It's a Mercenary thing (PM for Invite)

[Lydeck]

SETTING​

Location: Mos Espa, Tatooine
Class: Terrestria
Atmosphere: Type I - Breathable
Climate: Arid
Gravity: Standard
Terrain: Desert, Some Oasis, Canyons

Mos Espa, Tatooine. A bustling City of Sand resting in the middle of an endless Desert that sought to consume the unprepared. Every building seemed to adopt the theme of the environment as buildings were colored to match the ground they stood on, their curvacious structure paying homage to the overall theme. Citizens that derived from all walks of life roamed the streets lined with spontaneous market stalls. Some vendors sold dried meats, some vegetables, others bartered away clothing and equipment. Weapons could be found, ship parts, vehicles. You name it they had it. As expected of the Desert World the temperature was scorching, the duo suns shining high, their heat barreling towards its victims below as they sought to indiscriminately burn those below with deadly UV rays. It was like a little boy holding a magnifying glass to an army of ants.

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The JumpMaster 5000, titled "Big Bertha", landed in the fifth docking bay. Its heavy loading ramp carefully dropped down exposing a single silhouette that gradually made its way down. As light hits its frame the shadow was exposed as a Kiffar male around his late twenties standing little less than 6 foot with a mediocre build and naturally curly dark hair that kissed his shoulders. His attire was typical of a man of his occupation, a Mercenary who sought profit in various types of work for whomever paid the right price. There were exceptions to the type of job he would take and the requests were expected to fall within his moral compass before being accepted. From head to toe Brahlis wore a modified Vacuum Mask that also served as a com-link as well as other purposes. His body was covered in a dark violet jacket made of leather hide which was complimented by a set of ebony pants with durasteel knee pads. On his shoulder rested a piece of armor strapped which was held by a strap that wrapped around his chest and he wore a pair of bantha leather boots that seemed to come equipped with miniature rocket boosters.

Despite the fact that he was stepping into civilization he chose to holster all his weapons. One could not step into Mos Espa unarmed for fear of intimidation or corruption from the local authorities. And that term was used very rarely. On his back rested a DLT-20A blaster rifle, his right hip held a DC-15s side arm blaster pistol and on the small of his back, hidden amongst his jacket, was a FWG-5 Fletchette Pistol. And last but not least a vibrodagger was sheathed on his chest. He was equipped to handle any situation. Or so he believed.

Once the proper documentation had been filed he was allowed to enter the bustling Desert Metropolis in hopes of finding a certain individual, a large Chistori whom had attracted the attention of a certain individual but the details were scarce. Brahlis disliked being left in the dark but a job was a job.

[Member=Darryl S'cayem]

 

[SwiftGlitch]

Walking down one of the many streets scattered around Mos Espa a lone Chistori wondered around in his usual pitch black tattered robe.
His hood was drawn back to reveal his reptilian face, his face covered in specks of dust.
The Chistori looked down towards his bare feet, the hot ground felt good on his soles.

He looked around and watched the local people do business around him, some human women begging for some scraps of food with whatever little credits she had.
The Chistori chuckled at the sight of her.

'Pathetic'

The Chistori lifted his hood back over his face.
He was born here, his life of hatred and crime started not to far from here. He wondered if any of his old buddies were alive, even if his actual parents were still alive.

Swiftly the Chistori started moving.

 

[Lydeck]

One foot casually paced in front of the other, his right hand trailing up towards his helmet in search of a button located behind the ear. The com-link had been activated and a gruff voice escaped his lips as he inquired about a few details. Unfortunately the devices capabilities were limited by the Planet he occupied and did not have the necessary power to send or receive messages on a Galactic Scale. Luckily for him he had programmed his personal com-link in sync with his Ships communication array allowing him to send transmissions to his 'employer', whomever that may be "Send the codes for you contacts on Mos Espa. Despite the targets size it will be nearly impossible to detect him with this sort of traffic. I will contact you with the results. Lydeck out." His finger pressed the button once again to deactivate the device.

His helmets optic system allowed him to zoom in and out on certain individuals he deemed suspicious, his amber eyes hidden behind indigo lenses scouring the area around him. He received an encrypted transmission sent in burst signals. No doubt it was the contact stationed here on Tatooine, more accurately Mos Espa. It appeared the target was last seen within the vicinity, or at the very least a being that matched his description, no doubt a person of the same species. This prompted Brahlis to pick up his pace though not so much as to draw attention.

[Member=Darryl S'cayem]

 

[SwiftGlitch]

The Chistori strolled past the many vendors, something caught his eye, he back tracked and turned to one of the stalls and steadily approached, he noticed a fairly large ring covered by some stained glass. It looked really familiar. Once again he dropped his hood, bent down and had a closer look. It was golden with silver plated pattern around it. He's shook his head and looked at the owner of the shop.

"How much for the ring imbecile?" He grunted.

Soon after the purchase the Chistori started heading towards his destination, forgetting to do his hood up but continued to look at the newly purchased ring. He knew it from somewhere but couldn't quite place where. It was either his parents or one of his long forgotten brothers from back I'm the day. He placed the ring on his index finger, it fitted perfectly.

'Parents'

 

[Lydeck]

His eyes constantly scoured the various market stalls that lined the streets, each individual that appeared over a certain height gaining his attention as well. His source suggested that the Kiffar check an area known to the locals as the 'Bartering Haven', a square of stalls and vendors that sold goods of high quality at reasonable prices. He brushed past civilians and merchants alike, his shoulder occasionally bumping into men and woman who were in his way. He meant no disrespect and offered his apologize where he could, a simple sorry lessening any tension that brewed within them.

A momentary lapse in judgement allowed Brahlis a glimpse of the large reptilian sentient who seemed to stop at a single store, long enough for the mercenary to confirm the identity with the assistance of his optical lens. The indigo piece of glasteel zoomed into the creatures defining features, an index finger pushing the button once again to activate the com-link "Target acquired" his voice resonating within the mask. As the large reptile pulled the hook over his face once again, perhaps to hide his identity. It was too late and as it began to walk away from the vendor Brahlis spoke. His voice was digitally distorted, a feature which helped hid his true voice "[Member=Darryl S'cayem] I presume."

 

[SwiftGlitch]

Darryl continued down the street and turned a right after a couple of blocks, stopping he looked ahead. This street was notorious for criminals and pirates alike. Most of the things for sale around here were illegal. Ranging from droid parts to ship equipment and other items of equal value. Sadly since the criminal activity is so high, the law enforcement usually pretend that this street does not exist.
This once was Darryls domain, he used to live in one of the little shops around here with his old crew, the shop held a secret basement underneath where they held games of chance, gambling machines. It was easy profit, gamblers always believe that they're the ones to win.

He started walking down the road, his outfit caught the attention of some trouble makers, as much as he would like to smash some heads in, this wasn't the time to do so and continued. It wasn't long until he reached his old hideout.

"Damn it" he whispered.

The old hideout was nothing but rubble, he turned and noticed the trouble makers heading his way, two Cantrosion wearing gray overalls hobbled over and both raised their blasters out of their holsters respectively and took aim at Darryl.

 

[Lydeck]

His assumptions were correct, the large reptilian sentient in his wake was the one he was looking for. In his experience there were many different species that inhabited the Desert Planet of Tatooine but few were Chistori. What were the odds that there was another one who fitted the same description in Mos Espa? The chances were low. The hulking robed figure walked away from the vendor and made his way down the alleyway prompting Brahlis to tail him from a reasonably safe distance. Not too close as to be discovered, not too far that he lost his objective. The Chistori seemed bewildered at a pile of rubble. According to the dossier given to the Kiffar before commencing the mission the target hailed from this particular town. It seemed it had come back home, for reasons unknown to him.

Brahlis stopped, mingling with the crowd to conceal himself amongst other sentients with his gaze still locked. What came next was most unfortunate, something that caused the mercenary to retract the heavy blaster from its holster on his right hip. Two Cantrosians approached the Chistori with their own weapons drawn, each barrel pointed with the intention to kill. Brahlis flipped a switch on the side of his pistol which adjusted the setting to stun its targets. This minimized the maximum and optimum range of the projectile but the Kiffar did not want to draw any unwanted attention. Without bias he set the sights to the one on the left, walking forward to close the distance. Once he felt he was within range he squeezed the trigger with his index finger causing the blaster to fire a blue bolt of energy that flew towards he Cantrosians backs. With his sights set on the Chistori he was unaware of what was happening until it was too late, his body falling limp to the hot sand as his entire being was engulfed in a paralyzing shock. Brahlis then set his barrel towards the other one.

[Member=Darryl S'cayem]

 

[SwiftGlitch]

As one of the Cantrosians dropped to the ground in a limp motion, Darryl swiftly saw an opening to punch the other Castrosian in the stomach. Darryl suddenly felt alive once again, something seemed odd though, who shot that bolt. Darryl threw another punch, one after another until the Cantrosian dropped his weapon. Darryl rapid picked it up and aimed at the creature.

Not to far behind he noticed another figure with his weapon drawn. The figure was wearing a dark violet jacket, nice looking pants and boots, his face was covered by some sort of helmet.
'Could of it been him?' He thought.
Darryl looked down at the creature begging not to be killed. Darryl shot, the bullet just missing his target.
"Go, now!"
The felion creature slowly got up and limped off into the crowd leaving his fellow buddy behind.

 

[Lydeck]

As his index finger was about to squeeze the trigger again the remaining Cantrosian was taken down swiftly with a series of swift and powerful punches, consequently dropping his weapon in the process. The crowd that once flooded the plaza now sought refuge inside the buildings, some screaming as they ran away from the confrontation. Brahlis could not get a good shot. The last thing he wanted to do was stun an innocent bystander. Luckily for him the Chistori easily dispatched the would be assassin, a blaster bolt being fired which intentionally missed its target.

With the threat now eliminated the Kiffar returned his pistol to his hip holster, his amber eyes looking around to see if they had drawn any attention. He wasn't so much worried about the authorities at this time, but rather the scum, gangs and scoundrels that called Mos Espa home. They reacted to these sorts of disturbances much faster than the local militia and they were less forgiving. While they were still in a moment of calm Brahlis quickly approached the Chistori, his weapons all holstered to show he meant no hostility "We need to go. Now." They had a few minutes at best before the other Cantrosian called for reinforcements. Thugs and lowlifes didn't take embarrassment or defeat very well. And since there were no casualties there was little chance they would incur a bounty on their heads from the local crime lords, or a warrant for their arrest. Unfortunately he couldn't offer specifics at this time instead he looked the Chistori in the eyes "If you value your life follow me. I will explain everything"

Brahlis burst into a sprint towards one of the many alleys that infested this City. It was easy to lose someone in this bustling Metropolis but the problem was witnesses. Credits were of short supply to many in Mos Espa and information was easily brought, for the right price. They needed somewhere secure, somewhere where they could talk openly without fear of being reprimanded. There was only one place that sprung to mind. He signaled for the reptilian sentient to follow with haste as he dashed towards the hangar bay where his ship was docked. Although technically it wasn't the most secret of locations it would offer security and the hull was reinforced by thick durasteel making it quite resistant to conventional weapons. It made for a quick get away too boot.

Once they reached the hangar Brahlis slowed his pace, his run slowing into a casual walk as he attempted to regain his breath. His ship wasn't the prettiest thing in the World. But it was enough for him. Simple but sleek, it had the necessities. Everything a Mercenary needed to travel the Galaxy. The Kiffar walked up the loading ramp which led to the ships cargo hold. There were a few containers of rations, water and supplies to last a single person for 3 months. Brahlis sat on one of the containers and regained his composure "Take a seat. I apologize for the rush." His voice was distorted and sounded almost robotic due to a scrambler found in the mask. He reached for a button located near his neck, pushing it gently which caused the helmet to fold back and retract into a durasteel collar that wrapped around his neck, his face now fully exposed "My name is Brahlis Lydeck of the Omega Protectorate"

[Member=Darryl Scayem]
OOC: Click this for a picture of my ships schematics. For your reference.

 

[SwiftGlitch]

For reasons unknown to him Darryl actually followed in suit. Maybe because he helped him or maybe because of what he said. But he followed him throughout the city. Luckily for Darryl, even though his new acquaintance was quick on his feet, Darryl was the same, always a few steps behind him. It wasn't long until he was montioned to head to the hanger bay.
'He must own a ship,' thinking to himself.

As they reached the hanger bay his acquaintance dropped his pace. Darryl did the same, trying quietly to hid his heavy breathing, he hasn't run like that in a very ling time. As the ship approached it wasn't to shabby, it seemed small but effective.

As they entered the ship via ramp, the guy sounded robotic asking if I wanted to sit.
"I prefer to stand." He replied.
Suddenly his helmet retracted(?) and saw his helper for the first time and his voice normally.
"The Omega Protectorate?" questioned Darryl.

 

[Lydeck]

His breathing began to slow down to a more controlled pace, his lungs filling with the slightly hot and polluted oxygen which had a slight metallic tinge to it. Occasionally his eyes would shoot to the loading ramp, hoping that their location would not be discovered. The chances of that were slim though. Silence could be bought with credits. Once he felt the two were safe he sighed in relief then reached into a pocked inside his jacket producing a reasonably standard data pad. One hand held the device while the other flicked through files, documents and data transfers. Once the Kiffar found what he was looking for he opened the file which started a sequence that caused an encrypted audio log to play. The voice was distorted by static but the words could be heard as clear as day "I have a job for you. Darryl S'cayem. 21 standard years old. 5 foot 9 inches. Pigment: Purple, Brown. Species: Chistori. Location: Mos Espa Tatooine. Reward: 50,000 credits. Dead or Alive" the log ended there and Brahlis shifted his gaze towards the large reptilian creature "That file was sent to me by my handler, a man or woman that I have not met once. When a new job comes through their fingers they send me the details, I fulfill the requirements and I get paid. Simple as that. What bugged me about this particular assignment were the lack of details on your files dossier. Strange for someone with that kind of price on their head. Now, I'm no bounty hunter but I know enough to see when somethings not right. So I will only ask you this once. Who did you piss off?"

It was an unfair question to boot. In the Chistoris 21 year life span he could have rubbed anyone the wrong way to merit a bounty on his head without him knowing.

 

[SwiftGlitch]

Darryl listened to the little data pad audio with some intent. He wondered how people could deal with technology, it just seemed so confusing and odd.

'I have a bounty on my head? When the hell did this happen, I wonder who it could've been, someone from my past maybe? I know I have enemies but I didn't think it would go this far.' He thought to himself.

Darryl moved his to his lightsabers holster on his belt just incase things turn sour. Then it suddenly hit him like a ton a durasteel.
'Could've it off be him?'
Darryl stared at the bounty hunter and narrowed his eyes.

"A Jedi maybe?" He replied, cocking his head to the right.

 

[Lydeck]

The Kiffar was not set back by the Chistoris surprise upon discovering the bounty on his head. Most never knew about the mark until they were staring down the barrel of a blaster. He returned the datapad back to his pocket "Grudges never truly disappear, and bounties can remain for years at a time. If it brings you comfort this is an old bounty and most likely only came to fruition after years of intelligence gathering to pinpoint your whereabouts. The Galaxy is huge." Brahlis had been in this line of work long enough to gain some sense of intuition and as the Chistori reached to his belt for his weapons he raised his hand in an open palm over his head "Woah, easy. If I wanted you dead I would have let those scumbags deal with you. And if it brings you comfort I'm not here to fulfil the request. My reasons for being here are of a more......selfish agenda. One could call it a business proposal." the Kiffar slowly brought his hand to his knee. He was unaware that the weapon he reached for was a lightsaber and Brahlis possessed no talent in detecting force users. At this time he was oblivious.

As Darryl contemplated the origins of the bounty he came to a disturbing conclusion, one that made Brahlis question him "Jedi? No. I have worked with Jedi before and they do not deal in bounties. Are you sure you aren't getting mixed up with a Force User of another organization?" the dealings with hunters and mercenaries hired for assassination were more akin to those that wielded the dark side of the force. Sith, Dark Jedi and the occasional rogue who dabbled in the darker arts. But a Jedi? Surely not.

 

[Lydeck]

[Member=Darryl S'cayem]

 

[SwiftGlitch]

Darryl gripped onto his saber, he still wasn't to sure about this guy. A bounty hunter says he here for a bounty then outright tells me his has an offer. It was a strange outcome, he wasn't expecting this at all today. He slowly pulled out the lightsaber and the beam of red appeared. Carefully his placed it to his side, making sure he didn't accidentally cut the floor of his ship.

"Well you see, this saber isn't truly mine, I stole it from a dark Jedi, I'd say he was once my master, he taught me some techniques on how to fight with this thing. Eventually he lost his mind and attacked me out of nowhere, it could be him but I'm not sure. Don't worry I don't plan on attacking you unless I'm provoked. Now, about this agenda of yours, what's the proposal?"

 

[Lydeck]

It was an unusual situation, that much was sure. But as he stated earlier Brahlis had an alternative agenda that could possibly benefit both parties if the Chisori agreed to his proposal. Despite stating his intention and confirming he was not a threat the large sentient seemed wary, its large hand reaching down to its belt to produce a typical hilt that held the infamous tool of most force users. The lightsaber. With a flick of a button a crimson blade shot out of its sheath producing a sound reminiscent of most serpents, a hiss that filled the durasteel walls of the spacecraft. The hum that followed was almost melodic as it sung a deep tune "Careful friend. This faithful beast is strong but she isn't lightsaber proof. Do you mind?" he hoped the Chisori would retract the blade. When it came to Big Bertha Brahlis was a little overprotective. She had served him well in his travels.

After hearing his guests story of how he obtained the weapon his eyebrow raised questionably "So let me get this straight. A Jedi trained you to wield the lightsaber but his mind was ravaged causing him to turn to the darkness? Not only that but you escaped with your life and managed to escape WITH his weapon?" he small chuckle escaped his lips "Quite a story indeed. Not many are lucky to elude their wrath. I myself have had my fair share of encounters with their kind but.....they left their marks". Brahlis sighed at the memory, his eyes dropping to his feet. It was a memory he would not forget. Many of his former comrades died that day, and for what? Some misguided fools ideology? He could not comprehend "None the less. You have a bounty on your head and its more than likely I am not the only one who is looking for you, you can count on that. So I offer you an alternative. I belong to a group who calls themselves the Omega Protectorate, a large organization that specializes in Private Military contracts varying in different fields. I could go into specifics but we would be here all day. But perhaps this would peak your interest. The Jedi and Sith are not the only ones who train those in the Force, in fact, we have dedicated Masters who instruct our initiates. I may not be the best person to explain those facilities, I do not pretend to know much about those that wield the Force. All I know is that they are powerful in their own right. Join us."

[Member=Darryl S'cayem]

 

[SwiftGlitch]

Darryl retracted the weapon after being told too, he placed the lightsaber back into its holster. He lent back into one of the containers and also placing a foot on it in hopes it'll keep him balanced, even though he knew he wouldn't fall or slip anyway, he just liked doing it, it felt comfortable. Darryl listened as the Lydeck retold his story, nodding every once in a while as if saying he was correct.

Then Lydeck spoke about his crew, and asked about joining, this made Darryl think.
'Joining another group of people, other apparent Force users who weren't like the Sith or Jedi, others like me? But joining groups in the past have turned out horribly... let alone just trusting one person. I'm good on my own I know it, I can learn and train myself, I don't want to be someone's apprentice, but I do miss having a family, a crew, friends. Maybe I can train better with a Master Force user. I can train and finally kill that bastard Jedi with his own saber.'
The Chistori looked at Lydeck.

"Sure," He simply agreed.

 

[Lydeck]

He was delighted to hear the Chistori agree on his proposal. After all, he had nothing to lose from joining the Protectorate but everything to gain. There was security, employment and dedicated trainers who brought their students up to par to better serve the organization. With a simple clap of his hands he stood up, his gaze resting on Darryl "If you have any possessions to grab I suggest you do it now. I can wait here for you. If you have business or loose ends to tie up then I'm afraid you may have to postpone for a later date. Unfortunately time is not on our side and already the clock is ticking. When you are ready to leave let me know. Ill prime the ship for take off and let my superiors know of your enrollment. They will be pleased." The Kiffar walked to the cockpit located in the front of the ship, a series of buttons and switches being pushed and flicked which triggered the ignition sequence. This beast was an old model and required a bit of time to warm up.

He activated the comm and set the frequency to Omega Protectorates private channel, his gruff voice addressing his status "Omega base, this is Lieutenant Lydeck of the Protectorate Navy. I am sending details of our newest recruit through. Please ensure that the proper documents are ready upon our arrival and let our Force Sensitives know of their new addition. We should reach base in approximately 5 days. Over and out."

[Member=Darryl S'cayem]

 

[SwiftGlitch]

Darryl felt around his belt, he really only had a two important valuables on his person, even thought he defiantly knew he had his saber, he double checked. It was where he just placed it, he slid his hand over to his satchel filled with a few credits, that was in its usual place too. Darryl smiled for the first time in a while, though he made sure that his new found friend didn't see. He wondered about his future adventures and where life would take him this time, hopefully his new life would be good.

Darryl tapped on Lydecks shoulders.
"I'm ready."

'Time to let the past behind,' thinking to himself once again.

 

[Lydeck]

The engines were primed, the main computer had completed its diagnostics on all major components and confirmed that the hyperdrive was functioning. A flashing light signified that the ship was ready for take off but one more formality had to be completed before they could leave the docking bay "Control this is Big Bertha, confirming everything is okay for departure, Over" a few seconds passed, nerves were running a little high as Brahlis ran the scenario through his head. Perhaps their pursuers had finally found them and maybe bribed the employees in the docks to halt their movement, perhaps he was simply being paranoid. The com link clicked again and the words that rang through the speaker sent a chill down his spine. They had been denied, and were required to shut down the craft and prepare for a 'routine inspection' of their goods. Considering they had already done a customs check upon his arrival and he had not logged any goods through the gates on his way back his suspicions ran high. What set off the alarms was the fact that the roof doors began to close in attempts to trap the scout ship inside the bay.

Brahlis looked back to his passenger "Strap in, this is going to be rough" he sat down in the pilots chair and immediately pulled back on the stick and gently pushing the throttle. This caused the ship to dip upwards so that the nose now pointed to the sky, a risky maneuver in such tight spaces but one that paid off none the less. Once in position he pushed the throttle to its maximum setting, the thrusters lighting up with a blue aura before propelling the entire craft into the clear skies above. The force of their take off caused the two to sink back into their chairs but they needed to get into orbit and prepare to jump to lightspeed. They reached the atmosphere but the Lieutenant knew all too well that celebrating at such a premature time was futile. True to nature 3 blimps showed up on his radar, no doubt high speed fighters belonging to the thugs they had disposed, and fled from, earlier. Once in zero gravity the ships artificial gravity systems kicked in allowing the two free movement within the ships confines "On the opposite side of the cockpit is a screen and the controls to an auto turret located on the left wing. Jump on and keep those fighters off my tail while I punch in the co ordinates for lightspeed"

[Member=Darryn S'cayem]