Gambling with a Sith

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Zeltros, orbit

Gherron's ship came out of hyperspace next to the pink planet, where he sat in waiting. Breathing in a small sigh, he readied himself. His first mission off of Coruscant. He sure hoped he didn't mess anything up. He and another Jedi had been sent to Zeltros in pursuit of one particular Sith, [member="Christian Slade"] . From what he'd heard, the Sith was quite powerful, and caution was recommended. The Jedi chuckled at that. "Caution is my middle name", he said, responding to his thoughts. Reaching over, he pressed the button to activate his communicator, signaling [member="Flint Dexen"] . "This is Jedi Knight Gherron Vael, I'm at the coordinates awaiting your arrival."

 

[Christian Slade]

The Red Dragon Casino - Top Floor

Christian sat at a large desk in his massive office in the top floor of his Casino, the Red Dragon. It was a busy day, as usual, and patrons were busy throwing their money this way and that. His business was booming, and he was getting ready to open up another casino soon, but lately the fast life he'd created for himself had caught up with him, especially after his ties with the Sith of the Sith Council had broken and their Council had dissolved.

He hadn't found out exactly what had happened or what was the cause of their faction's demise, but like others he'd been a part of, it had vanished as quickly as it was born. The lives of few were effected, however, not having had a chance to reach out to the scattered Sith in the galaxy to actually make any progress yet. It had died before it had had a chance to mature, which in his opinion was for the best. For now, like he had been for most of his life, he was a Rogue Sith Lord, teaching only those who sought him out for knowledge.

Between [member="Paega Anginous"], [member="Dalansa"] and a massive Zillo beast that was oddly enough force sensitive, his time was strained, and he only had these rare occasions to himself in which he could collect his wayward thoughts.

[member="Gherron Vael"]
[member="Flint Dexen"]

 

[Flint Dexen]

[member="Gherron Vael"] [member="Christian Slade"]

Tracking down a rogue Sith Lord was a near impossible task. It was likely that this would end up being another wild Bantha chase, which was why Flint decided to have his padawan [member="Verrin Ris'To "]tag along with him for the mission. Even if they ran into Sith, the Jedi Knight was confident that Verrin was trained well enough to survive.

"This is Jedi Knight Gherron Vael, I'm at the coordinates awaiting your arrival."

"Hello there, Gherron, this is Flint Dexen with my padawan Verrin Ris'To. We've just exited hyperspace." Flint announced as Zeltron zoomed into view as they got out of lightspeed. "Ready for your first mission, Verrin?" he asked his padawan, before turning back around to face the communication device. "So! What exactly do we know about this Sith's whereabouts?" Flint inquired to his fellow Jedi Knight.

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

"From what I hear, he owns several casinos within the main city. We might have to ask around to get our information." Gherron heard a low beeping, then watched as a second ship cam out of hyperspace close to his own. Nodding in its direction, he led the way down to the planet's surface, where he would set down in a spaceport. "I'm sending you coordinates, meet you there." Once he'd touched down, the Jedi walked to the exit, grabbing his overcoat, and pulled the hood up. If they were to be tracking a Sith, he didn't want to be too easily recognized. A few minutes later, he found himself standing just outside one of the more prominent casinos, The Red Dragon.

[member="Flint Dexen"] [member="Verrin Ris'To "][member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Verrin Ris'To]

Verrin had veering between the extremes of excitement and concern over his first true mission. They were looking for a Rouge Sith Lord... he had never met a Sith Lord, and he was a little excited at the prospect of meeting the very thing that created so much conversation, lessons, and, well, his supposed eternal enemy. But he didn't want to fight. Verrin disliked fighting with a passion as there was always the chance that he could lose control, and he had yet to truly be in a life and death battle against another user of the force.

He was a little glad to be on a mission with, not only his master, but another Jedi Knight which improved his mood considerably. If he had to, he would jump into a fight with anything if it meant helping his Master Dexen, but he had a feeling that in such a fight he would just get in the way. With another knight supporting his Master then the pressure wasn't on him to watch his Masters back else risk losing him. Verrin would, of course, still watch out for him the best he could, but it helped sooth is worry.

"Hello there, Gherron, this is Flint Dexen with my padawan Verrin Ris'To. We've just exited hyperspace." Verrin looked out the window to Zeltron, he had never been there, and he was curious as to what kind of world it was. He knew of Zeltrons as there were a few in the order, and they always seemed to be beautiful, as if mockingly so in their perfection. What would their world be like? Would it be beautiful like their physical forms? Or be like Curoscant?

"Ready for your first mission, Verrin?"

Verrin nodded, closing his hands into fist, "I am," he said as he had been mentally preparing himself for this the entire ride. He was still facing some internal debate over this mission as to what he should be feeling, but he was prepared to do what was needed of him.

He kept silent as the two Knights talked about where the Sith Lord would be, and the word Casino caught his attention. He had never been to a Casino, but there were multiple on the planets capital? So... the Zeltron liked gambling? It seemed to fit their character.

[member="Gherron Vael"] [member="Flint Dexen"]

 

[Christian Slade]

He'd almost fallen asleep as he meditated in his large office, a massive, comfortable desk chair cradling him as he leaned across the right arm rest with his head dipped down into his right hand. He breathed softly, each one of his long digits outstretched across the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows and his thumb firmly pressed up against his jawline. His mind wondered in the force, sleep so close to him he could taste it as the calm had finally set in, but the force surged in him once again just as he was on the verge of true peace.

A pair of amber eyes flashed open in the darkness of the room, glowing with what appeared to be anger as his eyelids narrowed almost to a close. His jaw tightened and he growled a deep, displeased growl as he reached over with his free hand and activated a his comm and opened a channel to the first floor where drinks, women and gambling ran rampant and free. When the static cleared and a voice said, "What would you have of me, Mr. Slade?", a deep and angry voice almost barked at her from behind the palm of his hand, his face still hidden by it as he collected his thoughts.

"I have guests arriving very soon.", he said, his head finally rising up from his hand and falling against the back of his chair. The force had warned him of their presence, their efforts at hiding their presence a moot point when they were toting around a mere Padawan. "Show them to the private lift and to my office. They will not need to show identification, Zara. I do not plan on visiting with them very long.", he said, flipping off the comm before the young woman could respond.

On the ground floor, a worried and confused young Zeltroni girl stepped out from behind the podium where identification would be checked to make sure that people were of age. She scanned through the crowds of people that were trying to get into the casino and weaved her way through until she noticed a cloaked man standing just outside the casino entrance. Hurrying to the door she pushed it open and leaned against it, eyeing him carefully before she asked, "Are you expected?"


OOC: Message to my apprentices Dalansa and Paega. If you would like to attend this little get together you are more than welcome. If not, I'll be seeing you both soon with a few heads that I'll be making the both of you mount for me.
[member="Gherron Vael"]
[member="Flint Dexen"]
@Verrin Ris'To
[member="Dalansa"]
[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Dalansa]

The silent figure of [member="Christian Slade"]'s youngest apprentice was just close enough, and paying enough attention, to overhear the conversation between her master and the girl. Sighing, she readied for it. Reaching for her weapons, she glanced around. [member="Gherron Vael"] would catch her eye, but she kept looking. If that was the "guest", then she couldn't do it alone. She needed to wait, be patient. She hated this sometimes.
[member="Verrin Ris'To "][member="Flint Dexen"] [member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Flint Dexen]

[member="Gherron Vael"] @Dalansa [member="Christian Slade"] @Verrin Ris'To

It was good to hear Verrin say that he was ready. "From what I hear, he owns several casinos within the main city. We might have to ask around to get our information." Gherron's voice sounded over the communication. Owns several casinos? He must be wealthy. Flint thought silently. "I'm sending you coordinates, meet you there." Flint nodded, and within a few minutes, the Jedi Knight and his padawan was down infront of the Red Dragon where they met Gherron. Both Flint and Verrin would wear similar brown cloaks like Gherron, although Flint was pretty sure wearing cloaks within the party planet, where everybody wore party attires, would make them appear rather suspicious.

Flint nodded in greetings to his fellow Jedi Knight, and was about to speak to his padawan when some Zeltron girl came towards them. "Are you expected?" It appeared as though the girl was speaking to Gherron, but Flint decided to answer for him. "That's a good question. Are we expected? If so, by whom?" Flint asked the Zeltron. He felt as though the Sith had anticipated Jedi intervention, which meant that it was likely that the Sith was prepared to fight. It was unclear, however, as to how this Zeltroni was affiliated to the Sith. The Jedi Knight felt an odd chill as he stood before the luxurious casino, then spoke to his two fellow Jedi through telepathy using the Force.

Be on guard.

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron didn't wait very long for his fellow Jedi, as they arrived rather quickly. Seeing the two face to face for the first time, he was glad it was not a solo operation. Deciding to lead the way, he took a single step when a droid intercepted their path.

"Are you expected?"

His heart dropped. It seemed this Sith was more resourceful than anticipated. Narrowing his eyes at the droid, he opened his mouth to reply to the other Knight. "It would appear so." By now, it seemed that [member="Flint Dexen"] had come to the same conclusion as Gherron, sending a telepathic message to stay on guard. Nodding in agreement, he looked between his companions while he waited for another response from the droid.

[member="Verrin Ris'To "][member="Christian Slade"] [member="Dalansa"] [member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Verrin Ris'To]

Verrin followed behind his master, his head constantly turning and his eyes constantly zipping from place to place as the bright lights of the casinos and various stores danced in the air. The street was crowded, but it was... bursting with life. Despite most of the people being there for... less then noble ideals, it was an amazing thing to feel through the force as this place seemed to have as much life as Coruscant, a different kind of life, but it was intense none the less.

Verrin looked up at the large Casino that had been their goal, it had beautiful architecture, and it would be the first casino he had ever entered, but he could feel... something. He wasn't sure what, but it put him at unease, his unease only increased when a woman approached, "Are you expected?"

His brow scrunched at her words. It did not bode well when mixed with his current unease, Verrin nodded at the mental command from his master. He was ready... or as ready as he could be given the situation.

[member="Gherron Vael"] [member="Flint Dexen"]

 

[Christian Slade]

The young Zeltroni woman watched the three men in front of the casino with curiosity, not knowing what to think or what all of this was about. She couldn't tell if they were there to see the owner, Mr. Slade, or not, but she could have guessed at the way that by the way one of the men([member="Flint Dexen"]) had reacted, she was talking to the right people. She hesitated, though, up until visual confirmation had been made and a voice through her headset confirmed that she had found the right group.

She smiled in relief as she was affirmed by the voice that she'd reached the correct part and in a friendly manner said, "Please, follow me." After that she turned back into the casino, leading the three men in through the Casino ground floor where people were cheering at victory and cursing at defeat. They burned through alcohol and threw their money away, but the environment was friendly and welcoming, for the most part.

When they reached the back of the ground floor, the young woman lead them through a VIP section that had been closed off to the public and was only open in the night hours on Zeltros for people to have private parties where people they knew would be invited to come gamble and drink surrounded by friends and work associates. Past that point there was a backroom where only she had access that lead down a long hallway until they reached a turbo lift. It was a private lift that only lead to one floor, the top floor...

-

[member="Dalansa"]

"Be patient and put away those weapons for now, my apprentice. Our guests will be arriving shortly.", he said, reaching across his desk and pinching a glass of whiskey between his thumb and middle finger. He lifted it from the table and leaned back in his chair, taking a large gulp of the drink, sighing in momentary relief as he waited in the dimly lit room.



[member="Gherron Vael"]
[member="Flint Dexen"]
[member="Verrin Ris'To"]
[member="Dalansa"]
[member="Paega Anginous"]

 

[Dalansa]

Sighing, Dalansa obeyed. "As you wish, Master." The Offshoot was unnerved by this, no doubt, but she knew better than to cross him. Especially when he was in this kind of mood. Mentality, she went over the now three Jedi coming up. If need be, she would take the younger, less powerful one. Probably another padawan. She shook her head. This would be interesting.
[member="Christian Slade"] @Verrin Ris'To [member="Gherron Vael"] [member="Flint Dexen"]

 

[Flint Dexen]

[member="Christian Slade"] @Dalansa @Verrin Ris'To [member="Gherron Vael"]

"Please, follow me."

With a casual nod, before glancing back at his fellow Jedi, Flint followed the young woman into the casino. The casino was an interesting place, to say the least. Stakes were high within the place, he could tell. Zeltron, after all, was known for being a favorite vacation destination for the wealthy who had the money to spare. "We're VIP?" the Jedi Knight noted, as they entered the VIP section.

"Interesting..." Flint said as they went past the section to get to the turbo-lift in the backroom. "Where will this take us?" he inquired.

 

[Verrin Ris'To]

Verrin followed behind the two knights, looking over their heads at the casino taking in the sights. The people were so... odd. Some where yelling, screaming at the table occasionally falling to their knees holding their heads, other times they were yelling and pumping their fist, which he assumed to mean they won. Some were sitting at machines pulling levers and relaxing. A waitress walked by him, a platter of drinks on her tray, and he almost reached out to grab one before he stopped himself, he had almost forgotten that they were on a mission... a dangerous one.

The hallway they were brought to was rather dull in comparison to the rooms they had just passed. The VIP room in particular looked interesting and comfortable despite it being void of any people which... well, perhaps that is why it looked more appealing as while he would enjoy sitting and watching the people in the main casino, it was not a place he would enjoy partaking in because it was too loud and chaotic for him to enjoy participating in. The turbolift at the end of the hall seemed almost ominous and seemed to renew the hesitancy he had felt before, "Where will this take us?"

"Only one way to find out," Verrin said as he stepped into the Turbolift.

[member="Flint Dexen"] [member="Christian Slade"] [member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

(OOC: Sorry)

Following his comrades onto the turbolift, Gherron sighed softly, and spoke the most cliche term a Jedi has ever used. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Looking between the two other Jedi, he sent a mental note to [member="Flint Dexen"]. 'If this guy is as good as i've heard, you need to keep watch over your padawan. How good is he with a saber?' As he relayed the message to the Knight, he looked over @Verrin Ris'to, hoping the fight ended quickly. Because he just knew, this was going to turn out to be a fight, there was no doubt about it.

[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian heard the turbolift activate with his hyper sensitive hearing developed and honed by the force. That lift was only going to get closer, and it was a one way ticket to his office, and so he figured that it might be best to prepared for his guests.

Rising from his seat, Christian raised his glass and took a sip of whiskey as he slowly circled around his desk. As he did, those amber eyes of his fell on the blind beauty, Dalansa. His apprentice was very much ready, he could feel that just from the anticipation and eagerness she emitted. He didn't need the force to sense her excitement.

"Let the force calm your seething heart...", he whispered as he passed by the woman, his index finger trickling across her jaw as he did. He then circled another edge of his desk and came to stop in front of it, turning and leaning back against it as his arms crossed over his chest, his glass of whiskey resting against one of his forearms as he watched the turbolift doors with close interest.

[member="Gherron Vael"]
[member="Flint Dexen"]
[member="Verrin Ris'To"]
[member="Dalansa"]