A Step into the Underground

[Jacob Crawford]

Language barrier or not, even Jacob understood what the Hutt wanted in exchange when the creature's large hand was outstretched before him. It made sense to Jacob that Piwnod was in need of credits, if the state of his current establishment was anything to go by. But he was hesitating, a thousand credits was likely going to go for nothing - disappear for a pitiful purpose and be wasted on the Hutts attempts to try and keep his empire afloat. Yet, given the context of what Thraxis had said since he first met the man, handing over a few chips was the lesser evil of payment the Hutt would likely ask for.

He kept one eye on Piwnod and the other on Thraxis when the man finally relayed what he already figured out for himself. Jacob did raise a slight eyebrow at Thraxis' exaggerated reaction, wondering why he was playing it up for the Hutt. Though that became a bit more clearer when Thraxis leaned in to whisper, and Piwnod become increasingly aggressive in his stance - impatience clear in the Hutts eyes. It seemed the crime lord, if he could still be called that, was desperate for the credits.

"Very well." Jacob kept an emotionless mask - biting back a sigh, as he reached into one of his pockets and began thumbing around the credit chips he had in there. For once, Jacob actually thanked his father, to be dumb enough to keep a portion of his fortune hidden on his ship. The rest was something he'd have to track down at a later date. He deftly grabbed the correct number into his hand before finally pulling it out and dropping the credits into the Hutt's hand. "That should suffice." He gave Piwnod a knowing look, figuring the Hutt would immediately start counting to ensure it was the correct amount, which it was and Jacob had intentionally slipped a couple hundred more in there for good measure. Though sometimes greasing a greedy man's hand was a potential double-edged sword.

Credits meant nothing to Jacob if it meant an easy transaction to get what he wanted.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

The mighty Hutt rolled his fingers, he didn't really care for how much there was. He simply turned around, his time wasted as far as he could tell. A simple expedition through his territory for a neutral party was at worst collateral damage if a fight broke out. Slowly it wadded towards what a Hutt called a throne others called a space with a couple pillows littered about, his arm waving them away as a few guards waddled over, standing between the Duo, long Halberds held at their sides arms outstretched with the meaning clear. Leave.

Thraxis bowed his head, in a slightly mocking way, a flamboyant stance is taken as he slowly turned around, the dealings were done, the Hutt made a scoff as he quickly grabbed the Kowakian monkey, aggressively tossing it to the side as more Hooka flowed through its lungs, its features quickly relaxing as it took what could very well be its last puff. The doors slowly sliding close as Thraxis took what very likely was, his last. Puffs of Hookah still slowly seeping out of the cracks and crevices of the door as he turned to Jacob, letting loose a sigh. "So..." he inquired, a befuddled look running over him as he dashed his fingers against his arm in a melodious tune. "Was that all you really needed? Him to allow you free reign through his territory?" It was something maybe an arch-nemesis done, and he thought the man simply wanted information rather than just a sightseeing expedition.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Once Piwnod had turned around - indicating their transaction was finished, Jacob had already turned on his heel and moved for the exit not bothering to hide the fact he had no desire to be inside the building for a moment longer. He hadn't even waited or looked back to see if Thraxis was following, and by the time he had caught up Jacob had already stepped outside and inhaling the air a few times - dispelling whatever fumes he had taken in by just standing inside. With the pair now outside Jacob looked over at his guide, a somewhat displeased look on his face.

"How the kark do people stand being in there all the time. that stuff felt like it was suffocating." Though if he took a moment to think about it, the answer was pretty obvious. You get use to it, and try not to lose yourself completely to it. Once he felt like he had sufficently cleared his lungs, Jacob motioned for Thraxis to follow as this time he took the lead. While Thraxis had done his job as his guide, Jacob still had use for the man.

"Ultimately yes, that's all I needed. And honestly if I stayed any longer the desire to just gut the Hutt would've driven me to acting on it." Some of Jacob's anger began to leak out through the Force, a dark aura that just lingered around him like a cloak. His thoughts turned to another particular Hutt that he'd rather see dead sooner rather than later. He reined in the anger; the aura as he opened his mouth to continue speaking. "I should've probably just taken out the men that stopped me and just gone on my way. Or maybe just waited a week longer and Piwnod would likely be dead." Jacob shrugged, more so to himself than anyone else. "That's hindsight I suppose."

Jacob was leading them back towards where they had originally been in Mos Espa, as they were going to need a vehicle to get to where he needed to reach. As they walked though, they eventually went through a more compact collection of buildings, a network of short streets and alleyways connecting them. It was the kind of place you'd use for the more shady - out of the public eye dealings. A perfect spot to hide something. Which is precisely what caught Jacob's eye as they passed through by a large heap of trash.

A leg was sticking out of it.

It was probably not a shocking sight for this area of the city especially to Thraxis, but to Jacob he felt his senses suddenly go on alert. A slight disturbance in the Force indicating there was something wrong about this situation, warning him of a hidden threat. With a few casual movements of the hand, Jacob moved the piles of trash with the Force, revealing buried beneath were three bodies of which most of their clothing were absent. Jacob immediately recognized them as the men who had stopped him from entering Piwnod's territory. Why are they here? Surely they should be still outside the city...unless they were coming back for a guard change or something.

Jacob turned to Thraxis. "They're the ones that stopped me before, the ones who told me to seek out Piwnod."

Before he could say much more though, sudden movement from all directions caught his attention. At every exit and entrance, were at least one or two lightly armored men all totting ranged weapons. They looked more like some random mercenary gang, not the lackies of another crime lord. And while they didn't outright start shooting, they did begin to slowly close in on Thraxis and Jacob - weapons aimed ready to fire at a moment's notice.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

Thraxis shrugged as his employer seemed somewhat out of his depths, a den of smoke and drugs was one of the most common sights to see in a Hutt's lair, second only to gore and blood. But that was more of a Glidrak special and they didn't get much interaction, they were who you went to for guns and Mercenaries after all. "Meh. Let the Hutt live out his life the way he sees fit. Not like he has much of it left anyway." He said with that jovial glee, once the Hutt died there would be blood on the streets, each Hutt bouncing on the opportunity to take as much of his land as possible. He was about to walk off until Jacob gave a subtle motion, implying him to follow. Thraxis brow furrowed, he was simply to play guide but if he needed him for longer, who was he to say no.

A strange bounce in his step, as if he frolicked behind the man like a child would through a field of flowers, the thought of what was coming was exhilarating, all this land would soon be reaped with blood, marred crimson for all to see, bodies of all old and young littering the streets in the Hutts indomitable drive to conquer all they see before them. He listened as the man spoke with utter contempt for the man, it seemed everyone hated the Hutts, few with a genuine reason, though. Something he never fully understood. Maybe they had a bad deal once or twice, but most of Thraxis interaction had gone relatively swimmingly. "I mean..." Thraxis replied, his jovial dance coming to a halt as he took a more tempered pace, "Have you ever tried to gut a Hutt? Would take quite some time I must admit." He continued, Hutts were a tricky lot, hard to kill and even harder to torture. Most see them as nothing more than slugs who get others to do their work for them. But they can move fast if given their armour, they can crush someone beneath but a single fold, survive losing half their head and if feeling excited, could pop someone's head beneath their meaty arms.

He went on some tirade about someone who stopped him, but he didn't seem to be talking to Thraxis, so he simply ignored the conversation piece, something about murdering some men. Always murder with this galaxy, no one ever wants to try the diplomatic option. Thraxis including himself in the screw diplomacy train of thinking. His employer had dragged his ass back through the desert of buildings, the strange dunes shifting ever so slightly since they were last there and was pulled into the intricate back alleyways of Mos Espa. He had been through them a couple times, most come through to get to black markets or make their shady dealings, while Thraxis simply comes through to get drunk out of the public's eye.

Thraxis took little note of the leg, he was more interested in the sounds behind them, the softly trodden steps, the next to silent breathing and the few words swapped between what sounded like a few men. HE didn't let it be made not of, he slowly slipped his hand along the zipper of his bag, a hand digging through as he pulled out an RL-40 and one of his Pistolas. He watched as the bags moved and folded out of the way, he could tell by the simple intricacies of the movement, he looked for a split second with contempt, tension filling between him and the man before him before letting it slide. Such a simple task like moving some bags and he defaulted to the force. Deplorable. Lucky for him, his mask shadowed his frown and curled features as he looked at him. "Didn't know anyone had stopped you. Should have told me that." It at least made sense now why Jacob had wanted to get permission, the trio was likely just cashing in on the fleeting empire of Pic nod.

With a deft single motion, he was going to try and clear them an exit and keep the Employer safe. Not an easy job when surrounded but he never signed up for easy ones anyway. With the exception fo this one, eh thought this would have been an easy way to kill time. On a single foot he turned, the other outstretched as he spun to their rear, his leg crashign into the Emplyer's body with the intent of brining him to the ground to hide behind some of the trash, since no doubt once the first shot was fired, a cataclysmic storm of bullets were going to pursue. Two diffrent shots were fired, a large net outstretched, crackles of yellow light twisting around the rope as in less than a second one had already been knocked down, his body falling into a seizure of motion, his muscles contracting rapidly as he was quickly subdued. From the other the sound of hammer meeting shell erupted, a single baclk bullet rolling through the air and cracking through his partner's chest, blood spilling rapidly as Thraxis essentially exterted every drop of luck he could on one swift motion, waiting for his back to be pelted by gunfire. But hell, Phrik wasn't going to crack so easily.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

The pair were in a T-shaped alleyway, the ones Thraxis had quickly dispatched were coming from their right. It left the alley straight ahead and the one to the left still occupied by the enemy. The moment Thraxis' weapons were discharged, so to were the mercenarys', though two of their number were not down. It was array of red and green blasts as they zipped towards the pair, most of them missed - smashing into the wall instead, while a blast did managed to nick across Thraxis' back. Jacob was about to snap at Thraxis for the sudden pushing around, but given that it helped avoid getting blasted, Jacob refrained from voicing his complaint. Before another volley of fire could land on the Zelton, Jacob swung his arms out and tore a chunk of stone from a nearby crumbling building, pulling the wide piece into the pathway of the blast. Rather than hitting its mark, It struck the stone sending smaller pieces everywhere. The third pair fired off another burst, but it just barely skimmed past Thraxis and impacted against the wall.

Jacob frowned, immediately noting they were intentionally firing on Thraxis and not him. Why? Are they enemies of his, or are they trying to take him out bec-

His thought was interrupted when he heard the telltale sound of a bowcaster whirling up a charge, then the weapon was fired Jacob quickly tugged Thraxis back with the Force slightly, moving him out of the blast that instead slammed into the wall - sending pieces of debris at them. Jacob's anger was building up again, the darkened aura surrounded him; weaving itself around his hands as he formulated a plan. He lashed out down towards the alleyway in front of them, where he had previously taken a chunk out of. He sent several blasts into the crumbling building, aggressively smashing into it until it toppled down towards the mercenaries. But they were able to jump fowards to avoid it, though they were now prone on the floor vulnerable to attack. It had at the very least taken the bowcaster out of the equation.

"Deal with them." Jacob said tersely, as he turned his attention to the leftside alleyway. They had seemingly halted their firing to try and 'sneak up' on them, given that Jacob was closest to them. It was clear to him that they intended to capture him, as they were refusing to fire on him. When his eyes locked onto them, they froze - unsure what to do exactly. Jacob however wasn't the type to give them many options, as he used the Force to pull a sheet of metal from the trash pile. He held it horizontally in front of him, then began to rotate his hand again and again, making the metal start to spin getting increasingly faster each time. It didn't take too long for the two mercenaries to started back-pedalling. But seconds later Jacob sent the now deadly spinning piece of metal towards them.

Maybe one would get out of the alleyway before it struck, but the other was not going to be so lucky. Thraxis had already incapicated one of them, so whether all the mercenaries died or fled, Jacob didn't care. As long as one remained to be questioned.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

The penultimate group was his it seemed, he turned to look at them, a group of hardened veterans, scars lacing their skin as a cocky grin drew along their faces, muscles pulsating with joy as the two behemoths walked down the alleyway, guns ready as they slowly closed in on the duo. Thraxis dropped his armament, his fingers extended as he pressed them back and forth against his palm, the universal sign of, Bring it. Something that was seemingly well received as the duo dropped their guns, confidence running through them as they quickly broke into a sprint, closing the distance between himself and Mr Beyblade. His fists raised slowly, a seldom seen martial arts stance taken that had long since passed the test of time. Teräs Käsi.

His stance lowered, his hands outstretched as his breath became nothing more than a faint puff, his body growing lax as the first of the duo swung, its fist cracking the wall to the side from his hook, as his back bent downwards, his hands pressing against the ground as his body turned to a Crablike posture. The man looked down, his arm raised high as he prepared for a crotch shot, Thraxis eyes showed little enjoyment from this fight, but what was to be expected, these two were clearly more prone to back alley rough em ups than fighting against decent combatants. His leg swung up high, a trail of crimson spraying from the creatures face as a guttural groan released as a spiral of flames erupted propelling him up to a boxers stance as slowly the behemoth fell with a thud, shards of bone cracking a dozen fold more as the behemoth laid dead, blood trailing from the crystalline eyes as he turned to the next.

The next behemoth tried to mimic the pose, not hard considering it was the first fighting style anyone in the galaxy adopted, Thraxis legs swayed back and fourth as a flurry of quick successive punches come rolling through, little movements made as he turned size against his opponent. He slid between the beasts legs, his boots flaring to life as he turned three sixty on the floor, the sheer force of the twist and power behind the boots quickly mimicked the effect of a bullet, the creature's legs crippled, knocked over and panting from the sheer exhaustion of punches. Thraxis turned around, looking up and down the man. "This is why I don't fight street thugs." he moaned, unenthused by the fight, one final time his boot flared to life, crushing the testicles of the opponent, life slowly seeping from his eyes as he too fell into the eternal slumber. The sheer shock of a kick to the groyne powerful enough to crack a skull open fell into the overkill side of things.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

The spinning sheet of metal sent sparks through the air as it occasionally scraped across the walls on either side. Aside from that it made little sound as it zoned in on the fleeing duo. Both were trying to run, but the enclosed space meant one was always behind the other. Then, as they drew closer to one another, the man who had been lagging behind grabbed his friend's shoulder and tugged him backwards. The guy stumbled back, both from the sudden movement and probably shock too. Though it was short lived as seconds later the spinning metal found its mark and tore through his back. The man let out a strangled gasp as blood began to pour from his mouth, and slide across the metal. It hadn't managed to cleave right through the man, but it had certainly lodged itself deep into his body, enough so that he eventually just collapsed dead onto the ground.

His fellow dared to spare a look back, and it was enough of a pause for Jacob. He reached out with one hand, letting the Force flow out from him and towards the man. He tried to continue running, but before he could get any further he was suddenly tugged back towards Jacob. He went soaring backwards, slowly turning to face him and as he finally reached the Sith, Jacob pulled his right arm back and slammed a fist into his chest - the cybernetic arm hidden beneath shirt sleeve and glove striking hard enough to crack the man's ribs. He collapsed to the floor gasping for the air, but would only get one out before Jacob pulled out a dagger and slammed it into the man's heart. Jacob let out a small grumble as he stood up right, looking down at the mercenary then over to his friend. The near-bisected man was dead, but part of him was still causing the body to twitch.

With a quick flick of the wrist Jacob cleaned the blood off his dagger - letting it splatter against the wall, before he slipped it into its sheath. He walked back to the centre of the alleyway junction, just in time to see Thraxis dispatch the last of his duo.

"Good work." He said, taking a moment to survey the Zeltron's handiwork. He let out a whistle when he realised what had done the second man in, even Jacob had to admit that was not a pleasant way to go out. The sounds of pained mumbling reach his ears, but Jacob didn't need to look to the source to know what it was. "Shall we go have a little chat?" He asked, waving a hand down towards the first alley - where Thraxis had managed to incapacitate one of the men with his RL-40. It was a short walk over to the downed mercenary, the paralyzing effect keeping him still aside from the mumbling that was trying to escape from his lips. Jacob looked at Thraxis.

"Want to do the honours?" He asked, given that they had seemingly singled out the Zeltron with their attacks, and figured the man would want to extract some manner of 'payback'. That, and he was curious to find out just who had sent the men.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

Thraxis didn't get the chance to watch Mr Beyblades chance of decapitation, only getting to see the end results. It was a sad display, a constant need of the force, he had already shown that he had daggers and blasters, though he at the very least shived a punk ass. That was something to be impressed by, but the need of the Force to get him in the right position. Truly a saddening thought to cross through his head as he turned to see Jacob compliment him, or something of its ilk. "Hey, it's what us Bodyguards have to do." He responded with a shrug, refusing to tell him the same. "Nice Dagger work, really got the point across." Maybe if he affirmed his capacity without the force, he might just stop using the Voodoo Magic.

Thraxis turned, it was as if Jacob read his mind. "Yeah... Chat." Thraxis responded, a single slender needle ejecting from a finger tip as he trailed over, his feet dragging through the dirt as his head was held at the side, looking down on the cretin as a drop of green liquid splashed against the cretins skin. Fear slowly started to seep through the air as he let his Zeltron blood boil over, the only good part about being one, was the capacity to manipulate others emotions to his will. Though he wasn't a great practitioner, so every drop of the air fell heavy with fear, intoxicating any nearby cretins with the sensation. With a nod of the head he accepted the offer, pressing through the skin a drop of the liquid, his body quickly paralysed from the neck down as it took hold its effect, fear to pump the venom through the system that much faster.

A half minute passed, it was all that was needed as his body struggled to break free of the net until finally all he could do was headbutt at the spiral entanglement of rope coiled around his body. With his body thoroughly infected Thraxis slowly moved over to the large rock Jacob had left in his wake of defence. Two green blades erupted with a crackle of life as he pressed it against the stone, making numerous cuts of single slabs of the stuff and hauling it over to the Cretin, a couple kilogrammes sitting right next to him as he looked to him. "You wanna talk." He inquired, only to be met by a series of curses directed at his mother and father."Jokes on you. I don't have any." He chuckled as he grabbed a few Kilogrammes, placing them on his chest as slowly his breathing slowed down, life inching out of his life every second. As three were set down Thraxis inquired again. Only to be met with dismissive spit. Which in turn, another few were placed on his chest, a teh sound of ribs cracking under the heavy weight ringed loud and clear as Thraxis inquired again. "Do. You. Wanna. Talk." Thraxis asked one final time before a semi-cohesive response was made.

"I'm More afraid of the boss than any pussy ass looking Zeltron Biatch." He snorted as he headbutted at the stone slabs, a futile effort as it only served to break the skin. Thraxis looked him up and down. He didn't even know who he was. Another boy who don't head history's past. With a sharp kick, he knocked all the slabs off. A fire in his eyes as the fear that had filled the air turned sour in taste, Thraxis moving back over to the Rock and creating a long strong shaft of stone, picking up the hefty cretin in his net and stringing him up against a wall, the stone holding him up as he put in another charge of electricity into the crap talkers mouth.

He finished with a sheet of paper, no pens around so he dipped a finger in the open wound, writing a note that simply read. Property of Thraxis. You touch it. You dead. "You better pray Abeloth or whoever the hell you believe in that I die before I see you again. Cause I promise you this." His voice groaned and twisted into a primal fury as he pressed against the unconscious body of the cretin, "If I do come back. I'm hauling yo ass to Graveyard, and your gonna spend every waking minute of your life in unending hellfire and brimstone." He growled, strings of saliva tainted by alcohol dripping from his cheeks as he turned to Jacob. "Well then. Where to next?" Thraxis inquired, completely intent on coming back around here and taking a second shot.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob watched the proceedings with the utmost fascination. When he had felt the air grow heavy, he quickly threw up a barrier of sorts to cut off the impact it had on his empathy. Although he kept a window open - a small one, enough to still feel the intoxicating sensation of fear without it impacting him. As while Thraxis was focusing it the incapitated man, Jacob could still feel it leaking out around them. It was interesting to Jacob, to see the man's emotion shift despite his efforts not to. Though he eventually succumbed to it enough so that he willing accepted whatever Thraxis was offering. As he watched, he often turned his gaze this his bodyguard, noting the man seemed to favour practicality - the way he went about interrogating gave of a sense of practiced ease, as if he had done this or something similiar many times before.

There were a couple of instances where Jacob compared Thraxis' actions against his own - if he were in the man's place. Most of it was using the Force, rather than hauling the stone it would be much easier to just use the Force to slowly constrict the man's air supply, maybe include some dagger work to instil some pain. But that did stir up a topic in Jacob's mind, something he had picked up on since they had gone down the alley. There had been a couple times where he could feel something from the Zeltron - was it annoyance? Either way it had always been in the wake of him using the Force. He wondered what Thraxis had against it, was it his inability to use it? Or did he consider it lazy? A waste? Jacob wasn't sure, but he didn't voice it mostly because he didn't want to interrupt the man's work.

After he was finished and Thraxis had strung up the man, Jacob stepped fowards and looked the man in the eye. He could immediately see something there - recognition. So whoever had sent him had certainly given orders to capture him. He watched as the man tried to breath, each intake of breath, every time his lungs expanded he winced in pain. Jacob raised his hand as he inhaled next, and wrapped the Force around the man's throat, stopping him from letting it out and keeping the pain from his broken ribs a constant thought.

"Who is your boss?" Jacob asked. The man was incapable of speaking, just a sputter of gasps. It got the intention across, as the man eventually tried to nod his head several times. Jacob loosened his hold slightly, enough for him to speak.

"You'll...see her...soon enough." He took that chance to then spit at Jacob, it landed directly on his cheek. Jacob let go with the Force, only to then sent a right hook into the side of the man's jaw, the sounds of bone breaking soon following.

As Jacob cleaned his cheek, his mind was on the man's words. Her. His first thought was to his former master, but even if she wasn't a Jedi these days, this type of thing was not her style. Not even in the slightest.

With that all done though, he turned to Thraxis. "Well I suppose the only other thing left is to head towards where I was intending to go in the first place."

With one last look at the strung up man, Jacob led the way onwards out of the alleyway. Though by the time Thraxis would manage to return, the man would be dead. A pool of a blood beneath with half his tongue sitting in the middle of it. He had at some point bitten it in half and let the blood loss take him.

The walk back through the city, towards where he had parked his landspeeder was uneventful. Nor did anything particularly happen as they made their way out of Mos Espa and towards their destination. They passed through a half destroy half buried outpost that was clearly used as a checkpoint at times. Jacob had briefly remarked this is where he had been intercepted by the three man before, but with no one there now he just drove on through. Eventually he stopped just outside of where he had intended to go to since arriving on Tatooine.

A cave.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

Thraxis watched the display. His hand was far from the cretin's throat, yet his breath was torn from his very chest. Thraxis eye twitched in the slightest, Again... Really? For this trivial task? Jeez. He thought, groaning internally as he turned around, disinterested in watching such cheap tactics. He pressed his helmet back around his cranium, taking his leave of the alleyway just behind Mr. Beyblade as he finished up his little power display.

The twists and turns of the city were a spectacle, he hadn't brought up the little fight before, completely because of his need to use the force, and a conversation about such would be nothing more than a waste of time. Instead, he passed his time, spending credits on the local vendors that dotted along the sides of the street, offering the strips of meat to Jacob to pass the time. If ya in Mos Epsa might as well do what the... We shall refer to them as Espians. When ya in Mos Espa, might as well do what the Mos Espian's do.

But shortly thereafter their trip had come to an end, the penultimate conclusion was soon to be reached, a bittersweet moment in Thraxis logbook. He had seen a lot on this little adventure, the fall of a Hutt, the Pressing technique. A little more into Voodoo Magic, it simply meant more to prepare for. So very much more to prepare for. He paused their little job onto the Speeder, the thing could barely hold them both, or it could but Thraxis had far more enjoyable plans in store. With a few minutes passed he returned with a length of chain and a large metal sheet, tying the chain to the Landspeeder and sheet of metal he laid down with a lackadaisical grin, hands tightly coiled around the chain as they darted off to some dark and mysterious cave. He was going to them more often than he cared to admit these days.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

The cave was nothing special, then again when was such a place ever anything but bleak and boring. Though there was something to it, at least for Jacob anyway as he looked upon the entrance. It was carved into the mountainside and seemed to quickly dissappear into the darkness within. The place was clearly not a simple cove of sorts, but rather a tunnel that led deeper in. The Force was also flowing around it, brushing past Jacob's face like a familiar friend - a memory. He had been here in the past, a significant event had occured to mark its place. But Jacob recoiled, feeling how light it was, signifying it was from his time as a Jedi. Jacob bit back a complaint, he had known before that he'd end up tredding old grown if he was going to pursue his old master.

He took a moment to look back to see Thraxis was still lounging on the metal sheet he had chained up to the back of the speeder. Jacob shook his head, the exact same thing he had did when the man had initially halted their journey on a seemingly random whim. He had just stood there as Thraxis had laid himself on it and just grinned. Jacob sighed in response and resumed their journey. The man had certainly proved to be an oddity to him, Thraxis was certainly crazy enough to be literally hanging off a speeding vehicle as it zoomed over sand dunes.

Returning to the matter at hand, Jacob flipped the front lights on and slowly steered the vehicle through the entrance. His prior assumptions were proved correct, as the initial stretch was indeed a tunnel - wide enough to be able to turn the vehicle if needed. As he carefully navigated, snippets of memory came to him - two people; a padawan and a master walking through here many years ago. Eventually though Jacob stopped when the lights shone ahead, illuminating a small camp site ahead. With the engine still running, Jacob hopped out of the speeder and slowly made his way over.

The first thing he noted was the campfire, it was freshly used - likely within the last week or so. Two slabs of stone were situated on either side, once used as seats during their brief stay in the tunnel/cave system. But what caught Jacob's eyes next was something hidden just beneath one of them, there was a no obvious glint of metal or anything really that would draw attention to it. Yet Jacob could, the Force called out to him as he slowly crouched down and pulled the object into his hand.

It was a necklace, very simple in design with a small chain threaded through a loop that was attached to the object in question. It was a stone; small enough for fit in the palm of one's hand. Its texture was smooth, aside from one side that was rough, having been broken in half. It seemed to have nothing special about it. To Jacob though, it meant a whole deal more. As he ran his finger over the stone, he could practically feel the Force hum in response. A physical reminder of an important moment in his past - a souvenir from his last Knight Trial, Allyia; his master, had the other half. It was a way of tracking her, which meant she had come here specifically to leave this as a message. She wanted him to come.

As Jacob's attention finally shifted away from the object, he looked up and deeper into the tunnels. In the distance, tucked away near the ceiling, was a small red blip, and it was blinking at a steady rhythm.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

Well, it seemed the dunes of Tatooine were an unforgiving mistress, something he should have realised from the blanketed part of Piwnod's territory. When their journey came to a head, the dripping moisture of the cave giving him a relaxant from the mighty waves of sand that crashed against him he let loose a sigh of relief. Slowly he pulled himself up, dusting the sand off and coming to mind something he had heard about sand. That people didn't like it. It was fine, smooth and a pleasant experience on the skin and it doesn't get everywhere. And he felt that was an apt choice of description, with the exception of this single experience. Grains of coarse rough sand quickly darted off his armour, the black metallic sheen turned with specks of golden dust, removing any sense of camouflage it might have presented in the darkness of the caves recess.

He looked to see some encampment set up. He took a few steps forward, guns were drawn as he prepared for his journey to come to ahead, he pulled out a Cruciatus blade, twisting spirals of the Force curling around it, dripping at the tip of the blade as if it had just been quenched with blood, something Thraxis never got to see. He probed the campfire, looking to the roof to see no signs of smoke. "Well... At least the air is fresh..." He muttered as he looked around, Jacob finding some piece of loot. Damnit... I shouldn't have been so focused on the Fire... He groaned as he looked for his own loot to find.

And did he find it. He looked up, a single flashing red light blipped in and out of existence, Thraxis slowly approaching, his blade spinning around him, the air parting steady lines behind the blade as whooshes were let out with each passing swing. "Now-now-now..." He chuckled as he slowly approached, unaware of what it really was. "Is that a Tandgor Gem I spy." He muttered as he turned to Jacob, not wanting him to snatch the prize from his grasp.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob slipped the necklace into a pocket, and frowned as he watched Thraxis move towards the red light, wondering what the man was on about. When he mentioned a gem though, Jacob looked back at the source and quickly realised it wasn't the gleam of some jewel, but a-

"Stop!"

He lunged up onto his feet and forwards, his first instinct was to physically move rather than using the Force. Thraxis hadn't gone too far ahead, allowing Jacob enough time to reach him in several large strides. He grasped the man's armored shoulder and pulled him back just as the red light went solid and the explosive triggered. Both men were knocked back by the shockwave, dirt and smaller pieces of rock flying by them. Shaking the blow off, Jacob scrambled to his feet in time to see the tunnel was beginning to collapse before them - and steadily getting closer to them.

"Move it!"

He spoke the words even though it was blatantly apparent it wasn't exactly a wise idea to remain still right now.

Jacob dashed towards the landspeeder and quickly maneuvered it around to face the way they came. The chained up sheet of metal swung and scrapped against the cave wall in the process. He gave a quick glance back to see if Thraxis had got on, whether it was on the vehicle itself or the metal sheet. Either way the moment he was, Jacob floored it just as the cave in as beginning to reach them. Throughout the escape the collapsing tunnel was closely following, dust and rock kicking up and flying at them. Until they finally managed to zoom out of the entrance as the entire thing came collapsing down, sealing it off.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

"But I want the ge-" his words cut short but the sudden jolt of movement, a wave of dust and debris running over him like a tidal wave. He laid prone on the floor for a second before hearing the cries to get a move on. "Do I ne-" again his words were cut short by a boulder crumbling and toppling in directly above him. A flare of light flicked and flashed at his feet, his body propelled forward through with little care. He rolled through the dirt for a second before finding his sense of balance, no longer was sand encrusted in the nicks of the armour, now just fine grains of dirt turning his once sorta gold armour now a dull and dirty sorta brown.

He strode along a short distance behind Jacob, worry for once running in his veins. This is not how I wanted to die. Not at all. He thought, trying to suppress the worry with an unhealthy dose of apathy for his situation. Then a new thought wrapped in his mind as his fingers coiled around the very corners of the metal plate, not the part that he wanted, which was the front ends but instead the back ends. He held it tightly an arm extended to grab the front part before the wail of engines road, Thraxis eyes widened as he watched the chain wiggle in defiance. "Oh. Oh, this was a bad idea." He stated heavy emphasis placed on the bad as the plate quickly slid up against the wall, the sound of Phirik banging against stone as his body was tossed back and fourth, scrapping behind the metal sheet with a lacklustre 'ow' with every pendulous swing of the sheet.

When finally they were free from the maw of the beast Thraxis armour was worse for wear, he had invaded planets in the things, attempted to topple empires and fought with Rancors in fist fights and yet this showed some of the worse signs of damage he had ever seen. Long drawn out skid marks stretched wide along the length of the Black attire, his helmet dented from the upturned Rocks as he laid down on the metal sheet, his body outstretched in the comforting dunes as he turned to Jacob. "Ya know..." He wheezed out head turned towards Jacob as the concussive force of the trip rocked his body, "I have the slightest feeling." he took a deep pause, longer than he needed to but not as long as he wanted, "That we just fell for a trap." he chuckled, already reminiscing on the experience with joy.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob let out a series of coughs as a dust cloud wafted past them, the last lingering remainder of the cave in they had just managed to escape. He was hunched fowards over the vehicle, taking several deep breaths to get rid of whatever crap had just got sucked into his lungs. And just general relief that they weren't crushed underneath a ton of rocks right now. That was certainly something to be happy about. Jacob more so, given that he had managed to obtain something quite special, something that will lead him twoards his target.

As he slowly sat up, Jacob let out a groan as felt his upper back ache. He pondered briefly why, but then recalled the feeling that at several points, he felt a number of small objects striking his back as they were fleeing. A result of some of the debris getting kicked up at some point. At the very least, it didn't do any real damage so it could've been worse. That's when Jacob turned around on the vehicle and looked back at were Thraxis was.

While the man spoke, Jacob's attention was mainly fixed on the state of his armor. It looked like it had been through years of damage, in the matter of minutes. Surely it couldn't have just been from that? But as Jacob thought on it, the sudden weight on the back of the vehicle should've been a dead giveaway that Thraxis had opted to grab ahold of it. He did admittedly grimace at the thought of what it would take to repair. Though that was quickly hidden by a deadpan expression as he looked at the man.

"You don't say..." And the tone he spoke in matched it. But it quickly broke away into a smirk, and even a small chuckle. "And it was a bad one at that." He turned his gaze back to the now sealed cave entrance. "If they were smart, they would've set it up before the camp. Maybe they thought we were simply going to traverse the tunnels." It did make him completely certain that this and the ambush, weren't Allyia Zarn's doing.

"I think we're done here." He said, reaching a hand out to help Thraxis up onto his feet. "Let's head back to Mos Espa. It's probably time for a drink."

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

His hand coiled around Jacob's, pulling himself up to full height, his bones groaning as his limbs elongated as he stretched out, a long series of cracking following dusting himself up and knocking off a few scrapes of dust. This is gonna take a lot of cleaning when I get back. He thought as he looked down, "Yeah, and a solid polishing." He chuckled as he looked over the passing dunes, the light of Tatooine dissipating behind them, the sparkle of the moon soon to wash over the grains of sands that bounced with the harsh winds.

He pulled out a comm, taking a step in the sand only to fall back down, rolling over, weary from the explosion. Gonna need to schedule an explosion resistance training. I keep getting hit with the stuff. He groaned, recalling his little adventure with Acaleus'. "Yo, Guglo. Bring me down a ship, one that can fit a Speeder Bike preferably." He muttered as he laid down, he wasn't hoping on a speeder bike for round two, the thing was a nightmare incarnated in bike form. Of his choice of riding the thing was simply a bad one, an idea he refused to pay nay merit too.

Within a few minutes, a large rolled through the skies, looking more like an engine than it did an actual ship. It rolled in with a melancholy tone, the winds of Tatooine un-phasing its hull as a large plume of sand rolled up as it descended right next to the duo. A group of soldiers rolling out as if part of some holy ritual as they moved over to the duo, a Medic droid rolling out at the state of Thraxis. "Beep Boop. Jeez Thraxis. You and ya buddy look terrible." The droid lets loose a series of clicks and beeps, a group of soldiers moving over to assist Thraxis as the Droid approached Jacob. "You need a ride home? Or you good sticking around here." A different set of beeps and boops intermingled in the words as the Droid rolled around, looking for any serious injuries.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Once Thraxis was up on his feet, Jacob occupied his time with dusting down his own clothing though try as he might he wasn't able to get all the sand out. Yeah, I'm never not going to like the sand. Or Tatooine probably. Especially after today's events, it would be sometime before he ever set foot on this planet again. Hopefully.

As the Zeltron went about calling in a ship, Jacob took the time to stretch his limbs - bones popping and cracking as he did so. He looked at the vehicle they had been using, just as the engine sputtered and failed completely. Was this thing always that much of a piece of junk? It seemed perfectly fine earlier, then again Jacob had been more occupied with just getting out of the sandstorm before. That, and as he looked upon it now, it did seem like it could just all collapse into pieces at a moments notice. Thank god Thraxis was able to call in another ride.

Speaking of, Jacob raised an arm up to stop the kicked up sand from getting into his eyes. Then within the next moment, soldiers began to file out of it. Jacob; momentarily forgetting that they had come out of a ship Thraxis had called in, and slipped into a guarded state. But soon realised his error, as the medical droid came rolling towards them. He did pause though when Thraxis was addressed, hearing the Zeltron's name for the first time. Jacob almost let out a laugh, surely they didn't just go through the past few hours and never actually introduced themselves?

Jacob let out a chuckle; one that could be easily mistaken for relief, as he was still feeling some of the tension and adrenaline running through his body. A drink was definitely in order.

At the droid's question, he looked over at the now broken down wreck that was his speeder. "Yeah, a ride to Mosa Epsa at least would be appreciated."

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

With a hum the ship slowly ascended far above the dunes of Tatooine, the lights and flashes of Mos Espa but a distant glimpse as the ship made its way, the Sunset of Tatooine one of the few true beauties of the planet as a group of soldiers took pictures to scrapbook the event. The ship flew high above a war zone, Piwnods empire was crumbling all around as a smile drew across Thraxis face unconsciously, his muscles moving on their own as he tried to join in. "Beep Boop. Like hell you do." The droid responded to his movement, a few Gammoreans rushing over to hold him down as he struggled.

Gunfire rained supreme behind them as they passed, hovering above a small alleyway were a few scavengers had gathered, picking up the pieces of the many dead soldiers, a single silhouette of electricity illuminating the alleyway as the cretin cooked and roasted, far from alive, a saddening tale, but Thraxis would never know, he was far from his mind.

And finally they passed by the drug house, a large smoke plumed from high above, a few dead corpses scattered at the front porch of the house. Inside a single person ruled the house, all the drugs he could handle and more. He was there lax, in a state of pure bliss as he looked as the ship passed, blood staining his clothes while he took a piss and a crap. He was far too gone to even realise where he was or who he even was.

Finally the ship descended on the streets, crowd flocking out of the way as stalls were blown over, their flimsy design toppling underneath the weight of the ship as it hovered just a few inches above the ground, not sullying itself on the ground of Tatooine as a single Gammorean, drunk and out of his mind stumbled aboard. "Oh... Hey guys..." The Gamorean burped as he fell over, a shivering crack running through the ship as his jaw smashed the inside of the ship, a single Weequay moved over, struggling as he dragged him up and back onto the ship.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob was rather bemused as he watched the soldiers go about their business on the ship. They seemed to certainly fit in if they were Thraxis' men, at least that was Jacob's assumption on who they were. They even took a moment to take in the scene of the planet's sunset. Which even Jacob had to admit was an impressive sight, as the sun dissappeared behind the distance dunes. In general he stayed out of their way, only ever interacting with the medical droid at one point when it had rolled over to him to query about aid. Jacob had waved him off, stating he was fine.

During the journey back to Mos Epsa, Jacob took a moment to find a quiet corner and took a seat there. He pulled out the necklace he had picked up and began to examine it, and bringing forth those old memories again. It fascinated him that such a small thing had such a pull on him, and it also infuriated him. It reeked of the light, and each touch of his fingers he could feel the dark within him recoil slightly.

I should be destroying this.

But he wasn't going to. It was far too valuable and useful to him right now. It would either lead him to his old master, or she would find him. One day they'll meet, and he'll take his lightsaber back and kill her with it.

One day.

Jacob looped the chain over his head and down around his neck, tucking it beneath his clothing. The stone itself rested against his chest, the darkside recoiled away in reaction only to then converge even more around his heart.

Once the ship had finally landed, Jacob followed Thraxis off it. And ss they stepped down the ramp, Jacob just about heard the Gamorean speak but there was a resounding thump against the hull echoed out. He recognised him as the same Gamorean who had been at Thraxis' table when they had first met. The Zeltron's words about him ringing back in his ears, family indeed it seemed. As he watched the Weequay slowly drag him onto the ship.

When they entered the cantina, Jacob didn't flinch as much as he did the first time. Somewhat use to the sudden loud music, the smells and smoke. Their entrance seemed to catch the attention of several paris of eyes, mainly due to the fact the duo had returned after some hours - both battered to all hell, though one was worse than the other. Jacob eyed one of the bartenders at they passed, sending a silent order for drinks to be brought to them.

Jacob let out a sigh as he settled into the little corner Thraxis had originally been in hours ago.

"So, Thraxis." He began, putting a bit of emphasis on the man's name. "The name's Jacob, I don't believe we made proper introductions." He let out a small laugh, having been waiting to say that since they had gotten on the ship.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

A completely dishevelled thing stumbled into the bar, his armour was stripped clean from his body as a long brown trenchcoat draped across his body. His eyes were completely visible, now pupils, only a coiling abyss filling all but the whites of his eyes as he looked at the barkeep, behind him his little family stumbled in, bickering and scrapping to get their fix of booze. "Oi! Calm it ya mongaloids..." He trailed off, falling into the seat opposite Jacob as he watched his family dart back and forth, singing merrily as Thraxis clicked his fingers, a busty wench walking over with a seductive pose, inquiring what the two would like. It was the time that her kind infested every nook and cranny, though her flatteries fell on deaf ears. "Yeah, just get me ah... Crap I dunno, a barrel of Accarrgm. Get this one here a Barium Frizz." He responded, uninterested in such vulgar advances

He kicked his leg up against the table, a pendulous swing as he let loose a hardy burp, a single cup of half drunk swill sat on the table as he poured it down. "Jacob huh? Yeah, I don't think we did make any proper introductions." he coughed, a small drop of blood mixed with his alcohol spit, his very words laced with the toxic substance as he spoke, "Lemme gives you a proper one then." He responded, digging a hand into his pocket to pull out a small Confetti Popper, pulling the string with a soft 'pop'. It was the closest he could muster to his legendary entrances.

"My name is Thraxis. Ex-Hutt Cartel, Space Pirate of old, Baron of the Graveyard... What else was there..." He paused, pulling out a shed of paper as his eyes ran down the page, "Yeah... Yeah said that one too... Oh, here we are." He paused, letting loose a cough as he read out the rest of his titles he held so dearly. "One of the most dangerous man in the Galaxy and greatest torturer this galaxy has seen, will see or could ever see in its entire existence." He said, ending with a lacklustre woo as he pressed a hand against his temple, some rock had really done its damage as the woman came back, dropping the drinks on the table a small bubble of liquid caressing the side of the table and tapping a silent tap on the floor beneath. His hand coiled around his Accarrgm, pressing it against his lips as the scolding drink permeated a toxic scent, more alcohol than there should be in a drink for one of his size.
[member="Jacob Crawford"]