Fight Club (Daxton Bane)

[Cryax Bane]

Setting: Deliverance, Vos Gesal street, Uscru Entertainment District of Coruscant, lower level

The night club known as Deliverance was a sprawling mecca that was highly popular with Coruscant degenerates of all flavors. The first floor catered towards every kind of pursuit imaginable, from sabacc games to pod race betting, giant telescreens bringing drunken shills a virutal front seat to the action. One could buy a companion for the night or sample one of several types of Spice in a small private room, far from judging eyes. The club even had sleep pods on the second floor, proving totally farking wrong the old adage: “You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”

On the lower level was an enormous open space that served as an underground fight club for various tournaments. Insane amounts of credits could be won or lost here as well, with greedy oddsmakers all too happy to get their slices of the pie. It was a bare and unfussy space that didn’t even contain a ring. Usually patrons just crowded around the fighters in a circle hooting and hollering. The walls were made of high tech synthmetal and could withstand everything from a blaster shot to a lightsaber attack.

It was here on the lower level that Cryax Bane stood bouncing up and down, psyching himself up to meet a specialty combat trainer he found on the Darknet part of the HoloNet. He had rented out the fight club for the evening, and it was going to hurt his pockets, but the Chiss slicer was now gainfully employeed by The Red Ravens gang of Antecedent. Tonight's meeting was arranged specifically to ensure that he’d be able to survive his new lifestyle. What was the use of raking in the credits if you were just going to end up on a slab somewhere?

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

Among the pit fighters, respect was earned with fist and blade. Those that didn't learn this lesson quickly, usually ended up on meat rack at the end of the night. That being said, many feared the one known as Daxton Bane. Not only did he have a notorious reputation for taking on Jedi but he also struck fear a chord in the consciousness of the fiercest fighters in the galaxy, the Mandalorians. There was a even a pit legend where he took on twelve combatants at the same time. Although that one was probably just a rumor, hopefully.

The Sith was sitting at one end of a table, tankard of spice ale in one hand, as he purviewed the weapons arrayed before him. Everything from vibro knifes to plasma throwers as well as few esoteric weapons of mayhem lay scattered about.

"I heard you are looking to gain some training." He said without glancing in the direction of his companion. "Are you prepared for what I have to teach?" Daxton hated to waste his time on people who weren't sure of themselves. "Tell me, why should I teach you?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

At the sound of the Zabrak man's voice, the Chiss jumped. He turned and faced the Zabrak, swallowing a huge lump in his throat. [member="Daxton Bane"], his combat trainer, sat at the table like a caged tiger waiting to spring. He was ripped and to say he was stronger than the lanky Chiss slicer would be an understatement. The man was a powerhouse who even in looks alone, lived up to his reputation. He willed his pulse rate to slow and to play it cool but it was glaringly obvious. The Chiss was a nervous wreck.

He was being asked why the powerful warrior should train him. It was a good question, why him indeed? He had to muster up some bravado somehow and put on his best tough guy act. He spit out the answer:

"Well, for one, I'm the Secretary of the Red Ravens, one of the most notorious gangs from here to the Outer Rim." He swept his hand away from him dramatically. "The kinds of people I have to deal with. Well, they're about as nasty as you can get. They make even the Hutts seem harmless." He paced back and forth in front of Daxton Bane. "As you can see, I'm hardly the most athletic looking guy. In fact, I'm sure that most of the Ravens enemies think that I'm easy pickings." He inhaled deeply, realizing he was forgetting to breathe and continued his speech.

"I've heard it said that 'the best villains are just victims whose stories haven't been told yet.' And I for one." He slammed his hand down on the table. "No longer want to play the victim!"

He stood tall and stared down Daxton Bane with his fluorescent red eyes. Even if the fighter refused to train him, he felt proud of himself. At least he didn't go running away with his tail between his legs. That was a minor victory.

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

So this one had some spine in him. Good. At least there was something he could work on. With an unnerving smile on is lips, Daxton indicated the pile of weapons in front of them. "You are correct. Your enemies underestimate you, this we can use to our advantage. First thing we need to know, how good a shot are you?"

Tossing a blaster at the young man, Daxton indicated the row of empty liquor bottles at the other end of room as his targets.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax fumbled with the blaster, just barely catching it. Frell, this guy had reflexes like a slitherette. He turned the weapon over in his hands, noticing it was much more state-of-the-art it was than his own.

He gripped the handle in slightly trembling hands and stood in front of his targets. He was holding it all wrong for a start, and it was plain to see that didn't know how to aim worth a damn. He squinted and fired at the bottles, nearly smacking himself in his own face with the recoil.

He sighed. "As you can see I'm a horrible shot. I can repair a busted up one one no problem. I just can't shoot one."

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"Rule of thumb, shoot them before they get close or your in serious trouble. Ok try this instead. It's called a Sompak, a sawed off slug thrower capable to blasting dozens of pellets at close range. Holds six rounds before you need to reload and is effective against unarmored or lightly armored foes. If they wearing standard combat Amir or heavier or using shields, it won't be of much use."

"Now if you encounter a force user or a mango, you might think your screwed. Fret not, this little baby can even the odds a bit." Handing him an ordnance that was composed of two grenades taped together. "Mando Forcebreaker and a Sith Emp shell."

"Most force users are arrogant, blinding themselves to possibility of losing their connection to the force. Snap that, even temporarily and they are. Merely human again. Mandos, on the other hand, rely too much on their armor. Short it out, and they are just meatbags in a can."

"Get yourself some reliable shooters. Meat shields who can buy you the time you need to bug out. Get a Chiss hand to hand expert to teach you some defensive moves as well it wouldn't hurt."

"Meanwhile I want you to try and punch me as hard as you can."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss dutifully inspected the weapons his instructor lobbed at him. Turning them over, feeling their weight in his hand, he was grateful for the introduction especially in light of the fact that The Red Ravens were in an all out war with The Black Suns and he was now a Ground Zero for the bloodbath. If he ever had to use a slug thrower, he needed to make sure he wouldn't completely maim himself or another Raven with it.

Ultimately his trainer was right though. Weapons were never really going to be his thing. However, he still wanted to be able to go down swinging if he got jumped.

He eyed the powerful Zabrak carefully and took a deep breath. He widened his stance, bent his knees and bounced, getting a feel for the position. After a moment of channelling some inner rage hidden deep down in his soul, he launched towards the other Bane, barking a Cheunh curse word, and launched his fist towards the man's tree trunk of a chest.

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

Even as the punch came, the Sith stepped back and to the side. Tapping his student lightly on the flank with an open palm. "Bob and weave. For every action, there is a counter action. Learn to recognize the signs so you can exploit them when they show up." Handing him a vial, "I will need a small sample of your blood. I can create a potion that is tagged to your genetics which may help."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss was genuinely astonished by the surprise request. Giving away his genetic material set off some alarm bells in his head, but then again the prospect of having a special weapon made just for him, was pretty intriguing. He palmed the small vial and weighed his options. If it was a choice between the chance that the powerful Zabrak warrior would do something risky with his genes and the ability to stay alive in a firefight, well, he'd choose the latter.

"Should I get this filled somewhere else get it back to you? Or are you going to take my blood right here and now?"

The Chiss shifted from foot-to-foot, hoping it wasn't glaringly obvious how terrified he was of needles.

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"The choice is up to you, just how important would it be to survive. I can make a potion that is keyed to your specific genetics which will increase both your stamina and speed but would be useless to anyone else with a different genetic pattern. Mind you that if you agree to this, regular doses will be required to maintain your capability. There would be no drawbacks except perhaps a slight increase in appetites."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Every cell in his being told him this was a deal with the devil. What the Zabrak warrior described didn't even sound plausible, not to a science-minded guy like himself. But anything was possible with magic, and he had a feeling that this stuff that his trainer was into was some sort of Sith alchemy.

The Chiss's curiousity was intensely piqued. "Ok, you've got me interested. But let's talk side effects. Specifically what kind of "appetites" does this stuff increase?"

He wasn't quite sure that the Zabrak meant it would give him a case of the munchies.

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"Well that would totally depend on you, on your natural inclinations. For some it is manifested in an appetite for food, for others the need for prolonged res and yet for others it may involve more basic instincts. The effect depends form user to user and there is no way to predict in what form it would manifest."

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Thinking back to some of the recent developments in the young slicer’s life, Cryax surmised that taking the serum wasn’t the worst idea in the world. With all the attacks on the Casino and the other assorted trouble he’d been getting into, his life had gotten downright barvey lately. He could use a leg up in saving his own hide.

Plus, he rationalized, the Chiss enjoyed the sampling the occasional bit of Spice sometimes, especially the kind that calmed his nerves. How was this much different?

"Ok, I’ll try some," he said holding out his arm, exposing his blue-ish veins to the Zabrak. He looked away with one eye shut tightly. "What the heck is this stuff called anyway?"

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

Extending one finger he tapped the other man's skin, drawing forth a single perfect drop of blood, which he then moved to the vial and sealed it. "The process is called Ambrosia, and takes three days to make. I can make an initial batch good for 50 doses, which you need to take once in the morning and once at night. Once half of the batch is consumed, you will receive another set. Keep these away from direct sunlight if possible. Also do not release to anyone, under any circumstances, that you are using or you will lose any advantage it would provide. Understood?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The young Chiss shook his head, shivering slightly as his blood was drawn. Afterwards, he rubbed the arm. He didn't have an inkling of how something like this could biologically be possible. Sith magic made his head dizzy just thinking about it.

As weird as it the Ambrosia was, he was excited about trying it. Kark all this combat training and talk of Chiss-fu. He was going to skip the boring parts and go straight to the end. And spare himself alot of bruises along the way.

"When and how do I get it? And how many credits do you need in return?"

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"The initial batch will be ready in exactly three days. It will arrive at your place of residence before the crack of dawn. A certain human named Elias will hand it to you. You will know him by the long scar down the left side of his face. He owes me for saving his hide from Jedi scum. In exchange, I will need your extensive expertise in a small project I have planned. How versed are you in planting false memories in advanced AI constructs?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax nodded at the man's instructions and gave him his address. A luxury apartment near the Dragon Palace Casino on Antecendent. The science-minded Chiss rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the Zabrak's question. He knew lying was out of the question if the man was a Force user.

"If you mean human replicas, I don't have any experience tinkering with those, but I've been dying to take 'em apart. However I've worked on some pretty sophisticated Droids and I have extensive knowledge of memory banks in particular. In fact, I've even restored quite a few droid memories that were previously thought lost. Implanting the memories is basically the reverse of that. I don't think I'd have any problem working on this project with you."

The Zabrak didn't mean droid, so it had to be a replica. The thought of getting his hands on a sophisticated AI being such as this sent adrenaline coursing through his veins. This was the kind of thing he lived for.

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"Not replicas. I want to develop an AI with human memories. The task would require creating complete holo environment where the AI would grow and obtain memories. We are talking accelerated growth on a cyber scale never before attempted. Do you have the skill for that?"

What Daxton in mind was a powerful AI that would do targeted attacks on the Sith's bidding. the degree for which he sought revenge knew no bounds or limits.

[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

"It sounds fascinating. I have to be honest, I've never attempted anything like this, and yes, I very much have the skill, but I have to ask." He took a deep breath. The Sith wasn't going to like his next question.

"What is the AI's final use? What do you intend on doing with this thing? I know I'm on morally shaky ground being a criminal slicer, but I really need to know your intentions."

[member="Daxton Bane"]

 

[Daxton Bane]

"A certain pair of disillusioned fools have taken into their heads to try and assassinate me. The AI is going to determine the full extent of their finances, isolate them from their allies and assets. It will be my measure of revenge to leave the poor, penniless and wanted all over the Galaxy." Pausing to smile at the thought, "Fitting revenge don't you think?"

[member="Cryax Bane"]