Darkness, My Old Friend

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius mostly averted his gaze as they made their way through the crowd of scantily-clad women. Mostly. Granted, when he looked upon them, the majority of what he felt was sorrow and pity. These women probably had bigger dreams as children, but instead had to use their bodies and looks to make money on one of the worst planets in the galaxy. They probably thought they had no other option. If only Cassius had the time… he would tell them there was another way.

A few sauntered over in his direction, wanting to impress the friend of their boss, but simple mental pushes averted them to something else. Now was not the time to get distracted, especially since there was a looming sense of danger lingering overhead. A few guards gave them glaring glances, but most of the time they tried to make it seem as if everything was normal.

“Do you think we’re walking into an ambush?” Cassius asked as they passed through the doorway and into the alley. Once again, they were out in the open, and he couldn’t help but feel a growing need to get back to the ship and get out of there. He subconsciously reminded himself of the weight of his datapad on his hip, knowing that he could call T-4D4 if they got into a bind.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

The Jedi duo were just a few steps away from reaching the entrance to the headquarters of The Hawk's Circle, too close to victory. Reaching a dark alleyway as the moon casted its light upon them and the rain began to pour down on their heads for a brief moment, a door was all that separated them from reaching freedom. Well... for Ar'ekk. The sudden change in behaviour of the guards that the half masked man once led without question had made him feel at unease.

"We're right there. I don't know if we're walking into a trap but... I will go alone if you can't come. I will understand if you decide not to, Cassius."

Looking at the young man into his eyes and placing his cybernetic hand on his shoulder, Ar'ekk nodded firmly. His words were sincere yet wary as certain fretfulness took over. But if this meant gaining his freedom from the 'chains' of Nar Shaddaa's Underworld he would die to just become free of everything.

Using a keycard, Ar'ekk opened the door slowly until the turbolift came to their sights in its full glory. Just one step away.

"That's my ticket out of here. You're coming?"

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Ar’ekk’s sincerity was well-noted, and Cassius couldn’t help but feel thankful that he’d given him an out. For the young Jedi, however, there was no hesitation. He didn’t even have to think about it. As soon as the turbolift doors opened, he stepped onto it, his expression just as determined as ever.

“Despite all your skill, you’ll probably die down there if it is a trap,” Cassius said, shedding his rain slick and tossing it to the side. His intricately-designed lightsaber glinted from his belt. Just like before every engagement, he took a breath and centered himself. Something about this didn’t feel right, he shared that sentiment with Ar’ekk. If it was a trap, it would probably be one of the most challenging fights they’d ever faced. Hundreds of floors down. A possible untold amount of enemies waiting for them. No way out.

He’d seen worse odds.

“Let’s go.”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF7ROkpzQ1c​

​

They had been in worse odds, that's for sure. The Force would guide them through the hardships of battle and come out unharmed if they continued to believe in it. Whatever they were going to face wasn't the most beautiful of things and if they were really going to head for a trap they would undoubtedly spring it.

"Thanks, brother. No matter what, I'm glad you're here."

Poking his fellow Jedi friend's arm in a friendly manner, Ar'ekk bopped his head towards the turbolift. Once they approached it, the half masked man would only have to type in an authorization code that would take them straight to their destination. But something happened. The code he used was his personal one and it didn't work despite retrying two or three times, quickly realizing what was going on.

"They blocked me off. But don't worry, I created a spare code that would serve me if things went this way."

And of course, it worked just like he said. The turbolift began its turbulent descent several flights down as they became witnesses to a heavily guarded fortress hidden underneath the Smuggler's Moon. A bunch of goons armed to teeth had rallied to meet them once they stepped out of the lift, arms ready to fire. They weren't an army, of course, and they were 'easy' to handle if they played their cards right. So far, the guns were the only obstacle standing between Ar'ekk's freedom.

"Great."

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

As soon as he saw that Ar’ekk’s initial code didn’t work, he knew something definitely wasn’t right. Frowning and swallowing, he sighed and looked ahead. They were certainly going to have to fight their way out. Taking out his datapad briefly, he sent T-4D4 a simple message to stand by and prepare for immediate extraction.

Taking out his lightsaber, Cassius limbered up his shoulders as he took a step away from Ar’ekk. All of the spinning with their blades that they’d probably do would require some distance, after all. As the turbolift made its way down, Cassius’s eyes met with the heavily armed men ready to tear them to shreds. “So… looks like it is a trap after all,” Cassius tried to sound casual.

“I’ll go left, you go right?” If they could split the amount of firepower between the two of them, it would hopefully mean that there would be less heat on them individually. Luckily, Cassius practiced what was called Shien, which meant that he was very adept at refracting blaster bolts back at the ones who shot them. This many, though… he had no idea if he actually could.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Unclipping his lightsaber and closing eyes to attune himself with the Force, Ar'ekk calmed himself down and prepared for battle. His instinct had told him they've sprung a deadly trap and walked right into it or perhaps it was the gift that lived within him and his fellow Jedi friend. Making considerable space between Cassius and himself, the half masked man gripped tightly to his elegant weapon.

"It would be surprising if it wasn't, right? It's Nar Shaddaa after all."

He said back in a sly tone, a smirk revealing in the only side where his face was visible.

"Wait, I've got an idea."

In the split of a second, the doors of the turbolift opened. All of the thugs standing outside were ready to fire and make sure that either of the Jedi inside the turbolift would make it alive to tell anyone else a different story. Hired assassins ready to give their life for a lost cause such as The Hawk's Circle, founded to be something greater than a criminal organization. Today marked the end of that evil reign even though another one would take its place, the Smuggler's Moon could never really change.

The Jedi Knight lifted his hand and reaching through the Force opened an electric box that was installed on a wall nearby, turning the energy off. This wouldn't affect the databanks at all but would make everything go pitch black, perhaps making the task at hand slightly more difficult.

"Just like Vjun and the Rancor."

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

As his companion turned off the lights, Cassius closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force. He tried to remember from his training to not only use your senses, but use your instincts, tuned with the Force, to see around you. Sometimes, that was best done without one’s use of vision, as only focusing on what’s ahead could distract you. Now, he could sense every thug in front of them, what type of weapon they were holding, how they were holding it, and where they were aiming.

“If it’s all the same,” Cassius muttered to his friend, “I prefer the rancor.” Rancors didn’t have blasters, after all. At least, they weren’t supposed to.

Cassius charged forward, not igniting his blade just yet. There were whispers and grumbles of confusion from the men that had been staring them down not moments before. Eventually, red blaster fire started to fly around the room as the men wanted to just take down their Jedi opponents before they got too close. Unfortunately for them, they were too late.

The green blade of Cassius’s lightsaber sprung to life, flinging upwards at a man’s outstretched arm as it was holding a blaster. As it was on its default non-lethal setting, the saber only made a sharp hissing sound as it made contact, and probably only broke the man’s arm rather than severed it. Retracting the lightsaber ever so slightly, he swung for the man’s head, taking him down for the count.

He began to work through the crowd in a similar manner, aiming for limbs in order to incapacitate rather than outright kill. These men would survive, but perhaps their injuries would be so severe that they wouldn’t be able to work as mercenaries again.

[member="Arekk"]

[300 posts, woo]

 

[Arekk]

"I beg to differ. These guys won't digest you for a thousand years in the slowest way possible."

Ar'ekk countered his friend's response, jokingly referring to the Rancor of Vjun.

Holding on to his lightsaber and attuning himself with the Force, Ar'ekk reached out to see beyond the darkness and to be able to see through his eyes. Your sight can betray you, indeed, that's why you devoted yourself to believe in this gift that sleeps within your body and mind.

The blue beam of plasma once ignited illuminated the right side of the room while Cassius' green did the same with the left, making them easy targets to pick if they stood in one place. They moved as fast as they could out of the blaster shots, deflecting each of the lasers coming their way with ease. While young Jedi apprentice preferred to go for the less-lethal approach to the situation, his counterpart was more deadlier with the attacks.

"We've gotta lock that door down! They'll keep coming in!"

Striking his opponents down one by one and tearing down their limbs and heads as they came, the two Jedi shrunk the thugs' numbers thinner as the seconds passed. More and more reinforcements arrived from unknown locations, a few B2 Battledroids aiding the battle with more cannon fodder on the way.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Already, the battle was becoming taxing. Although Cassius had begun to hit a groove in predicting where the men would shoot, and how they would react as he got close, it felt as if there was no end in sight. They certainly took the right approach in trying to kill two Jedi: numbers. His green blade flashed to the right and caught a mercenary in the side, probably cracking and bruising a rib. A swing upwards caught another in the chin, sending him teetering backwards like a felling tree.

His head snapped in the direction of the door that Ar’ekk was referring to, one that seemed to be a big avenue for the reinforcements. He saw the door control off to the side. Since he was too far away from it to hit it with his lightsaber, he figured he’d have to throw something. Taking his saber off of its non-lethal setting ever so briefly, he took a B2 battle droid’s head clean off and propelled it to the door control with the Force. The head collided with the panel, and in a shower of sparks, it entered low-power mode and snapped shut, smashing another battle droid in a sickening crunch of metal.

Now, all they had to do was take care of the rest of the forces inside, then they could take a second to breathe. For the time being, Cassius kept moving, dodging and weaving through the various henchmen as some of them discarded their weapons in favor of charging in to fight hand-to-hand. A blaster bolt just barely grazed by his head, and he could feel the heat of it on his cheek. It smacked into the head of another mercenary, taking him down for the count.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Their plasma blades lit up the entirety of the room as they made their way through a horde of hired militia, a mixture between armed thugs and battle droids ready to shoot your head off with a wrist-rocket. He could savour the victory at the end of the road, they just had to keep pushing until they were near the main databank that would allow them to gain control over the organization and finally blow it up to pieces. An ironic thought if you think about it, end up the way you started. One big explosion, fireworks for the Smuggler's Moon.

"Come on, we're close!"

Blaster bolts whizzing past their heads were coming and going as they were close to brushing and hugging death itself. Not today, however, the Force being their strongest ally in this all-or-nothing fight. You had to give it to this Jedi duo as they fought through a pack of trigger-happy bruisers. Cutting heads and arms and opening a passage, the room shrunk by the minute as they diminished the forces until Ar'ekk decided to collapse the main entrance by bringing down the concrete wall where the enemy reinforcements were coming from.

"That will stop them for now. We're safe."

So close to victory.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius kept moving, his green blade crashing and colliding against arms and legs, mechanical and organic. The battle droids and mercenaries were left sparking or twitching. This was like an extensive work-out, always moving, his breathing labored. Instead if he stopped now, he’d die. It was a great motivation to continue, that was for sure. He smacked another mercenary in the stomach with the pommel of his lightsaber and then swung up into the chin of another.

They just kept coming. He continued to dip, duck, dodge, and swerve from his enemies as they got closer and closer, some of them even resorting to hand-to-hand combat in order to try and deal with him. That was their mistake, as it meant they willingly put themselves in range of his lightsaber.

Right as Cassius began to really feel the fatigue of the battle wearing on him, Ar’ekk blocked off the main entrance. Steadying his breathing, Cassius deactivated his saber and placed it on his belt for the time being. “Alright,” Cassius heaved out, feeling the sweat beading on his forehead. “Let’s finish this before they call even more people in.” Walking over to the main terminal, Cassius took out his datapad and hooked it into the main socket. If only T-4D4 were here… he’d be able to extract the information and store it much faster. Tapping in a few commands, he started to download as much information as he could.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

The never stopping reinforcements had ceased to come through the only entrance available, being cut off by the half masked man. Both Jedi had made it to the databanks where all the information about The Hawk's Circle was stored, including financial records that belonged to Ar'ekk himself.

If this 'dirty' money was going to have a purpose, they'd have to remain with him which is why he connected to one of the computers with a credits chip and a datapad to transfer the MILLIONS of credits under his name to an off-shore account created purposely for this matter.

"There's an emergency exit behind these databanks. We should be ejected to an adjacent road to the Black Diamond Club."

Voices screaming in the other end of the entrance indicating they were already amassing to invade the databanks at all costs, hopefully they didn't have explosives at their reach otherwise this would be their very last adventure together. The Force had guided them through here already and it wouldn't take long to download all the necessary information. A prompt on the screen came up that told Ar'ekk if he wanted to delete all the information about his involvements with the criminal organization.

Without hesitation, he pressed accept. All the banking numbers, logs and records of his raise to power in Nar Shaddaa were erased in a second. He had allowed Cassius to download the rest which included the more general stuff such as businesses locations, warehouses, etcetera. They agreed to do such and they had completed it.

Removing the credit chip and tucking the datapad under his robes, Ar'ekk was ready to make a grand escape with Cassius.

"Come on, how long?! I'm done here!"

He was ready to leave. As a filthy rich man, of course.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The sickly green light of the terminal dimmed in and out across Cassius’s face as he searched through the files and transferred as much as he could to his datapad. He tried to prioritize it by importance so that if they had to make a quick escape, he would at least have something helpful. There was definitely enough here to start dismantling the organization – locations of warehouses, secret hyperspace routes… he could already imagine himself in the cockpit of his A-wing taking out the convoys that smuggled illegal substances into peaceful systems.

His eyebrow quirked at the word ‘ejected’ from Ar’ekk. Would they be violently thrown out into the road? The young Jedi took a breath and tried not to think of it. “Once we get back to street level, it might be best for us to split up – I go to the Stardust, you go back to the Hawk. Hopefully we can split the forces between us and the heat won’t be as strong.”

His cybernetically enhanced ally asked how much longer it would take, and Cassius grunted. “Yeah, alright, I’m good,” he said, making sure the datapad was securely out of the network before unjacking it and placing it back on his belt. “Let’s go.” He grabbed his lightsaber, leaving it off for now.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Ejected.

That was the right wording for their exit plan as they'd would be thrown out via an emergency escape hidden behind the databank. Knowing that the fall would hurt a bit, the Jedi duo would have to brace for the incoming impact and made sure that was known to his companion. Separating was a good idea to avoid being tracked but would they reunite after that? Pretty sure nothing was noted of that for now, the idea was to escape.

"Good plan to split up. You're gonna hate the fall, though."

Running towards the emergency exit and removing the hatch, it was revealed that the tube they would be getting into was pitch-black dark and not a single sound could be heard inside. Creepy as it looked, that was their only escape route unless they wanted to keep fighting the horde of thugs waiting to cut their heads off and display it in The Hawk's Circle HQ.

"Come on!"

Ar'ekk took the initiative and promptly got inside before getting sucked by the tube and thrown out into the wet and cold streets of Nar Shaddaa. No one was outside and the alleyway was clear to run away towards the Ebon Hawk that awaited hidden nearby.

"Ugh... my back."

Not good, not good.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The fall? That all but confirmed that they would in fact be ejected from the building, probably in a violent way. As Ar’ekk opened the hatch and got inside, Cassius’s eyes widened, his mouth forming a hard line. It certainly didn’t look like the safest route of escape. Then again, it would probably be better than getting riddled with blaster bolts from the men that were trying to break into the room at that very moment. He looked back at the door as a large thump sounded against it.

When Ar’ekk called for him, Cassius climbed inside. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and closed his eyes, tucking his chin into his sternum. There was a loud whooshing sound as he was rocketed back towards the surface. His fists clenched at the mere forces that were acting on him – only a few could probably go this way and not pass out.

There was a loud pop as Cassius broke free, becoming suspended in the air for a moment before starting to fall back down towards the ground. He tried to cushion his fall with the Force, but with how disoriented he was, the effect was only mildly successful. Still managing to land on his feet, Cassius winced as a sharp pain shot through his right heel. That was certainly going to bruise later.

“Alright, okay,” Cassius muttered, trying to regain his balance once more. “I’ll take… the Stardust. Once we’re in the air, we can fight anything they might throw at us, and then meet in orbit…”

Cassius stumbled off, his gait becoming stronger as his senses started to come back to him. He took out his commlink and held it near his lips. “Tee-Four, get everything ready. We’re about to have company.”

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Brushing off the dust from his clothes, Ar'ekk nodded to Cassius after they both collected themselves and looked around. The streets continued to be empty but soon the real fight would commence as the fleet amassed by The Hawk's Circle was considerate enough to blow anything up in mere seconds. However, the Force was not their ally but theirs.

"Sounds like a plan. I will meet you up there."

Running off in the opposite direction, the half masked man arrived to a private docking bay where the Ebon Hawk laid dormant, like a Rancor inside a cave waiting for his food to come without much effort. Once the metallic ramp came down and he ran towards the cockpit, everything was put in place to leave Nar Shaddaa for good.

Connecting with Cassius through the holocommunicator, he advised him of what was coming next.

"Expect a bunch of starfighters coming our way. The Hawk cannot withstand many of them at once so you'll have to get rid of them for me while I run around, trying to pull them into your sights. Otherwise this will be a short fight."

The freighter's sensors started going off, a red alarm resonating throughout the interior.

It was on.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius leapt over the railing of one of the walking paths and landed somewhat gracefully on the loading ramp of the hovering Stardust Melody. Clambering up the ramp as it closed behind him, he headed to the cockpit, where the K-X series droid was sitting in the co-pilot’s chair.

“You better head to the dorsal turret,” Cassius breathed out as he slid into the pilot’s chair, changing all controls over to his station. “It’s about to get a little hairy.”

“Of course it is,” T-4D4 muttered in his grinding sarcasm. The droid quickly made it to the turret ladder and ascended, luckily able to do so despite its size.

Ar’ekk’s voice came over comm as Cassius thrusted the Stardust towards the sky. Looking down at his radar, he saw roughly a dozen small red dots heading Ar’ekk’s way – hostile signatures. “I already see them,” Cassius said, metallic clicks sounding as the pilot switched control of the ventral turret over to him. This, coupled with the other forward-facing laser cannon, would give him a good firing arc while T-4D4 manned the other turret. “Just head for orbit – I’ll get as many as I can.”

Like a howling Krayt dragon, the Stardust Melody flew into the path of the criminal starfighters, already blasting three of them as he made his approach. While not as fast or agile as an A-wing, Cassius still appreciated the increased firepower and defenses that the Stardust had. The debris from the nearly-incinerated fighters bounced harmlessly off of buildings and landed in various places throughout the city, no doubt for scavengers to take and sell within the hour.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

​

A squadron of M3-A Scyk fighters caught up to the Ebon Hawk as it made its way to Nar Shaddaa's orbit. Hopefully, the Stardust would come up against them as the freighter initiated evasive maneuvers to withstand their attacks, heavy fire hitting the ship's deflector shield.

Who knew how long she would hold on? Ar'ekk depended on Cassius' expertise as a pilot to successfully made their escape without losing anything, most importantly their lives.

"They're on my back!"

It was hard enough to pilot a milennia old ship without a crew, let alone use the turrets by himself. Cheedo was no longer part of the on-board crew because he preferred the casino to helping Ar'ekk like the old days.

Hang on, baby. Don't let me down.

"Too many of them. I'll try to make some crazy maneuvers here, hang tight."

Their communication would cut off for a brief minute or so, Ar'ekk focusing more on drawing the fire away from the younger Jedi's ship and onto himself although he knew that was a bad idea. The Hawk was fast but the age was getting to her, the upgrades installed on her were just not sufficient for this type of fight. Escaping was the best option but not yet, not until all starfighters were destroyed.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius hadn’t done much dogfighting with the Stardust Melody, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. As the weight, mass, and shape of the ship were all different from any sort of starfighter he’d ever flown, he had to adapt his technique. He moved in slower arcs, less spinning and more swooping, allowing T-4D4 the chance to engage the enemy starfighters. Another one exploded in front of them, and Cassius just barely managed to move them out of the way of the fireball as little specks of debris bounced harmlessly off of their hull.

Luckily, the higher they got into orbit, the less chances there were of civilian casualties. At the same time, there were no longer any buildings to use for cover. They were completely in the open, but Cassius had a few advantages. For one, the armor and shielding on the Stardust was more robust than any of the starfighters, and not to mention he was the superior pilot.

The pressure was mounting, and Ar’ekk sought to take some off of Cassius. The young pilot gritted his teeth as he did a full loop in the YT-1000 freighter, a pit forming in his stomach from the g-forces. He fired off another volley of laser fire, red streaks tearing through two more starfighters. As the numbers began to dwindle, their formations started to become more erratic – they were getting scared.

By blasting one fighter with a concussion missile, another from Cassius’s laser cannons, and the last one being reduced to scrap by T-4D4, they were in the clear.

“That’s it!” Cassius called over to Ar’ekk. “If you’re going to make a jump, better do it now!” Didn’t particularly matter where they jumped to – just as long as it was some where they couldn’t be tracked.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

The weak shield of the Ebon Hawk was penetrated in less than ten minutes into the dogfight, lack of specials modifications being put to special blame. It was nothing she couldn't handle but if that meant surviving for more time then Cassius would have to destroy all the starfighters before they finished the job and luckily that seemed to be the case.

They were frightened and until they were reduced in numbers, Ar'ekk knew they would go back to Nar Shaddaa. That's how the tactics were outlined when planning space combat since the young Jedi Knight was in charge of such matters. All the intricates, all the secrets now in the hands of Cassius Droma.

"See you soon, brother!"

And just like that, the legendary freigther made the jump to lightspeed and disappeared into the vast vacuum of space. His stint as a crime lord in the Smuggler's Moon was no more and the fate of The Hawk's Circle rested on whoever Cassius sold the information to, hopefully for a good cause and dismantle it forever. However, the wealth of the criminal syndicate was no longer his or theirs but Ar'ekk's. Filthy rich, the credits were in great hands such as his.

[member="Cassius Droma"]