask as a distraction pulled any attention that the pair and their prey may have garnered away. It was always a relief to have competent allies whilst on a hunt.

Soon enough the Inquisitors had grouped up again and stood before the door to the restroom, where their prey and his friend had last been seen. He glanced at his fellow Sith and nodded at the door. "Think that bartender has an out of order sign we can borrow?" Without hesitation he strode into the restroom as the door opened, his vision snapping to each open stall that he passed.

Perhaps their prey had a nervous bladder? He was a Jedi after all. "Caznar, where have you gone? We've heard that you've been assisting some...friends of ours. We just want to talk."

Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

Temerant hummed to Alisteri's suggestion. It was -not- a bad idea. But they were Sith. They had no use for signs, when they could just exert their will. As the door automatically closed behind them, he looked for a control panel: finding none, as was common in public locales, he focused: he knew the mechanisms of doors well enough, and there was a light wrenching sound: no one would open the door unless they wanted it to be. Well. Not without considerable force.

As Darth Strosius tried to bait their prey out, his posture changed once again. He lowered his body slightly, bringing out his lightsaber yet not igniting it: it was black, naturally, the colour matte and absent a shine. It was fairly slick, the design giving little insight as to its inner workings or materials, the handle slightly longer than usual and wrapped in a rich, dark leather which almost seemed at odds with the rest of the weapon. His movement was not unlike that of an operative might with their blasters outs, advancing quietly and close to the stalls to both minimize chances of detection and gain an advantageous position, should their mark try to jump them, following his partner's reaction for signs of recognition as he looked into each stall, even as he gave them ample time to interact, should they choose to.

However, they seemed to be mostly empty, one of the conspicuously shut. The man took point at the side of the stall, far enough that the door's end would end up right before where he stood, signalling to Strosius his intent to open it with a pair of simple hand gestures, before indicating he should ready himself. He adopted a combat ready stance, he himself ready for the worst, his free hand lifted three fingers. Two. One...

He tugged lightly at first with the force, but finding no resistance, he opened the door in full swing with a stronger pull... Only to find a hole in the wall. He let out a gruff exhale, giving Alisteri a quick glance before focusing his attention forth.

"Hrmph. I sometimes wish they lined everything with phrik," he grumbled in a private tone. It looked like Caznar and his friend had grown savvy to their presence after all. "Looks like Caznar has a passenger. Let us be cautious," he continued to whisper. "Never know what kind of 'friends' he might have tagging along," he noted, before making an inviting gesture to the hole. "After you," he cordially offered, though doubtless, he either had some tactical or mayhaps even selfish reasoning backing the suggestion.

Likely a little bit of both.

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

Wearing: Worn out street clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber [hidden]
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Tag: Darth Strosius Darth Temerant


"Hey...you're not supposed to be back there..."

Paying not head to the rotund Besalisk, who was reaching to grab both of them, but had gotten himself wedged in the narrow gap in the counter through with Brandyn had just gone. Caznar looked back, still stunned at the revelation as to Brandyn's true nature. "Keep moving, Caz," Brandyn said, while glancing back.

The Klatooinian was going slower, pointing dumbfoundedly at Brandyn. All about them patrons of the more than seedy business, were making their frustrations known to the establishments owner. Brandyn pushed the door open, reaching back to grab Caznar by the wrist. "I said...keep moving..."

The young Kaltooinian only got so far through the door, before he was wrenched from Sal-Soren's grasp and pulled back into the smoke filled room. It was only when Brandyn looked back and saw the amount of smoke, clearly from numerous people partaking of various medicinal substances, that a coughing fit was triggered.

"...I said...you are not supposed to be back there!"

There was Caznar, held in one of the Besalisk's four large arms, while the others sought to reach out the door for Brandyn. It wasn't hard for Brandyn to avoid the man's grappling hands, but that was not the only goal. How to free Caznar without causing a greater degree of disturbance was the question.

"You will release him, immediately," Brandyn said, in hurried flustered words, pushing his words over ripples in the Force.

The Besalisk shook his head, at first it was as if he was trying to clear a fly from his face but it turned into a simple shake to say no.

"Get here you whelp." Large hands again reached for Brandyn who ducked out of the way.

Calming his breathing, mind focusing in on the four-armed proprietor, Brandyn spoke again. "You...will...release...him...and make sure there are no more of us in the storage room."

There was an initial moment of despair, where Brandyn felt he had failed, but then the muscles of the enraged Besalisk relaxed, dropping Caznar from his grasp. "I will release him and make sure there are no more of you in the storage room."

"How did you..."

"Just move, Caz," Brandyn said, grabbing the Klatooinian by the wrist again and dragging him into the foot traffic at the end of the alleyway.

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Of course it wouldn't be as simple as merely finding their target hiding in one of the stalls, not with a Jedi at least. Every stall was empty, although some had clearly been used carelessly much to his disgust, but that left a question. Where had their target gone? One stall remained closed and he was quick to post up beside the door as Temerant joined him.

Alisteri slipped a hand inside his cloak to pull out his lightsaber as he nodded in response to the signals. When the door was flung open however, something rather unexpected greeted them. "A...hole." He shared a glance with the other Inquisitor. "Clever little Jedi, perhaps our information was right after all. We may be dealing with a master after all." He whispered, albeit reluctantly given said information had come from a Hutt of all things. Credit where credit was due he supposed.

He stepped into the stall to inspect the hole in the wall after Temerant, his gaze narrowing at the room on the other side. "Some sort of storage area by the looks of it, mind your corners." Alisteri raised an eyebrow at the invitation to go first but merely shrugged and stepped through the hole. He planted his foot down on the other side and his head swiveled to try and spot any initial signs of movement.

Finding none he glanced back at the other Inquisitor with a nod and a gesture to follow before moving into the room fully. His steps were slow and nearly silent despite the heavy boots that he wore as he crept further into the storage room, it being small and unassuming but still a potential hiding spot for their target and his friend.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be-" The Besalisk rounded the corner and barely had time to utter his warning before Alisteri had extended his hand and wrapped his fingers around the larger alien's throat. Despite the size difference, the Sith had no trouble holding the cantina worker up off the ground with one hand as the other's four hands attempted to claw his hand away from his neck. "We're not here for you. Where are the others that passed by here? A Klatooinian and his friend, where did they go?"

The only response he received was a sudden punch to his mask, one that had little effect other than making his grip tighten. "Inquisitor Temerant, I'm about to make a mess. Do we have a reason to spare this one? None come to mind at the moment." He idly rolled his lightsaber around in his other hand as his spoke, the tip pointing right at the belly of the Besalisk.

Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

Temerant readied to jump on the Besalisk in the man's defense, but Darth Strosius was far ahead of him. He watched as he so casually lifted the large alien into the air. Strong, he mused. Deceptively strong. Tough, too, considering he'd shrugged off a punch from a creature which almost seemed made for punching.

Seeing his partner in crime had things under control, he moved to inspect the area, only to come to realize why the Besalisk was so intent on keeping them out. Nevertheless, he scanned it in search of the Jedi and his passenger. Nothing.

He veered his head towards the Sith, considering his question. "Ending him is your prerogative," he concluded, reminding himself not to utter the Sith's name in public. "Outside of the mission's parameters, I would not presume to tell you what you can or cannot do. Though I would suggest you do not use your weapon, to keep up with appearances. You already have his throat, and their skin is thinner there by necessity: their wattle is inflatable. Mind he does not use it to loosen your grip. But ripping it out should be a simple thing," he commented, his tone much too matter-of-fact.

"They're not here," he grunted after looking over the drug users. "I'll go on ahead. We cannot afford to give them space to lose us. Nar Shaddaa is much too labyrinthic, " he informed his fellow Inquisitor, getting on with the prowl.

Hopefully, Caznar and Brandyn would not be too far off ahead, the man soon scanning the alleway for signs of their presence.

Darth Strosius Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

Wearing: Worn out street clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber [hidden]
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Tag: Darth Strosius Darth Temerant


With the milling sentients in the streets of Nar Shadda, Brandyn felt as though useable cover would not be hard to come by. There was always someone open to making a quick buck to hide some random stranger, if you could trust them not to nark on you in exchange for a bigger price. It was a subtle game. If they made it clear there was someone hiding there, and the chasers still missed the obvious clues, the people hiding would clearly be unimpressed, possibly even aggressively so. However, if you did to good a job you might be missing out on a massive pay day. It was a dance ever time you relied on someone else to hide you.

They would have to rely on themselves.

"Brandyn...tell me who you are..."

"We don't have time, Caz," Brandyn said, tugging on the Klatooinian's arm.

The Jedi glanced about. It was a typical small goods mercantile street. There were many ne'er-do-wells loitering and merchants calling out to passerbys.

"They are not following us...and I will not follow you...unless I know who you really are," Caznar said in a lowered volume as he leant in towards Brandyn, "are you...a Jedi?"

Releasing his friends arm, Brandyn considered the outcomes quickly. Was a betrayal by Caz on the cards? Brandyn was pretty sure that Caz could make a quick and easy buck with this sort of intel. However, he was still being hunted by a Hutt's goons. So who could he sell the information to without jeopardizing his own life. It wasn't the sort of information that could pay of a debt to a Hutt, especially with one that had no qualms with Brandyn personally.

"Yes. I am. And I give you my word that I will get you off Nar Shaddaa...if only you would do as I say."

He could only hope that the delay was not going to undermine their head start.

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri did have half a mind to wrap his other hand around the neck of the Besalisk and end the alien before it could cause them more trouble, a mere elimination of what could be a possible breach in their mission's integrity. He glanced at his fellow Inquisitor as he spoke, idly catching how the eyes of the Besalisk grew wide at the mention of his wattle. Said muscle could be felt underneath his palm now. "An interesting idea." One that would certainly take care of their little problem.

Their target couldn't have gotten that far, not with how fresh the hole in the wall had been. But they couldn't afford any hold ups if they were to catch up to him and his friend in time. "I'll be right behind you."

He slipped his lightsaber back into his cloak as the alien's eyes widened, choosing to simply beat him into unconsciousness rather than waste the extra time it would take to ensure a proper kill. Alisteri dropped the Besalisk without much fanfare after two swift punches and quickly moved to follow after Temerant onto the busy streets.

Finding their targets in the midst of a crowd would be hard, especially given that half of Nar Shaddaa seemed to be ready to flee or fight at a moment's notice. It would be all too easy to lose them amidst the rest of the criminal scum that inhabited the moon. They needed eyes on the Jedi and fast. Without much delay he strode out of the alleyway and gestured for the other Sith to split up. They had to cover as much ground as possible.

Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

Caznar was patently wrong about one thing: the Sith were definitely following them, even if the trail had gone cold.With naught but a nod to his companion, Temerant went on the prowl.

There was something that always felt right about following his prey: he was a hunter, long before the Sith had found him. Even moreso, once they did.

With a prodigal jump, Temerant took to higher ground. The ecumenopolis's unique and scattered architecture might prove hazardous to vehicles, and rough to navigate for most, but for someone who traversed the way he did, it was a dream come true. Platforms, oddly protruding structures, ledges, makeshit bridges and signs all provided a myriad of opportunities to move quickly and for the most part, undetected as the Knight Inquisitor ran and leaped throughout the city, trying not to lose himself to the enjoyment it brought him as he focused on the mission.

Caznar and his passenger couldn't have gotten far, but they did have a few options. They could attempt to hide and go underground, attempting to lose them entirely in the chaotic anarchy of the city or attempting to go off-moon entirely. Klatooinians were large, however, averaging a meter eighty, and it was relatively rare to see them in the company of humans, even a sprawling melting pot as Shaddaa.

"X3," he contacted his protocol droid through the helm's comms as he leaped onto a large sign, a vantage point where he could oversee their more immediate surroundings quite well.

"Yes Master?" came in the droid.

"Triangulate my position and give me the rundown of all the best escape routes," he ordered as he fell to a squat. "Prioritize ones that lead to ship hangars. And remember to include our intel on unregulated ones," he continued.

"At once Master. By the way..."

"No. Hold the sass," Temerant grunted. "I need to concentrate."

The droid fell silent as he scanned the city for his mark. There was too much activity, however, and Caznar was doing a good job of concealing his own presence in the Force. He'd have to get creative, thin out the streets.

Now, Nar Shaddaa was extremely polluted, and Temerant had, all in all, a mind well suited to physics and scientific pursuits. He had, in the past, used this knowledge to great effect in the pursuit of his goals, using the environment to his advantage, and this, would be no different.

He focused on his surroundings, allowed the flow of the Force to flood his senses. It was a cloudy night - some of them natural, most caused by the mixture of noxious gasses that flooded the moon's atmosphere. All the elements were there, and the city had plenty of energy to draw from.

First, came the precipitation, the chemicals in the air making it naturally acidic. An inconvenience, to be sure, but nothing harmful in the short term. However, then came the fog, as Temerant nudged the heat being blasted off exhaust vents from power plants in the lower parts of the city to rise and mix with the cool air. The acidic haze began sprawling over the area under his command, much more harmful and alarming. It was perhaps not the rarest occurrence in Shaddaa, but still enough to push many of the species to seek cover, not to mention it would prove disorienting. Nevertheless, to the keen mind it might prove apparent that the sudden change in atmosphere seemed almost rushed... deliberate, even. Tactical.

He tapped the his holo-deck, getting on comms with his partner. "Darth Strosius," he grunted into his helmet. "You may wish to switch to infrared imaging soon, if your helm allows for such," he suggested, even as he did the likes, his eyes glued to the crowds, his senses focused in case the Jedi slipped up as the acidic haze rolled in.

Darth Strosius Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

​

Wearing: Worn out street clothes
Equipment: Lightsaber [hidden]
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Tag: Darth Strosius Darth Temerant


"Come on," Brandyn said, tugging at Caz's arm, "we need to get off the streets."

If had learned anything about the way these Hutt's worked, it was that they would not be giving up easily and that they would have eyes everywhere. The best hope was to find a place with less eyes and pray to Shiraya that said eyes were not under the direct employ of that specific Hutt. Sure, a quick deluge of creds or a serious enough threat might get the intel out of someone, but they had to know the right person to pay off, or beat up.

The flickering sign above the door ahead was in Aurebesh, reading as Cannoli House. Human and Klatooinian walked into the greasy-spoon restaurant, and the patronage didn't even offer them a second look. Releasing Caznar's wrist, Brandyn pushed back through the closely placed tables and chairs, as he made his way to the back of the room. "We will just use the facilities before ordering," Brandyn said, noting the waiter's perturbed expression.

"We?"

Frowning, Brandyn turned back to the front of the store only to see Caznar leaving. "Oh...no..."

Whatever he had thought about his role in this scenario, it had just become a whole lot tougher, because apparently he now had an unwilling Caznar who was still in need of rescue.

"Caznar!" Brandyn called out in frustration from the front door as it opened. The smell of the exterior hit him hard this time. It was as if the environment had turned on him, his path no longer as clear as it had just been. It was no longer 'keep moving forward'. That was a simple plan.

"I will take care of myself..."

​

 

[Darth Strosius]

While his partner took the high ground to look over the crowd, Alisteri chose to stay and maneuver through the crowds in order to use a far simpler method of tracking. With a simple flick of one of the small buttons lining his mask's edge and the filters were switched off to allow the musty air of Nar Shaddaa to flood into it unhindered. After a brief recoil he breathed it in with only a disgusted sigh in reaction. "It's for the job." That was what he had to keep in mind if he were to endure.

Slipping through the crowd with his senses on high alert for their prey admittedly was far from the best plan, but between himself and Temerant eventually they would find the Jedi and his little friend. It was only a matter of time.

Then he caught a whiff of a vaguely familiar scent, a scent that their prey had left behind back at the cantina. The scent of a Klatooinian. His gaze snapped around as he began trailing after the scent, pushing past various unsavory figures as he worked his way though the crowd. Before he could get a proper sense of anything but a vague direction though a rain began and only the quick timing of his mask's filters switching back on kept the fog from irritating him as it rolled in soon after. An inconvenience but not one that couldn't be overcome.

:"Alas my helmet lacks such advanced gadgetry, but fear not. I am more than capable of making up the difference, our target passed through here not long ago.": With the environment now turned to their advantage the crowd became far thinner as more would flock inside to escape the odd and even harmful weather that had suddenly appeared. Alisteri's gaze swept the street until finally someone stepped out of a building rather than rushing in, some dingy little restaurant out of the corner of his eye. A slight turn of his head and he glimpsed at the infamous Caznar standing in the doorway, ripe for the taking.

He quickly tapped on his helmet to send a ping through the commlink to alert the other Sith of his location as he slipped through the thinning crowd towards the restaurant. :"Target spotted, moving to engage.":

Darth Temerant / Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Darth Temerant]

​

Temerant canted his head at Alisteri's response. It was not the first time he dwelled on how little he actually knew about his partner - which was befitting, all things considered. He'd have been disappointed if the man was an open book. But his answer did beg the question, how did he know this? Nar Shaddaa was one of the dirtiest, most vile cesspits in the known galaxy, and even an expert tracker like himself could easily get overwhelmed with sensory feedback or lose track of his prey amongst it.

He felt his interest piquing, but the mission took priority, not to mention it was a matter he would have to breach discretely. Most Sith weren't keen on others sticking their noses in their affairs; Sith like them, least amongst them. He knew this all too well.

"Copy," he grunted into the comms. "I'll stay high, keep eyes on the situation, and provide back-up when necessary," he let him know.

It did not take him more than a couple of moments to spot the encroaching figure of his partner, and that of the large alien now that the crowds had dispersed and the streets were relatively free. It seemed like he had lost his passenger: good. It was better for all parties involved if this stayed between the three of them.

With that, he vaulted off the bright sign, hand outstretched. He pulled with the force on a clothes line, which he used to swing towards a wall that ran in their direction. He bounced a few steps off it as he ran accross its surface, before using the force to give him a slight boost as he jumped towards the one opposite, moving a few steps further along the vertical concrete before needing to come to a stop, using the railing to keep himself in place, feet solidly planted. It was just as well: he was right atop them now.

"...Hi."

Temerant instinctively reached for his lightsaber at the sound of the timid greeting, only to find a young, Azumel girl staring at him, all six, orange eyes wide.

"...Hi," the man echoed in a quiet tone, even as he cursed internally.

The girl got tentatively closer, if only to look at the railing, and the considerable height they were at, the smog haven't quite risen to their level yet. "How did you do that?" she asked, mimicking his hushed tone without really thinking about it. "Are you a Jedi?"

"...Not exactly. Now I need you to be very qui..."

"Then how did you do that?" she insisted.

Temerant grunted, then waved his free hand in front of her, three fingers outstretched in a gesture. "You didn't see anything. You are going to go play inside. Today is going to be a good day."

"I didn't see anything," the girl agreed. "I am going to go play inside. Today is going to be a good day," she concluded as she scampered off back inside her home.

Temerant let out a relieved sigh, gravelly as it was, before focusing his attention back on the street.

Brandyn Sal-Soren Darth Strosius

​