Some Shady Work - join at will

[Saff]

[member="Meyrit Daal"]

The raven haired woman stepped out into the crowds, head darting from side to side, one small check wasn't too difficult considering their encounter with the thief and his friends.

She'd came out into the bustling thoroughfare of the red light district and instantly retched at the smell of the place; in the small space of an hour that she'd spent gettign back into old habits, she'd entirely forgotten for a brief moment, the terrible smell of these kinds of places, but she'd live.

She turned back to the doorway of the bar at the mirilian and perked a brow; "Where to first?" Ebony quipped, her smooth voice carrying through the hustle of the crowds.

 

[Meyrit Daal]

The red-light sector of Nar Shaddaa was an assault on the senses. While the main strip was still an open trade market for tourists and travelers alike, the back alleys and off the beaten path areas, such as the one they were in, were a hub of illicit activity. Spice trades, illegally run bio-enhancement shops, even slavers could be found along these paths, offering their wares to anyone brave or foolish enough to enter. The Hutts who controlled this area did little to stop the violence that inevitably occurred when so many smugglers, mercenaries, and other less-than-reputable sorts gathered in one small location.

Meyrit pulled her mask back up over the bridge of her nose to hide a slight smirk at Ebony's reaction to the filth. The worlds she normally worked were as bad if not worse than this. besides, the mask helped filter out the more unsavory aspects.

"Where to first?"

The Mirialan surveyed the surrounding area to establish the easiest route to the docks. They would start there and expand outward as needed. "We'll head towards the docks first. More ships, less people." As they wandered through the streets, Meyr kept a watchful eye out. At the first sign of an issue her blaster would be in her hand and smoking before anyone could make a move. While doing so, she answered the question previously posed to her about her time as a Mercenary.

"It's been...almost five years at this point." The casual response was in direct conflict of her true memory. She knew down to an hour exactly how long she'd been out on her own. The vivid details of the day that won her her freedom would never perish, a slow burning hatred always hiding somewhere in the deep recesses of her thoughts. But experience had taught her that a relax response raised less suspicion and questions than an exact count.

[member="Ebony Blackheart"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

A world is a big place - but sometimes, the galaxy can feel so, so small. Small enough that two friends can touch base next to someone who just positively loved life at the moment.

Nar Shadda can seem chintzy, overtalked, and outright cliche on the surface. Some students might go to the outer levels, participate in some mild debaucheries, and wander back home for the night - drunk, or spiced up with a Twi'lek dancer's tooth marks in their necks. Sintel Kay enjoyed pressing deeper. And deeper, and deeper, it felt like Nar Shadda had no end to how much you could sink into its inky, oil-slicked depths or no warning for the event horizon you step past where you'll never escape.

He found comfort in the Red Light area - just enough substances to get someone hooked on a new addiction, just hedonistic enough that he could sate all his hungers, just busy enough that someone in the dockyards might disappear and never be seen again, and no one would say a thing.

For now, in painfully civilian garb - a slightly baggy jacket that hung loose around his lithe frame and a bag slung over his back - he feigned looking around. He picked out of the sparse loners walking around a fairly friendly-looking Bothan and walked up to him, letting him catch a whiff of those sweet, sweet Zeltron pheromones, stuff that smelled like the rush of young love.

"Sir, could you help me get some directions?" He asked sweetly - a few quick words, and soon enough the Bothan was letting him lead him off to an alleyway where they could look over a map undisturbed - or other things might happen undisturbed.

And maybe, just maybe, a Dark Jedi nearby could sense his murderous intent, radiating unabashedly in the Force.

[member="Ebony Blackheart"] | [member="Meyrit Daal"]

 

[Saff]

[member="Sintel Kay"] [member="Meyrit Daal"]

Ebony listened as thoroughly as she could; trying to dodge the crowds that passed her, trying to stay out of their way. She had somewhere to be and possibly had so did everyone else, there was no need to make a scene; however, sometimes that very thing couldn't be avoided; as previously noted in the bar they were in.

"Hold up" Ebony commented, slinking back up to Meyrit; "I can feel something off" the raven haired woman explained, spinning on her heel; head whipping from side to side to catch something, anything about her; but there was an almost criminal lack of dangerous looking individuals that fit what she sensed.

"I can feel someone's gonna do something violent" Ebony muttered to the woman beside her, she quickly realised the flaw in what she was saying; "As in something more violent than the usual crap that goes down in a cesspit like this" she elaborated and spun around once more; looking for the source of the violent aura.

She didn't wait for Meyrit's approval, but she also didn't seem to care for her opinion on it either. She grabbed onto the woman's wrist and pulled Meyrit through the crowd, she broke out into a less busy crossroad, two small side streets on either side; but amongst so much hatred and so much seething aggression her senses were clouded. "There's a killer, i can just feel it".

 

[Meyrit Daal]

Meyrit's smart-ass comeback to the woman's proclamation of sensing someone's violent intent was cut short as the woman grabbed her wrist. As soon as the slightest pressure encircled the joint, she froze, allowing herself to be pulled along for mere seconds before retaliating. A sharp grab back and up freed her arm. In the same movement, she drew her blaster and trained it on Ebony's back, right between the shoulder blades. The knight had stopped at crossroad, far from the hustle and bustle of the main thoroughfare, but the Mirialan did not notice their location nor did she acknowledge the knight's comment about a killer nearby. Waves of hatred and even the smallest hint of fear emanated from the mercenary.

She didn't hesitate as she sighted down the barrel of her weapon, her aim steady. "Do not EVER grab me without permission again. I don't care who you are or what you can do, I will shoot you. Understood?" The anger clouded her judgment as she waited for Ebony's reply. The armored woman could easily turn her saber and powers around on Meyrit in a moment, and without a doubt, the mercenary would lose. But it was a battle Meyrit would fight anyways. It was a battle she had to fight, to keep her sense of self, her freedom, and her will. NO ONE would ever force her into a situation she did not care to be in. NO ONE.

She would give up her life to defend that and almost had many times before. It didn't matter that Ebony had not meant to touch as a restraint, it's intent was far less important than the result.

The anger building in her brushed against another feeling, something cold and sinister. The waves of emotion radiating from the nearby alley abated some of the white-hot anger in her. She lowered the blaster a hairsbreadth, sensing what Ebony must also sense. A shiver shot from the crown of her head to her toes, her skin breaking out in bumps as the cold washed over her. As quickly as it had come, it disappeared.

[member="Ebony Blackheart"] | [member="Sintel Kay"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

"Yes, yes... Just stay right there -" Sintel said, an expression of focus stuck on his face as he fumbled around in front of the entranced Bothan dockworker with his backpack. His face lit up when he happened on the handle of his vibroblade - now, let's see...

He traced a finger along his hapless victim as the soon-to-be corpse simply giggled - a puncture to the lower stomach lining and he'd start to digest his own organs. His hand wandered lower, to the Bothan's inner thigh.

"No, wait, I just met you - this is too intimate." The femoral artery kill on a complete stranger? No, he was classier than that. He slipped his knife out of his bag, pressing it to his lower lip as he brainstormed ways to dismember this man - something fun, something exciting. "Hm."

"Wait, what's that?" Oh.

It was around that moment that he felt a surge of emotion nearby. It hit him like a brick wall - an old wound, new blood, a surge of fear and aggression. This was a kind of trauma that was rich, nuanced. For a sculptor, hate like that was like quality marble.

"Why am I even -" He pressed a finger to the Bothan's lips, let him breathe in the pheromones. Looked into his eyes.

"Thanks for giving me those directions I asked for. You can run along now."

"But I didn't - I mean, uh... you're welcome. I... I can run along now."

Sintel slipped his knife into his bag, skipping out of the alley as he slung it onto his back with a faint tune on his lips, hunting for the source of that emotion - gradually finding his way to the wave of negativity's origin point, closing in on the two women.

They were going to have such fun together.

[member="Meyrit Daal"] | [member="Ebony Blackheart"]

 

[Saff]

Ebony bit back seething anger as the blaster was levelled with her back, she was in no way going to accept a threat, no matter how personal or righteous the reasoning was.

"Don't point that at me" she growled, even after she'd dropped her aim, Ebony took that time to act, her right hand splayed out and the blaster shot from Meyrit's hand into her own, in the blink of an eye there was a dagger at Meyrit's throat, the bite of Ebony's lip was the sign she was pissed and she hated being angry.

"If I say, something, it's generally gonna mean something; i see what you can't, trained by mandalorian's trained by ex sith lords. I see everything around me, and i can see a creepy looking bastard staring us down, radiating the intention to murder us in our sleep. So if you want to hold onto whatever freedom you deem you have. Stow it" she growled, releasing her iron grip on the woman's shoulder and stepping back.

"Trust me, i know; I spent four years a slave, personal Hutt property, don't make the mistake thinking i've had a cushier fun calm life in a temple. I've lived the same life you have" she stated.

"So shall we put this aside for now and find out why we've got a tail?" Ebony finished with a deadly sense of finality, holding up the blaster she'd ripped from Meyrit's hand. "Believe me, i hate using the power as much as you hate having ti used on you" she added.

[member="Sintel Kay"] [member="Meyrit Daal"]

 

[Meyrit Daal]

Meyrit growled angrily and snatched the blaster back from the woman. Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated the odds of managing a shot against the woman in front of her. The malicious energy creeped closer and the mercenary couldn't resist the shiver that ran down her spine. Despite their anger at each other, the other woman had not made an intentional attack on the mirialan. Ebony had only turned her ire on Meyrit in anger, which she could respect.

"Just don't touch me again. You don't know anything about me or my life, but respect this: I do not like to be touched for any reason. I don't care who trained you or what your skills are, I'll make you eat that blade if I have to." She turned away from the woman, focusing on the direction from which the energy flowed. The threat was mostly empty, the merc knew that the likelihood of her being able to win a battle against the knight next to her was slim, but bravado was sometimes the only defense one had. If you couldn't convince your enemies that you were willing to fight back, you'd become the victim. And she'd not become a victim again.

Assuming their argument was set aside for now, she kept the blaster in hand and ready to fire, eyeing the shadows and occasional sense of movement around them.

"Come out, come out, whenever you are..." Meyrit sang out quietly, gaze and grip steady as she waited for the target to be revealed.

[member="Ebony Blackheart"] | [member="Sintel Kay"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Well, let's see...

One human-looking woman, obviously in tune with the Force. Strongly, too, to be able to pluck out his intentions so clearly - either that or he was just throwing off so much passion that he couldn't even tell. Another Mirialian, brandishing a blaster every which way as her eyes darted about. If he wanted to make them prey, he did a poor job of it - they were already on guard, and he wasn't entirely certain that he could take both of them head on.

Maybe they didn't have to be prey - yet. Let's see. The sparse crowds wandering the dockyards seemed to be giving them a wide berth, a small circle forming around them. Maybe hoping to see a catfight, maybe just junkies for any kind of blood. Probably the latter. Their disappointment left a bitter tang in the air.

He waited in the shadows, waited for the right opportunity - for the Mirialian's line of fire to intersect with, not where someone was, but where they would be in just a half-step. Wait for that moment, and give it a telekinetic squeeze on the trigger. Let's hope[member="Meyrit Daal"] watches where she points that thing.

Otherwise? She and [member="Ebony Blackheart"] could find their reputation very... diminished. "Who's the killer now?"

 

[Saff]

Ebony's eyes ricocheted from one thing to the other every living being in the forum was open to be the enemy, but she could tell there was one gangling creature lurking about, she knew it was her quarry; a darksider, it was all she needed to be labelling it a threat and deemed worthy of removal.

However, Meyrit was causing her worries, force users meant trouble, and a special brand of it. If the presence in question was hostile, it would mean that everything about a non-force user was up for grabs.

That said however, the raven haired woman turned to her companion and put a hand on her forearm, pressing down slightly to give her cause for caution. "It's close" she murmured under the bustle of the crowd. She turned fully to face the woman now, "You got anything that can take a lightsaber without breaking?" She commented, nodding to her veritable arsenal.

Ebony took a moment before stepping back, "sorry, personal space, my bad" she conceded and turned back to look into the crowd, peering into every arch, corner and doorway to try and identify the culprit and to wait for them to make the first move.

[member="Sintel Kay"] [member="Meyrit Daal"]

 

[Meyrit Daal]

Meyrit bristled at the hand on her arm. Resisted the urge to pull away or slug the woman, she stood still, her blaster redirected towards the ground at the pressure of Ebony's hand. Her restraint was rewarded as the knight removed her hand and stepped away, citing personal space. Apparently even force users could learn quickly when needed. Meyrit nodded once, sharply, in approval. The hair on the back of her neck still stood up in response to both the energies around them and the close proximity of her companion.

"You got anything that can take a lightsaber without breaking?"

The mercenary kept her eyes trained on the crowd around them, but holstered her blaster and smoothly drew two blades from their sheaths. She smirked and motioned with on of her blade. "Yeah, I might."

The bracelet clinging to her wrist underneath her glove was also a comforting presence, offering some protection from the presence who stalked them. She wouldn't tell Ebony about it, no. It was her best defense and one that was better left a secret from all.

Louder, she called out, "Who's the coward now? Show your karking ass!"

[member="Sintel Kay"] | [member="Ebony Blackheart"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Sintel blinked, uncertain - not so much due to fear as much as surprise. Was this... a callout? In the middle of a public dockyard? They may be a strange, touchy bunch, but this still seemed to be turning out as oh-so worth it - after all, recklessness was the source of all fun. Well - let's play it their way, then. Time to show them all the tricks in the bag.

He reached into his napsack and slipped on his mask - a skeletal visage with a broad grin. Nar Shadda may lack law enforcement, but local crime lords and private security tended to do all they could to protect their profits. He'd have to make this fast. His heart was pounding, and the game was on.

"Coward?" His voice had acquired a harsh, metallic twinge and shifted up several octaves, giving it a high pitched whine. "You are absolutely right."

He made sure to stick close, throwing off waves and waves of positive emption. He shifted his vibroblade to his hand, flicking it along his shirt - leaving a thin, vertical cut along his chest as his top fell to the floor. Zeltron pheromones were always something he had strong in him... And then there was natural telepathy, the Dark Side... What he was saying was, well, he never really was that unpopular at the University parties.

Parties were dull compared to a good murder, though. He sauntered towards the two, noticing how they were armed with melee weapons. Good. Stay out of arm's reach for now. The small crowd of watchers he had slipped through gawked - and inhaled - and decided to stay.

"These hilarious losers are just here for fun. They want something to watch." He slung an arm around one of them, some Twi'lek inspector, she swallowed. "They want a show. Let's give it to 'em. That sound nice, pateesas?"

His actions were one part bravado, one part caution. If [member="Ebony Blackheart"] or [member="Meyrit Daal"] lashed out at him, his mentally-afflicted "fans" were in arms reach for a quick human shield. His eyes plotted for escape routes - he didn't intend to be here when CorpSec showed up to crack skulls 'cuz they caused a ruckus. A few lifting droids scuttled around, a few Holonet Dark Net probes hovered, and his sword gleamed in the neon.

 

[Saff]

Ebony's hand wrapped around her saber as she twirled, looking into the ever growing dazed eyes of the crowds, watching a slim creature pass through it like a spectre. She grit her teeth, scratching her mind for where she'd seen something like ti before, it was terrifying at the sight, but not so much that she felt any real forceful emotion as a result.

"Something's not right with some of the bystanders, they look, more dazed than a normal drugged up sidestreet" Ebony said, pausing for a moment and tilting her head back towards Meyrit, "Y'know, if we weren't standing on a cesspit of a planet" she conceded and went back to watching the crowd intensely.

There was a simple calmness to the raven haired woman as she watched the creature move; it was in her peripherals, to try and hide that she was onto it.

"Got a plan?" Ebony said with a light giggle, trying and failing at alleviating the pressure.

[member="Sintel Kay"] [member="Meyrit Daal"]

 

[Marcus Lund]

Marcus was in a sidestreed just of the forum trying to see if anyone had let something useful lie around, he found a exposed electrical cable "wel this could come in handy" he said wel pulling the electrical cable loss whit his mechanical arm, and threw it around his shoulder. As he heard the rukkes coming from the forum he trying to figer out wat was going on.

As he worked his way threw the crowed and saw the standoff taking place between the women, and wat he guessed was a sith he disidet to intervene. He pulled out his blaster, Thad though looking like a piece of junk cobelt together from scrap metal and mismatched parts, would word just as wel as any store bought blaster, and leveld it at [member="Sintel Kay"] , the he noticed the neon sing hanging above the sith's head, he leand against the metal post witch the sing was attached to whit his mechanical arm, and send a high cured of electricity thru it, causing the sing to explode and shower the sith in broken glass and ignited neon gasses.
Hoping to would at-least distract the sith long anof fore somewan to strike.

He threw a glans at [member="Ebony Blackheart"] and [member="Meyrit Daal"] , hoping they would get the intend behind his action.

 

[Meyrit Daal]

Meyrit watched with suspicion as the creature revealed himself and clung close to the crowd. He was posturing. Everything from cutting his shirt to hugging a member of the crowd was meant to put them on edge. She quirked a grin and glanced sidelong at [member="Ebony Blackheart"] as she asked about a plan.

"Plan? Yeah...don't die or get arrested. Sound good?" She grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischievousness and a bit of reservation. She could feel the waves of energy the creature was giving off and didn't like it one bit. The crowd was gathering closer, too close to the man in front of her for comfort. They were bantha fodder for someone like him, ad likely if one of the women attacked, he'd be the type to drag the bystanders into the fray. No, as much as she was spoiling for a good fight, she would not risk innocent lives. She just had to hope that between herself and Ebony, they could convince him to leave without more hard occurring.

Her smile was all smooth confidence and bravado to match his. "Tah-koh tee womp rat e’nachu." She stepped forward, one blade in the defense position in front of her, the other held at her side ready for any attack.

At that moment, a shot rang out, one of the neon signs above their heads bursting into thousands of shards of glass and gas. Meyrit instinctually covered her face and moved to between the nearest bystanders and the blast, shielding them. She hissed at them to run.

[member="Sintel Kay"] | [member="Marcus Lund"]

 

[Ras'kala'han]

Every bit of Sintel's body was alive with sensation - the hot, dry air of Nar Shadda carried currents of fog across his skin as his muscles tensed, readying for the inevitable assault. The audience, by now fawning over him, only made things better - and as long as there was no absurd property destruction or conspicuous explosions, they could go on for a bit before problems began to arise.

It was at this point that he was greeted by a loud bang and a rain of hot, broken glass coming down on him. Wow, I really regret taking off my shirt. Then, suddenly, no more time for thinking. Duck and cover, raise one arm, try and minimize yourself - wow, glass really can sting when it's heated. His body was laced with surface cuts - nothing severe, fortunately, but it was the principle of the matter.

His adoring crowd was running away in every direction, his body stung to all hell, and Cartel Security was probably on to arrest them, or more likely, beat them all with clubs until the runoff of society could quite literally run off into the gutter and flow away with the sewage. No glitz, no glamour, just inconvenience - and at least one interloper nearby. Kneeling down, looking at his blood spattering on the Duracrete, he sucked in air and buckled down.

Let's make it quick and painful. Thrusting his hand forwards, the glass poured in a horizontal rain towards the two most obvious threats - and he kept pace with it, following his telekinetic hailstorm forwards, a rush of momentum as he prepared to follow up the stinging glass with a quick, diagonal slash of his sword to whomever was left most vulnerable.

--

[member="Ebony Blackheart"] | [member="Meyrit Daal"] | [member="Marcus Lund"]

 

[Talmass Erillett]

Among the bystanders, an armored figure, rifle strapped to his back, begins dodging as many shards as possible, searching for the shooter.


His armor, not mandolorian, but still completely custom made, is a silver color, durasteel making up much of the armor pieces. A mask, ornately carved covers his face, and the suit completely enseels his body. He moves with grace, and attentively. The body suit under the armor, weak at some joints, I.e. The elbows and knees, seems to be based off old imperial and republic designs.

His rifle, also custom made, seems to be an automatic rifle, with sniping capabilities.

 

[Saff]

Ebony straightened up instinctively with a scowl on her pretty face; she threw her hands outwards and a wall of kinetic energy threw the glass aside; she growled and ignited her saber, lunging forth to meet the assailant, she slid by, dropping low and clasping her blade in both hands and sliding it up along the path of his blade and rolling past him, putting the creature between Ebony and Meyrit.

There was a pause, the raven haired woman staying low in stance with her sword and saber held outwards in a challenge.

"C'mon ya Sith scum" she hissed, fortifying her force barriers as she eyes the man warily.

[member="Sintel Kay"] [member="Meyrit Daal"]

 

[Marcus Lund]

As Marcus saw the women preparing to take on [member="Sintel Kay"], He threw a smal dives into the crowed of bystanders, a second later the sound of a large expolotion came from the crowed, and bystanders fled, Marcus smiled, as unbeknownst to the crowed the device he just threw was a simpel speaker disinged to produce Thad sound. "Less chanse fore collard damage" he mutterd to himself as he aimed at the sith whit this blaster, before firing a few shots at the sith's legs. " This stings a lot more than Thad neon gas, so id advise you to doge" He siad to the sith whit a smile.

He kept [member="Meyrit Daal"] and [member="Ebony Blackheart"] in the perifory of his vision, ready to halt his firing if they came to close to the sith to fire safely.

 

[Meyrit Daal]

Meyrit hissed as shards of glass broke through her clothing and lacerated her skin. This was the last time she'd go out drinking without wearing her armor. Apparently even a slow evening of people watching and job hunting turned into a fight around her, just her luck. The Mirialan growled a curse and turned as the crowd began fleeing. It was chaos.

Between her new drinking companion fighting the creature with her weapons, the creature attacking them with glass and sword, an unknown shooter destroying property, and some heavily armored man delving into the fray, the mercenary didn't even know where to start. Of course that was when the shooter decided to join in the party and aimed shots at the sith, and subsequently in the direction of Ebony and herself. Karking idiots walking by and decide two heavily armored women couldn't handle themselves. whether they meant well or not, they mucked everything up. Meyrit rolled her eyes skyward and said a quick prayer for a miracle and she turned towards [member="Marcus Lund"].

"Might I suggest you let us handle it? She growled, a scowl telling him without words that he help was unwelcome, at least from the mercenary. Mentally, she was cursing her decision to even stop on this cesspool of a planet instead of catching the first transport off. Without waiting to see if the man would stop firing at them, she lunged towards [member=Sintel Kay]'s back, slashing low, below his rib cage. She attempted to flank the creature, dividing his attention between [member="Ebony Blackheart"] and herself.

[member="Charles"] Bellmount