From Bad to Worse

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Location : Nar Shaddaa ; Club Vicious
Local Time : 2100 Hours
Theme Music : Warning! Mature Content

Music thumped through the streets around one of Nar Shaddaa's many nightclubs. This particular one, a low, squat building washed in the vibrant glow of neon lights was known as Hhawa Kouiehh, or Club Vicious. Unbeknownst to the public, the two stories of radiant lights and the steady pulse of dance music was merely the tip of the iceberg. Three additional floors sank beneath the moon's surface, each one displaying the truth of the Club's depravity more spectacularly the lower one traveled.

The nightclub above was nothing more than a profitable front for one of Nar Shaddaa's many Crime Lords. A busy nightclub was easy to get into, and it was even easier to disappear once inside. At first nothing appeared much different than the floors above. Neon lights, dance music, bars, party goers. On closer inspection however one might notice the open, and active sales of drugs, weapons and worse. Hhawa Kouiehh was literally a vibrant, enjoyable Black Market.

In the deepest basement the decor was vastly different. This floor was divided into individual Chambers, each slightly different from the others around it. Customers that could afford to enter these deepest of rooms within Club Vicious typically desired very specific themes for their private parties. These Chambers also served as excellent places to hold clandestine meetings.

Far above the dark streets, bright lights, and chaotic music. In fact far above Nar Shaddaa itself a cloaked Fighter sat in the void beyond the moon's atmosphere. In it's cockpit the Blood Matron sat in meditation. She made no sound. Her breathing and twin heart beats had dwindled to near non-existent. On rare occasion the sound of her armor shifting as she moved broke the otherwise complete silence. She sat waiting, a predator in ambush, for news from the Club below that the people she had hired for a personal job had returned to their rendezvous in the deepest basement of Hhawa Kouiehh.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

|| N A R S H A D D A A ||​

​

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The smuggler's moon.

My tail flicked nervously behind me and my ears were tilted to the side nervously. My eyes were constantly darting around me, a soft growl occasionally erupting from deep in my throat. This place was entirely unfamiliar to me, a far cry from the other parts of the galaxy I'd been to so far. Coruscant had been busy, sure, but it was nothing like the sheer overwhelming atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa.

I could barely even pronounce the name of the nightclub that was to be our Rendezvous with Lady Vrotoa... or her contact, or whomever it ended up being. The pulsing music and general din of patrons as we made our way inside was almost overwhelming. Even with a man on each side of me, I felt distinctly vulnerable in a place like this. It didn't help that one of those men was leaning heavily on me. When we'd fled the job site it had been easier, I'd summoned A'Baal, and the great beast had carried him swiftly to safety. In fact, our escape had been the only thing we hadn't fethed up. I'd shifted into my war form and carried away the man on my other side, and together we'd managed to get out before the whole place had gone up.

But there was no way I'd risk entering the nightclub like that. I'd sent the Sith spirit away, and had my injured partner lean on me instead. We'd managed to stop the bleeding, but the bone was definitely broken, and he would need proper medical care soon. But the way people had talked about this Cartel Boss? All three of us had agreed we should go to see her first. His leg was patched up well enough that he wouldn't die in the meeting...

Not from that injury, anyway.

Eventually the three of us made our way into the belly of this beast, descending through the floors, the name of our employer unlocking our way into the private rooms. A shudder racked my shoulders, big enough that the guy leaning on me turned and glanced at me. He was human, and a few beads of sweat glistened on his brow. I hoped that was just out of nervousness, or the oppressive heat of the club.

"You and me both" he murmured, grunting as he limped on.

"I'm sure she'll understand." I replied quietly, ignoring the cold fear that washed over me.

We finally came to the room, pausing outside to slow racing hearts and regain wavering composure. Cartel bosses weren't exactly known for their mercy and understanding.





[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Lights began to flash in the darkness inside Zenva's cockpit. A small beeping alarm chimed in her helmet. In an abrupt surge of motion the Zabrak's fingers danced across the controls of her Fighter. A moment later the vessel's engines ignited, sending the small craft racing toward the moon below. The Matron's black painted lips curled in a wicked grin beneath her helmet. Her contacts had returned to their rendezvous, and ahead of schedule.

On the planet below a Droid entered the private Chamber of Hhawa Kouiehh. It was an ancient thing, an old Footman model. The Droid quickly retrieved a tray of drinks from a small Bar along one wall. It then moved about the room to offer each of the Matron's guests a beverage. "Welcome. Welcome. Matron Vrotoa will be here in a few minutes. Please sit, and catch your breath."

The ancient Droid gestured to the numerous plush couches and chairs arranged throughout the Chamber. It paused suddenly, turning to face the injured Human leaning against his companion. "Oh dear. One of you is wounded. Please tell me you did not bring an injured man through the Matron's Club upstairs? Oh dear. Oh dear, indeed. Matron Vrotoa will not be pleased. Oh dear."

The Droid hurriedly set the tray of drinks on a low table near the center of the room. The whole while it muttered "Oh dear." to itself. It turned to point at the small female holding the Human upright. "I strongly suggest you do whatever you can to clean that man up before the Matron arrives. I also hope, for his sake, you have good news for her." The Droid turned without another word, and disappeared into the service door it had entered through. With an audible sound the service access sealed itself closed.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

I couldn't help but feel like this private room, this comfortable, expensive place, had just become some kind of cage. My fur had bristled and a knot had tightened firmly in my stomach. I'd fethed up, I'd fethed up bad by taking this job.

When the droid appeared, I had been so tightly wound that when it did, I let out an involuntary squeak, flinching at it. At its invitation, the three of us slowly lowered ourselves onto one of the plush couches. Although none of us sat comfortably. My uninjured partner and I perched on the edge, as if we were ready to spring up and flee at the first opportunity. Beside me, the final member of our team slid back into the couch with a groan, his face contorted in pain.

The droid address our injured partner, apparently quite worried - not for his safety - but for how the Matron would react.

All the color drained from my face. Thankfully, it wouldn't have been noticeable due to the fur, but my heart began to race and my jaw clenched. The droid offered us its advice before turning to leave. As soon as it was gone, I turned to my injured partner, biting my lip and sighing with frustration. He said nothing, the sweat still glistening on his brow. He looked at me, his expression contorted with pain. Oh no, I hoped it was just the stress... just the stress, that's all. We could get him to a medical center as soon as this meeting was over.

"You fethed up, Valrayne." The other guy growled, and I turned to see a scowl on his features.

My fingers moved to clutch at the small shard of metal on a strip of leather around my neck.

"I saved our lives, Yahn." I replied quietly, my tone strained with worry.

I could only hope and pray that that was right... and my decision had been the right one.




[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Time crawled by with agonizing slowness. Minutes ticked by one by one. Nearly fifteen minutes passed in relative silence. The trio of new hires spoke, and the faint pulse of dance music rumbled through the ceiling from the Club above. The Droid never returned, and for a while it seemed the group had been forgotten.

Suddenly the Chamber's main door opened with a hiss. Nothing was there, at least nothing the naked eye could perceive. After a few moments the door closed once more with another soft hiss. Silence filled the room for several long moments.

"Oh dear. Oh dear." A disembodied voice said from somewhere in the room. It was a woman's voice. It rang through the room at once musical and ominous. "If the condition of your friend there is any indication, I'd say you have bad news for me." The voice was moving. For those with keen hearing it was almost possible to track the soft click of boots on the floor as the woman paced about the Chamber.

"Well? Speak! What happened?" The Blood Matron's powerful voice cracked like a whip through the Chamber. There was no mistaking that she was not happy with what she saw.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

Was she making us wait on purpose?

With every passing minute, I felt the dread twist tighter and tighter in my gut, winding me up until I was so nervous I was actively quivering in my seat. Yahn had fallen quiet as well. Stealing a glance at him, I found that he was glowering at me with something between fear and utter hatred. Even if I wasn't too nervous to speak, I had nothing to say to him. What if he was right? What if I'd made the wrong decision?

Suddenly the door slid open with a soft hiss. Beyond, yawned merely a darkness, as if it were some incorporeal spirit had come to address us. I shivered, unable to shake the sensation that the reaper had come. Presently, the door closed once more, and although nothing had seemingly changed, I knew we were no longer alone.

A voice spoke, confirming all my fears.

She was female, sounding not unlike some elegant but cruel queen or regal lady. Her words were spoken sweetly, but with the sting of venom in them. I sat completely still, even my tail simply laying limply at my side. Barely daring to breathe, my ears perched forward, desperately searching for some hint of where the owner of this voice stood. Although my two partners were merely human, and had no idea, my keen, feline senses were just able to pick up on pacing, although I couldn't pinpoint exactly where.

She snapped, and I flinched, squealing in shock.

"It was Valrayne!"

With wide eyes, I whipped my head around to Yahn, who was trembling and nervously running his fingers through his hair,

"The bloody cat pulled us out before we could finish the job!"

My lips parted in shock, although I couldn't find the will to speak as it felt like a knife had been driven into my chest. I hadn't expected to build any kind of lasting friendship with these guys, we had been there to do a job, that's all. However, to see him sell me out so readily, it was unexpected, and it hurt. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, I turned back to face the room proper, searching for the sound of the footfalls,

"We were ambushed," I explained, my voice strained and trembling, "raiders. I... I made the decision to pull us out when Varric's leg got sliced up."

I trailed off, biting my lip. Maybe we would have had better chances with the raiders.

What had I done?





[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Beneath her deeply hooded cloak, the Zabrak's head and attention snapped immediately to the male as he broke, selling out a teammate instantly. The female blurted out something immediately after, and the Matron's predatory focus switch instantly to her. The Zabrak's stealth field dropped a moment later to reveal the armored figure standing in a far corner of the Chamber. Her Death's Head helmet seemed to stare directly into one's soul as she stared at the feline creature.

Slowly her Reaper's gaze turned to face the male that had spoken first. With a sudden burst of rushing air, the armored Zabrak flew across the room to land directly at the Human's feet. Quick like a serpent's strike, the Matron drew a massive bladed pistol from beneath an armpit, and blew a hole in the center of the Human's skull. Despite the fifty caliber round litteraly emptying the man's head onto the floor and walls immediately behind him, the gun was stunningly quiet with it's built-in suppression systems.

"I don't like rats." Came the Matron's dark, musical voice. Her focus turned back to the female, her hooded helmet turning slightly to watch the girl. "Now. Continue. You said you were ambushed? What happened exactly?"

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

As soon as we began, our shadowy hostess revealed herself.

As if materializing from the very shadows, she appeared. Armored and with her face hidden by a helmet, the woman seemed to not so much stare at us as strip us to our very souls with that intense, hidden gaze. I closed my eyes a moment, trying to keep my racing heart under control and not let my mind dissolve into total panic. Suddenly I felt a rush of air and the woman rushed for us. Before I could even blink, she'd un-holstered a blaster pistol and emptied a shot into Yahn's head.

I shrieked.

The shot itself had been unsettlingly quiet, little more than a pop! But the result was devastating. Yahn immediately slumped back, his body going limp as his head exploded behind him. On my other side, my remaining partner winced. Still reeling from the sudden horror, I turned a wide, terrified gaze up to the Matron. Again that terrifyingly sweet, dangerous voice told me to continue.

Okay, Val, just take a deep breath. Start from the top. Don't look at the blaster. Just keep your eyes ahead.

A deep breath, then another. Any moment I expected to be violently interrupted by my own shot.

"We managed to get in," I began, talking slow enough that I could control my breathing, "but someone tripped a silent alarm. It... couldn't have been us, we were way too careful to let that happen."

"The raiders." My partner chimed in, his own voice weak and trembling, "they did it to flush us out, knowing that we'd have to leave via the sewer system."

"Once we got there... it all just went to utter chaos. They started shooting, a few of them had vibro-blades. I... made the call to get out, rather than trying to go back. I figured if they followed us back in, they might figure out what we were there for. If we left... we could have another go."

I found my gaze drifting up to the helmet, to that intense, hidden gaze. Never had I felt quite so vulnerable.




[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

The Zabrak moved with a bizarre, predatory grace. Her movements were sharp, and without any unnecessary waste of energy trying to be elegant. Her arms pulled back within the cloak which immediately began to shimmer, and obscure the Zabrak's body once more. She advanced toward the wounded male as he spoke, a spectral Hunter on the prowl. She was silent as they spoke, each one earning her full attention while they tried to explain.

"Raiders?" She asked faintly as her attention turned toward the female. "No!" Suddenly the Matron's gauntleted hand snapped out from beneath the cloak. It held no weapon, but instead held up a finger to silence the two. "You've already failed once. You won't be going in again." She turned away to resume her pacing of the Chamber. Her cloak shimmered for only a moment, and once again the Zabrak disappeared from the realm of natural sight.

"Raiders. Disrupting a raid I organized. How peculiar." The woman's voice was almost unchanged, nearly honey sweet, and faintly musical. Her voice did not belong in the throat of such a monster. "I regret that your friend had to die, but I don't abide rats in my employment. Unfortunately your failure means I still have a rat problem. Perhaps you can redeem yourself for your failing by finding my rats, hmm?" The Matron's voice had turned to a near whisper. Either she was very close to be heard so well, or she was testing the range of her new employees hearing.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

I couldn't help but feel like I was being stalked, hunted, cornered.

Which was uniquely unsettling, considering that I was normally the huntress. My heart hammered in my chest, my lungs beginning to ache from the strain of forcing myself to breathe evenly when truly I wanted to flee back up through the club and out into the streets. My fingers twitched in my lap, my tail flicking nervously. The matron suddenly snapped, silencing us with a harshly-raised finger.

I winced, flinching.

You already failed once, you won't be doing it again

Oh no. This is it, we were going to die. I squeezed my eyes shut, my form suddenly shot with a jolt of adrenaline. My hands tightened in my lap, claws drawing tiny beads of blood from my flesh.

But... we weren't to die. Not right now, at least. The lioness of a woman extended what seemed to be a chance to redeem ourselves.

"Y-yes, Matron." I stammered, pausing to swallow and steady my trembling voice,

"We'll... we'll find out who the rat is, right?" I turned to my injured partner.

He nodded meekly.

I hoped this would be enough to appease the Matron. Or at least, buy us back our lives, for a time.




[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

The Matron shimmered into existence once again, only this time she stood nearly eye to eye with the Felacatian. "Oh! That's such a good answer. I'm glad we understand one another." Slowly the armored Zabrak straightened upright, and resumed her pacing of the Chamber. She remained visible this time while she walked. Her silver cloak remained curled around her, concealing all but her reaper face plate.

"You two are going to put out that you are out for revenge for those who killed your companion there. After all, one of you had been wounded. This one I will save as payment for your friend's death. Is this fair compensation?" The woman's nearly musical voice asked with all the warmth of a Viper. Clearly life passed through the demon Zabrak's fingers like credits, currency to be traded.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

I suddenly found myself eye to eye with the Matron.

A gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it, my entire form flinching to see her suddenly shimmer back into existence, those deep yellow eyes holding me in place like some containment field. It was easy to see how she had risen to such power, the woman commanded the room and toyed with us like mice before a hungry Nexu. I'm not exactly a hardened mercenary, but both of my companions had been, and she had seemed to strip them of that grizzled exterior of theirs within moments.

Oh thank god.

I breathed a tiny sigh of relief as she praised my answer. For now, it seemed, I'd earned back my life.

My gaze remained transfixed on the Zabrak as she straightened, returning to stalk back and forth across the room. She gave us instruction; to let it out that we were looking for revenge for the death of our partner. I stole a glance beside me, and immediately regretted it as the sight of the body made my stomach churn. Clenching my jaw and forcing back the nausea, I turned back to the Matron,

"That's... more than fair." I managed to stammer, my fingers locked tightly together.

I mean, if it was between this and the fate of our partner... there was no question.





[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

"Good answer." The Matron's voice rang, sweet and melodic, through the Club's private Chamber. Beneath the glistening sliver cloak the armored Zabrak flowed through the Chamber to stand before the two locals. "I'm glad you find my offer agreeable."

Quick as a viper, Zenva's hands shoot out from beneath her cloak. She held a Blaster in each hand. Instantly she began to pull the triggers in rapid succession. Each pull spat twin stun bolts, and at this proximity the seasoned Mercenary turned Crime Lord was unlikely to miss her targets. In mere moments she emptied over thirty bolts into each of her victims, or likely a majority of them. The result was unconsciousness in moments for the injured human. The Matron's reaper gaze turned on the Felacatian to assess the girl's condition.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

Phew

I couldn't help but let out a soft sight of relief. The Matron had accepted our answer, and although we had come in with terrible news, perhaps we would escape the harsh punishment our partner had incurred. My breathing slowed a little, the incessant hammering in my chest finally calming down somewhat. Perhaps it was the fact that she had taken out her rage on the corpse beside me, his (unwilling) sacrifice saving us from a simila--

"Agh!"

I barely had a chance to squeal in fear as suddenly Zenva whipped two blasters out from beneath her cloak. In the time it took my brain to fill my veins with a shot of pure adrenaline she fired several shots at us.

The first one hit me square in the chest, a thud of force throwing me back against the couch as a sharp sting accompanying it. The pain shot from the spot to throughout my entire body, another shot following before I could even register it, then another, then another. It was a terrified, confused, pained look that I turned to the Matron as with sheer panic everything went dark.





[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

In time the Matron's pistols fell silent. The two locals lay on the floor in motionless piles of flesh. The warmth of said flesh the only true difference in the eyes of the Zabrak between the ones breathing and their friend. Zenva returned her pistols to their holsters on her armored thighs. Slowly the predator's attention shifted from the unconscious to the dead. Her hands emerged from beneath her cloak once more, this time to remove her helmet. In the neon glow of the club's faint violet lights the Blood Matron's true face was concealed beneath the vibrant red and white glow of her death head tattoo. Slowly the spectral Crime Lord shifted forward, a blade emerging from her gauntlet.

The Matron ate. Time passed. Bodies and blood were eventually removed from Club Vicious thanks to the black market's cleaning services. When consciousness eventually returned to the survivors of the local job gone bad, the female and her remaining companion found themselves attached to Bacta I.V.'s, their injuries well healed or in the process there of. While they were in hospital attire, and judging by their surroundings they were in a Ship's medical center, their clothes and belongings with the exception of anything that could be used as a weapon sat on nearby chairs.

[member="Valrayne"]

 

[Faegard]

So... I wasn't dead.

It took a long time for my mind to make sense of the blackness around me. Pain. That was the first thing to come back; the lone sensation that pulled me from a thick, deep slumber. My head ached all over, my chest rhythmically washed with incessant, throbbing waves. After a moment, I realized the waves were my breaths. I was breathing. Pain. Breath. I was alive. Eventually, I became aware of more. A bed; I was lying down. The cold, sterile aroma of cleaning agents stung my nostrils, a faint tinge of distant blood. I must have been... in some kind of medical center or hospital. Sound came next. A hum, low and steady, a ship's engine, perhaps?

Finally, I let my eyes flicker open.

Immediately I closed them again, grimacing at the harsh white light of the surrounding area. After a few more moments, I tried again, slowly allowing the blurry shapes to come into focus. Keeping my head still, I let my eyes take in my surroundings, sighing with relief to see my meager bag of belongings on a nearby chair. Beside my bed was another, and after a few moments I realized it was occupied by my surviving companion. I raised a hand to get his attention, regretting so immediately.

I caught sight of the IV in my hand, the blood draining from my face and my stomach clenching with nausea. Slowly, I lowered it.

"Not dead after all," I croaked, cracking a half-smile.

However, I laid my head back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling of the room. Was this really better, though?





[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]