Finding work in all the wrong places

[Ailyn Kelborn]

[member="Mordecai Zambrano"]

Panatha

Not somewhere Ailyn ever thought to find herself, if she was being honest. And with herself, she usually was. Frowning beneath the visor of her helmet, AIlyn sighed and swore softly. The streets of one of Panatha's main cities were rather busy this time of day....and well, she stood out like a sore thumb among all the casually Epicanthix.

Not that it really mattered. The terms of the contract she'd received a few days ago hadn't specified that stealth was required. She still liked to be cautious, however. To that end, she'd been very careful what she'd told the local authorities when she'd left the spaceport. The contract only specified that Zambrano was to be brought back alive, and frozen in carbonite, there were no other instructions beyond that, and a set of deliver coordinates.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

Panatha was such a beautiful world when united. It was a world of warriors, soldiers, and their brethren from nations as far as thee eye could see. That was the lifestyle which Mordecai was brought up with. This life was all he ever knew and it was to remain that way for eternity. What else was there for the poor soul to do? Live the simple life of a farmer or a merchant? Love his wife and kids so dearly that he would lay down his arms forever? No matter what happened, he would never forget.

A man could lay down his blade, love his woman, change his son's diaper. Yet when the day ended, those same hands remembered the sword.

"Hey, you okay?" A voice said, hand clamping his shoulder to jostle him. "I think you drifted off."

Mordecai turned to face the woman sitting next to him. "Hm? Did I?"

"You did," she giggled, "Big bad Sith Lord Mordecai Zambrano fell asleep while heading to town." Carly sighed, resting her head upon his shoulder once again. Luckily, her dear husband loved her so and spared the dark-haired woman from one of his infamous glares. The man merely sufficed himself with a heavy sigh and accepted her endearing tenderness like a good boy.

"Who're we meeting again? Cousins of yours?" His emerald eyes trailed the lines of the hoverlane as their driver veered off towards Tree City.

Carly nodded. "Yeah, Margaret and Edward. They said they have a surprise for us!" A sly smile curled her lips as she took advantage of her husband glancing away to lean over and peck him on the cheek. "Thank you for coming home so early."

A mock-frown held his features in place. "Thank you for waiting for me."

[member="Ailyn Kelborn"]

 

[Ailyn Kelborn]

Tree City

If one thing could be said about Ailyn, it was that she did her homework. She'd done as much digging as she could before coming to Panatha. And, it had paid off. She'd been able to acquire his schedule and a list of people and locations he visited frequently. She had studied his history, and constructed a rough timeline based on that information. IF her projection was correct, he would be visiting family in Tree City today. Hopefully, she'd get her opportunity there.

She had brought civilian clothes, of course. And while the contract didn't specify stealth as being necessary, she was cautious anyways. Now, she sat at a cafe not far from where her information said he'd be visiting today. She knew there was a high probability his wife would be with him, so she would have to wait for just the right moment. In the midst of her musings, she noticed an air taxi drop out of the traffic flow and head towards the residence she had identified earlier. Now, she would wait.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

Mordecai was beginning to regret not falling asleep once again. It was a little boring just sitting there with nothing to do, but the company of Carly more than made up for it. Her sweet, soft voice and tender affection made him whole once again and he even smiled a few times. Nonetheless, he was a simple man who enjoyed the simple pleasantries in life. If dealing with the musings of by-law family then he would do so with gusto so that he may return to his home quickly and enjoy his time away from the war.

"When're we gonna be there?" The Lord leaned forward and pinched his brow. "Patience isn't my strength."

"I know," Carly snorted, "I'm your strength." Her sly coo was enough to send his lips upwards into a smile.

"Seriously though."

"I dunno, shouldn't take too lo-" Her gaze refocused on the outside of the speeder. "We're here!"

Without taking a single breath or a being fazed at the fact her arm candy was a Sith, she interlocked her fingers with his and swept out of the vehicle with Mordecai in tow. "Ugh." He groaned. "You know how much I despise Edward. Don't even get me started on that weird as feth colle-"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Her grin turned towards him as they began to walk to the front door of their relatives. "Oh, wait, I forgot our things!"

Mordecai gave her a look. "Things?"

"Yeah, we're staying overnight."

Before he could even muster a response, she was off towards the door. "Grab those for me, big boy. Maybe I'll treat you later." Her words were sing-song and full of something Mordecai couldn't place his finger on.

Well. At least I don't have to go meet them just yet.

The dark-haired man sighed and returned to the speeder, sliding around the back to pop the trunk and gather their belongings.

[member="Ailyn Kelborn"]

 

[Ailyn Kelborn]

[member="Mordecai Zambrano"]

As she watched, Ailyn saw two people get out of the air taxi. One female... Zambrano's wife - and the other... Zambrano himself. her eyes narrowed for a moment as she studied what she could see of his face. he move around towards the back of the air taxi and closer to her, but his back was turned. She sighed for a moment, wishing she could take advantage of the opportunity. But there would be too many witnesses. And so, she waited, sitting perhaps fifty meters away at the outdoor cafe and sipping her drink. it wasn't all that often she got to go without her armor, and she rather enjoyed it, given the nice weather.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

Mordecai never really minded these things anyways. He liked his family, emphasis on his. Carly's family here was a long, long way off from her main bloodline although they didn't mind and practically considered her true family. Edward and Margaret were the sorts to show emotion very, very easily and that typically ground constantly on the Dragon Lord's nerves. But since he was there under orders from his love, he abided by the rules like a good boy should and dealt with it.

Sometimes he would almost rather go charge a machine gun with an eraser cap.

Sighing, the man leaned down to sling a couple duffel bags across his back before lifting two heavy duty suitcases. Once he was all set and covered in nothing but luggage, he moved to go inside.

[member="Ailyn Kelborn"]

 

[Ailyn Kelborn]

[member="Mordecai Zambrano"]

Ailyn frowned slightly as she watched him try and balance the pile of luggage. It was amusing really. And, it would have been a great opportunity if there hadn't been so many witnesses. Sighing in frustration, she reached into her belt and withdrew a small tracking device. Rising from her seat, she made for his direction, intentionally bumping into him as she passed by. "Excuse me." She murmured, stepping away after she had attached the tracker to the shoulder of his coat. It was a small one, and barely visible.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

The Sith Lord managed to finally balance all of the luggage perfectly with a subtle application of the Force. He rather despised the idea of having to make a second trip out here so it was imperative that he got it all in one go. Mordecai heaved a heavy sigh as he started to move away from the landspeeder with what seemed like lead in his legs. He really didn't want to go inside and fool with those damnable relatives of theirs. This particular black-tunic wearing man quite disliked extended family.

"Damn." He growled just as some random woman bumped into him as he began to cross the sidewalk. His emerald eyes narrowed into a glare as he nearly lost control of his possessions and tripped.

"Watch where you're going, fool." Mordecai snapped at the woman as she walked away.

[member="Ailyn Kelborn"]

 

[Ailyn Kelborn]

[member="Mordecai Zambrano"]

A slight smirk touched her face as she turned away, and she took a step or two away from him. Lacking armor or not, it seemed the perfect opportunity. he was unblanaced and couldn't see much around him. Slipping her hand down to the stun baton that was at her waist, she flicked her wrist to extend it and activate it. Then, she turned quickly, jamming the device against his lower back. She hoped and prayed that there weren't too many security cameras around.

She watched as he slid to the ground, the luggage falling helter skelter like a pile of discarded child's blocks. As he lay there, she reached down and tried to pull him to his feet. She was slight, but stronger than she looked. She hoped... that she could move him quickly before anyone else came along.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

The charge surged through his neck before he could even react. The Force had given him an early warning but he had dismissed it as something that wasn't possible here on his homeoworld; especially with his wife and part of his extended family in the house right before him. Mordecai heaved a groan as electricity coursed through his body, muscles giving a spasm before he crumbled to the ground with the rest of his luggage scattered across the front yard.

Yeah, that's right, a Sith Lord just got tazered.

[member="Ailyn Kelborn"]

 

[Ailyn Kelborn]

[member="Mordecai Zambrano"]

Feth, he was heavy. Ailyn cursed softly under her breath as she tried to lift his now limp form. Swearing, she hooked her hands under his armpits and hefted him. An unconscious body was so much ...deadweight. Maybe she should have thought this whole thing through better. Shaking her head at that thought, she continued to try and drag him away from the scene of the ambush before anyone noticed. Apparently, that wasn't such a simple thing around here. Heads began turning at the nearby cafe for a moment before most of the patrons turned back to their drinks. though, she still caught a few casting furtive glances in her direction. For the moment, she tried her best to ignore them and kept her head down as she worked. Grumbling under her breath, she realized she'd not made much progress.

 

[Judas of Vahl]

It was one thing to drag an unconscious Sith Lord across town and it was quite another to actually do it. Had Mordecai been able to even open his eyes, it would've been a mighty surprise to feel his rump scraping across duracrete and back near the hustle and bustle of the pedestrians and random passerby. Luckily, that tazer had done its job extremely well for a "little piece of technological crap" as Mordecai would've called it.

For now, he was completely out and the girl pulling his hefty weight would surely have some time before he would finally awaken to unleash his wrath upon her.

[member="Ailyn Kelborn"]

 

[Ailyn Kelborn]

For a moment, Ailyn frowned as she stopped and took stock of the situation. Mordecai weighed a good deal more than she did... and he was unconscious, making it all the more difficult to move him. Grunting with effort. Ailyn took a few more slow steps and gave up, shifting his weight so his arm rested across her shoulders, as if he were a drunken friend she were helping away from the scene of his embarrassment. This proved to be a bit better in terms of moving him towards the speeder, and she made a bit faster progress. But, it still seemed like... hours had dragged by when she did finally reach the speeder that she'd rented. Carefully, she lowered him to the passenger seat, and took care to make sure he wouldn't hit his head if he slid sideways - as if she were nothing more than a concerned friend.

[member="Mordecai Zambrano"]