Take Two: Action!

[Ballen-Ist]

Deep in the city planet of Nar Shaddaa, was Ballen-Ist. Despite it being a Republic planet, the young Sith had little trouble getting around the world, sneaking himself onto the surface through cargo holds and the like. It seemed like the galaxy was becoming a small place for the Sith, though in reality it was only for him. After the New Order's fall, and being declared a traitor to the One Sith, the young pureblood felt it necessary to do whatever the hell he wanted to. After ransacking a royal palace he had manipulated himself into, the Knight had come into a large amount of credits for most regular people, somewhere around eight hundred thousand and one million in total. The precious gold and jewels he had obtained fetched a high price on the market, which brought him to Nar Shaddaa's underbelly.

Among the open but crowded streets, was a counter top, built right into one of the large metallic walls that loomed overhead. Many stools had been pulled to it's front, for a intense game of pazaak was going down. At one side of the table, was a dark figure, cloaked completely in black clothng. His opponent, was a large Trandoshan, who kept on looking left and right with his reptilian eyes. He seemed nervous, almost suspicious. The deception that floated around the man's mind was ever present to Ballen-Ist, the boy's mind could feel it easily. The trickery he would attempt was confirmed as the man placed his palms against his own legs, exhaling loudly as if to act distressed. "You've worked me into a corner here, I'll give you that boy." The creature would say, allowing a lone card to slip into his hand from his sleeve.

Some others that crowded around might have been able to see this, though it would be difficult to notice due to all of the shouting and shoving that was going on. This game had large stakes, many people were eager to watch, for the victor would go home with fifty thousand credits. Of course, this was pocket change to the Sith, though he merely wanted to make more credits in anyway necessary. Grinning widely, the pureblood would simply shake his head from side to side, his youthful voice speaking out, "Is that so, lizard?"
[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani watched from the crowd, a bored expression quite obvious on her face. She'd seen this trick a dozen times over. Hell, she'd even used it a couple times. When someone from the opposite end of the crowd piped up to the Trandoshan running the show, Rikki smiled. "Yeah. Just how 'worked in' are you? " She said. She made her way to the front of the crowd and walked directly up to the table. She sat a hand on the Trandoshan's shoulder. "Ya know, if you actually wanna convince people you're in a bind, it would help if you didn't slip cards into your hand when we can all clearly see that your draw deck has barely been touched." She gestured to the deck of cards on his side, which wasn't the right size for one being that far into the game. A few in the crowd murmured after her words sank in for a moment.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Looking to the crowd, and then to [member="Rik'Tani"], the tall Trandoshan would suddenly stand up, a panicked look spread across his face. As he pushed the chair out from underneath him and stood, the card he had fell to the ground, becoming visible to all at this point. Everyone's murmurs would eventually turn into chants and roars of anger, disappointed to acknowledge that they had all been fooled by a cheater. Ballen-Ist on the other hand sat quietly, his smirk still present from beneath the dark hood he wore. Looking towards the Zabrak that had approached the table, the young boy would eye her up and down, assessing her physically with his eyes, and mentally with his mind.

Shrugging slightly, the Knight figured she was not too bad, seeing as she had been able to sense the deception the Trandoshan had attempted to pull off. "ARE YOU CALLING ME A CHEAAAAAATER!" The massive lizard would yell, completely embarrassed and enraged at this point. Lifting his clawed hand, the man would cock back his arm, before swinging it forward in a punch that would attempt to land on the female's face. All the while, the pureblood sat still, watching the battle unfold before him.

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani ducked, moving lithely on her feet. she grabbed the Trandoshan's burly arm with both hands, digging her fingernails into his scaled skin. she lifted herself up and managed to climb onto his back. She wrapped her legs around his neck, bobbing and weaving from his attempted blows like she was a flickering flame. She smiled. "What's the matter? Never gave anyone a piggyback ride before?"
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

Watching her swift movements quietly, Ballen-Ist would assess the situation before him. [member="Rik'Tani"]'s quick movements were useful against a large, strong opponent like the Trandoshan, however how long would she be able to keep up her stamina tolling maneuvers against hefty lizard. The man's arms were burly indeed, and if she were caught it just might result in a finishing blow, unless she had some other tricks up her sleeve. The cloaked teenager would continue to watch in amusement, beginning to laugh as she wrapped her legs around the lizard's neck.

Coughing a bit, the Trandoshan would frantically wave his strong arms around, attempting to claw at the female Zabrak with his sharp nails. Getting rather fed up, the tall creature would decide to take a different route, instead hurling his back towards a nearby wall, attempting to slam Rik'Tani violently against it's surface.

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani felt the Trandoshan moving backward. She unlocked her legs from his neck and jumped from his shoulders. She landed with a somersault onto the ground. She then pulled out her vibrosword and a blaster pistol, pointing both at him. "Yeah, I know. Two weapons? A little overboard, right?" She said playfully.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"This is Nar Shaddaa, girly!" The Trandoshan would hiss, after reeling forward from the impact against the wall. He had hurt himself bad, for his head had slammed against the metallic material. It rendered him dazed, causing it to seem as if he were struggling to even stand. Even so, his arm began to move, reaching to the back of his pants, before pulling out a large vibroknife. The lizard would glare with anger in his eyes, it was clear hostility that he possessed. If this continued, someone would get hurt, bad.

"Are you going to kill him," The cloaked figure would ask, looking towards the fight from under the black hood. The red skinned teen's eyes would flare brightly as he continued to examine the scene, feeling the pain and anger of those that participated. He enjoyed feeding off it, even though it was rather creepy. "If so," The pureblood would continue, "You should hurry up." The boy's mouth would close, his attention returning to table in which he had been playing pazaak on. Scooping up his and his opponents credits, the boy would lean back, getting comfortable as he began to look towards the streets.

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani smirked. "I was more leaning toward mame and disfiguration, but if push comes to shove..." She said to the cloaked man near her. She fired her blaster at the Trandoshan's knife hand, hitting it six times spot-on. She then sprinted at him, sword poised.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The first red bolt that surged forward from [member="Rik'Tani"]'s blaster would indeed slam against the Trandoshan's hand, causing his tfingers to be burnt rather severely. Howling in pain, the lizard would take a step backwards as he examined his injury, before looking towards the vibroknife that had fallen to the ground. The twitching, reptilian eyes locked onto the female Zabrak in hatred, as beads of sweat began to pour down his forehead. "Alright, you schutta," He hissed in spite, barring his large fangs as he spoke, "You wi-" he would begin, before tumbling forward, having hoped to deceive his opponent. It was more than doubtful that the Zabrak would fall for such a trick, though either way Ballen-Ist would now involve himself.

The crowd that had gathered had thinned considerably, some of the more wanted individuals leaving before they could be linked to such a brawl. From his cloaked side, the young pureblood would lift his arm, pointing it forward above the table top. Ballen-Ist's black gloved hand would aim directly at the Trandoshan, focusing on his upper torso area more than anything. The yellow, dark side filled eyes of the young Knight would begin to flare brightly as he continued to feed off the negative emotions, the individual's fear, pain, and anger powering his already considerable usage of the dark side. A strong telekinetic grip would begin to hone in on the lizard's long, muscular neck, gathering quickly in order to create vice grip. The air that would have travelled to the alien's lungs was cut off, causing his running to come to a sudden halt. The powerful hold that increasingly became tighter and tighter would continue to restrict the thug's movements, before caving in entirely. A loud, gut wrecking snap would be heard as the lizard's head violently curved to the side, Ballen-Ist's hand having clenched into a tight fist. The force energy that the Knight had utilized had easily been capable of crushing the scaly skin, causing him to die almost instantly.

The Trandoshan would lie on the ground, his body twitching briefly before becoming completely motionless. Sitting still and quietly, was the cloaked teenager, still grinning widely.

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani slowed to a stop as the Trandoshan began choking without cause. She watched in fascination as his neck magically snapped and he fell to the ground, lifeless. She sheathed her blade on her back, and leaned down to examine the body. "Huh," She said simply. Her red-orange gaze turned to the cloaked figure standing a ways behind her. "This was your handiwork, I take it?" Rikki stood up and walked over to him. "I gotta say, not bad. Nice and clean. Thanks, by the way."
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The young boy's eyes would roll as his form slowly stood, the chair that he had been sitting in previously pushing out from underneath him. Stepping around the pazaak table, the Sith's ominous glare would turn towards the crowd, watching as they began to run off in several directions, mostly fearing the same fate that had befallen upon the Trandoshan. Relaxing his fist, Ballen-Ist would let his hand open, as his arms withdrew themselves into the black cloak that covered his body, save for his face. The youthful, smooth red skin of the teen's face would be apparent to [member="Rik'Tani"], as his eyes grazed over his appearance, while his mind busied itself with sensing her through the force. She was a daring individual, something rare during these times of war. The dark presence that the Knight gave off would begin to focus in on her own, aiming to shroud and envelop her in his mere aura.

The vile, yet power laced feeling that would overcome her being would only give her a brief glimpse of the true strength the Knight wielded. As fast as it had appeared, the dark presence would retract itself, floating only around the immediate area around Ballen-Ist. "Of course it was my handy work," the youth woud reply snidely, before stepping closer to her, "What would you do, if faced against a foe such as I?" The pureblood would ask, furrowing his brow as he awaited a response.

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani could feel the darkness the boy possessed. She'd seen his kind before. Purebloods is what everyone called them. She always did admire their beautiful skin. This one in particular was easy on the eyes. She smirked. "I'd fight like Hell. Probably wouldn't win, but I'll be damned before I lose without any effort. It'd be a nice way to go, I think. Slain by a Sith. Dying in the heat of the fight. That's the way my parents always dreamed of doing it." She said casually.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]

 

[Xaefo Mardekin]

A straggly backpack hung loosely from Xaefo's left shoulder as he walked down the streets of Nar Shaddaa. In his right hand was a metallic pipe, which he swung freely to the rhythm of his whistling, and in his left: a photograph. He had came to the planet on business; he was here to collect the bounty on [member="Ballen-Ist"]. He hadn't known much about the man he was hunting, only that he was here for the time being, and that the man in the picture was the one he was supposed to kill. Killing usually wasn't something the boy particularly enjoyed, although he had done it in the past, but he had been informed that the person he was chasing after was a bad, bad person, and Xaefo was desperate. I'm beginning to doubt he's even on this planet..

Regardless, he wasn't ready to give up quite yet- The hunt was still on! He was just about to round a corner when a young Twi'lek girl rounded the corner screaming, nearly running into him. Well that's odd.. He turned to look back at her, raising an eyebrow, but the girl was still running. I wonder what startled her. He proceeded to turn the corner and continued on his way, soon noticing the problem. A Trandoshan man was lying on the pavement, unmoving, with only two figures nearby. Cautiously and silently he would approach, stopping when he was a few yards away from the duo. He observed them carefully, looking back and forth to his photograph and them. Could it be? Indeed, it seemed his perseverance was going to pay off in the long run, assuming he was able to pull this off. Regardless, it was all or nothing at this point.

He spoke clearly, looking towards Ballen-Ist, "Any chance I can take you alive, or am I going to have to do this the hard way?" He examined the body while he awaited a reply, examining the cause of death. A broken neck? How did that little guy manage to do that? The guy's like three times his size.. He shook his head, looking back at them with a cold stare. He was determined to collect this bounty; it had become survival instinct at this point.

[member="Rik'Tani"]

 

[Ballen-Ist]

"Honorable death, huh," The young boy would remark, closing his head while he shook it from side to side in disappointment. "Admirable, but foolish,"he would continue, not exactly approving of her beliefs. Though he enjoyed a good fight, he would not die one that was not worth it. He had to survive longer, for his goals were ones that would alter the future. Or so he hoped. Ballen-Ist's black cloak would flutter in the wind as he examined the area, giving a last glance towards the dead Trandoshan. "Foolish lizard," he commented, before stepping over it's body and walking away. "Come with me, I sense something." the young Knight would mutter, obviously at [member="Rik'Tani"], seeing as she was the only one around at the moment.

Though, as they walked, [member='Xaefos Mardekin'] made himself apparent, wielding a metallic pipe in his hands. Squinting his yellow colored eyes, the young pureblood would hone in on the paper with his narrowed vision, beginning to examine the picture that resembled himself. A bounty hunter, no doubt. It would mark the third attempt on his life, after a clownish duo had tried to do so. Eyeing the newcomer up and down, the young Sith could not help but sigh, rather embarrassed for this lad that wanted to claim the bounty. Turning his head to look at the Zabrak, the boy would lift his arm, waving forward at Xaefos as if implying something. "Well, show me what you can do." He would say, obviously wanting her to attack the human.

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani looked at the teenager, and then at the pureblood. "Excuse me? I'm not in the habit of just waltzing up to people and killing them, thank you very much." She said haughtily, crossing her arms. "If you want him dead so bad, do it yourself. He's after you after all. Shouldn't you fight your own battles?" It wasn't really a question so much as a statement. Big Sithies didn't just order random people to do their bidding. They faught their way through everything, getting rid of anyone who stood in their way. Besides, the kid looked young. She didn't want to hurt him unless given reason to. So she backed a ways away from the two, giving them plenty of room for a showdown, and decided to watch the show.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]
[member="Xaefo Mardekin"]

 

[Xaefo Mardekin]

It had suddenly gotten really quiet, and it felt as though they were the only ones in the area. Here he stood, not only one opponent, but quite possibly two. He sighed, twirling his weapon freely in his right hand. He cocked his head a bit- "Well, show me what you can do." Did he just insinuate that Xaefo couldn't take him? How rude... A smirk fell upon his face as he continued to observe the couple, chuckling a bit at [member="Rik'Tani"] 's words. At least someone here was being reasonable about this. Xaefo had came for [member="Ballen-Ist"] , not to scrap with some random girl he had found with the Sith Pureblood. His demeanor seemed completely calm, but on the inside he had to admit that he was a little scared, especially because he assumed that Ballen-Ist was the one who had ended the reptile's life.

No matter, though. He spoke once more, an agitated tone in his voice, "It doesn't matter which one of you I fight.. I just want to get this over with, okay?" His statement could likely be determined two ways: A. He wanted to get the fight over with, or B. He was ready to die, although it was more likely the prior than the latter. He dropped his backpack to the ground and kicked it so that it could slide to a rest next to a nearby wall. With this, he shoved the picture in his left pocket, and continued swinging his pipe around. He was ready for combat, whether he was confident in his abilities or not. At the very least, he knew he could run away from the situation if necessary, and that was enough to give him the bravado to at least try and combat one of the two before him.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

A quiet sigh would escape between the boy's red colored lips, as he looked towards the ground in disappointment. A funny thought ran through his mind, only humorous due to the fact that it was oddly true. Things hardly ever went how the Knight wanted to, but on more than one occasion he had worked things to his advantage. Craning his hooded head slowly to the side, the pureblood would look at [member="Rik'Tani"], before shrugging violently and making a rude face at her. The Zabrak female was far to spunky, it seemed she had never been put in her place before. The boy known as [member="Xaefo Mardekin"] on the other hand, was just plain desperate. The metal pipe wielding teen would run forward, flailing his arms around in hopes of landing a solid hit on the Knight.

Bending his legs at the knees, Ballen-Ist would lower himself to the ground, leaning his body backwards as the weapon sailed over him. It would have hit him, if not for the actions he had employed last second. After this, the young Sith would attempt to move, utilizing quick foot work in order to step around and behind his attacker. "Does my accomplice not seem easier to kill? Two heads, equals two rewards," Ballen-Ist would explain, while remaining still behind Xaefos. He would not move to strike, he would simply remain silent after avoiding the initial attack. Suddenly, from the shadows, a dark clothed individual would appear. His slightly armored figure would slam against the dense street, having leaped from the roof tops above. The pale skinned human would begin to walk towards the female Zabrak, before igniting a single beam of crimson plasma. The saber hilt the new arrival held tightly would move upwards as his arm did, positioning the red blade in front of his body. Instead of lashing out with the saber, the Sith Acolyte's free hand would extend, aiming at Rik'Tani in an attempt to catch her in a force pull. The force energy around her would begin to seem heavier, that is if she couldn't resist it. If so, it would begin to move, hoping to drag her figure along with it to the ground.

 

[Rik'Tani]

Rik'Tani's eyes locked onto the newcomer. She felt her feet begin to drag across the ground as if she were being pulled by unseen hands. "Frak. This is not good," She said aloud to herself. She unsheathed her vibrosword along with a second one she had neglected before. They were strong peices of metal, but they wouldn't last long against lightsabers. Maybe she could buy herself some time at least. She remembered what Maddock had taught her a while back. Clearing her mind, she summoned her Force energy. Then, she sent a Force push directly at the man. Her Force was limited at the moment, but it may be the only thing she could use to survive the fight.
[member="Ballen-Ist"]
[member="Xaefo Mardekin"]

 

[Xaefo Mardekin]

His makeshift weapon still poised, Xaefo would pause momentarily, glancing over his shoulder to cautiously examine his foe, making an attempt to hear him out. Two rewards... The offer was tempting, but he wasn't chasing butterflies here- He wanted to go big.. Something had caught his attention though: a new arrival. He seemed to resemble the young Knight as far as attire went, but he was attacking his ally.. How strange.. He pondered his options momentarily, using his peripheral vision to watch the fight arising between [member="Rik'Tani"] and the hooded figure. Was he... Pulling her in? With his hand?! Xaefo was rather confused, but he wasn't going to question it for the time being; he could sort out all of the details later, assuming he was going to even live to do so.

A grin found its way to his face, and he chuckled slightly, shaking his hair out of his eyes. It had seemed that he'd gotten the easy opponent, or at least he assumed it to be that way. After all, he wasn't dead yet, was he? "I'll pass!" he exclaimed, swiftly bringing his left elbow back in an attempt to slam it into [member="Ballen-Ist"] 's gut. He allowed himself to twist around as he did so, assuring that he would be able to maintain face to face combat even if the Sith boy did manage to avoid his surprise attack.

 

[Ballen-Ist]

The force energy that had been dragging [member="Rik'Tani"]'s body would begin to ease up, as her own power shot forward in a push. It's properties would negate the Acolyte's power, allowing the Zabrak to move freely now. The telekinetic shove would slam into Ki's torso, causing him to skid backwards along the street's surface. The man's momentum would cease after the force technique subsided, leaving his dark clothed and armored figure standing still. "You're pretty weak, girl," the Acolyte would taunt, casting an angry glance in her direction. The man would take another few steps forward, before swinging his arms across the air in a horizontal fashion. His red beam would slice across the air, hoping to land upon Rik'Tani's frame.

[member="Xaefo Mardekin"]'s elbow would shoot backwards as his arm moved, successfully planting a hit on the young pureblood's torso. The young attacker's hit would impact with a thin durasteel plating, causing the brunt of the attack to mostly just push him backwards. The Knight's feet would move to back pedal his body away from the pipe wielding boy, still not taking the offensive. "It seems that newcomer is going to take the bounty on me and my friend as well. Shouldn't you help her kill him?" the pureblood would question, furrowing his brow as he awaited the human's response.