The Bold Survive

[Rhen Ordo]

The comments from Sage were beginning to become tedious, but Rhen had already adjusted to the fact that nothing would cause his attitude to change. All that could be done was merely letting him run his mouth and take everything he had to say in stride. As such there wasn't much he had to say in response, and he merely shook his head with a muttered insult, "Chakaaryc." There were a number of other responses he could think of, but that was one that sufficed enough, in his book.

Force sensitivity wasn't something he'd expected from Sage, and if he had, in his current drugged state, the strength of his abilities was another surprise. His first instinct was to distance himself from the threat, his second to bring up his arms in order to defend his more vulnerable abdomen, his third to flick off the safety on his blaster and finally fire. But by that time the needle had already broken his skin, injecting the drug into his system. Due to this the shot missed, his aim thrown off by the substance, and soon enough after the weapon fell from his grasp as he felt his legs going weak, the edges of his vision slowly fading to black.

The last thought on his conscious mind was just what Sage wanted with him, especially considering he'd gone out of his way with the drug, even if it might not have been originally intended for him.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

The nice thing about drugging a man that didn't normally take drugs was that his tolerance was low. It turned out that it didn't take much ryll at all to knock the guy out, even a powerhouse like Rhen Ordo. As Rhen dropped his weapon, Sage just stood back with a smirk and watched the other man's eyes get heavy. It turned out that the ryll was meant for Klusto, the man that Sage was looking to double-cross today, but since Rhen Ordo made that impossible, it wasn't fair to let all those sweet painkillers go to waste. When Rhen slumped against the wall and finally crumpled to the pavement, Sage crouched next to him to check his pulse, fearing that he'd given him too much. Rhen's pulse was slowed, but still ticking along.

Sage didn't have the strength to drag Rhen to his apartment by himself, but there were more than a few glit-biters who were all to eager to help him get the man into a speeder taxi in exchange for a few credits. He ordered the junkies help him all the way up his one-room flat and deposit the man on the bed. Then he shooed them away when they poking around the place, looking for drugs. Sage grabbed a thick roll of fibercord and bound Rhen's wrists to his metal bed frame. Then he thoroughly searched the bounty hunter, confiscating all of his weapons, some choice goods for the black market. Sage glanced at his chrono, whistling at his own luck. Rhen Ordo would be waking up soon and when he did, Sage was going to have one angry Mandalorian on his hands.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

The first thing Rhen noticed upon slowly awakening was that his surroundings were unfamiliar. That in and of itself was never a good sign. The second was that his hands were bound above his head, causing him to instinctively test the bonds, the cold feeling on the back of his hands and forearms telling him that whatever he was tied to was some kind of metal. That just made the situation worse. Finally he actively scanned his surroundings, able to feel a headache forming behind his eyes, and he realized just who it was that had gotten him in his current predicament, and with that came the realization that he was tied to a bedframe and currently lying on the bed in question. All things considered more comfortable accommodations than what he'd experienced in the past, but still not preferred.

Instead of speaking right away he blinked slowly as he recalled the events of the past thirty minutes, his dark eyes locating any and all possible exit points along with what, if anything, could be used as a distraction weapon. These and more were simple side-effects of his military training, and they had enabled him to survive this far, and would only continue to do so. With another tug on his bonds he finally relaxed just a fraction, only just then shifting his gaze to the man responsible for all of this.

Words didn't find his lips right away, but when they did, his voice was low, any earlier trace of any kind of tolerance gone from his tone. "What is it you want, shabuir?"

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Perched on his dresser, with a deathstick between his lips, Sage simply watched as Rhen slowly awoke. There was something tantalizing about binding the man. He supposed a psychiatrist, someone like the famous Doctor Zendu, might say that his enjoyment of this pursuit had something to do with perpetuating a cycle of abuse, or a craving for power due to past powerlessness, but Sage didn't put too much stock in the psycho-babble of a quack. Blowing pink smoke out of the side of his lips, he raised an eyebrow when Rhen met his gaze, a death glare in his beautiful brown eyes. At his question, Sage smiled sweetly.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over your disrespectful tone. You might want to choose some different words to address me, love." He hopped off the dresser and lingered over Rhen, standing far enough away to avoid being kicked. Sage's eyes flashed red for a moment as he chuckled darkly. "In case you haven't noticed, you're pretty screwed right now, Rhen."

He ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair, and squatted so that his face was level with Rhen's in his prone position, his eyes full of amusement. "Now, let's try this again, shall we? Go on. Ask me again. But this time, nicely."

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

When in a scenario such as this, it wasn't in Rhen's capacity to be concerned with anything else but how and when he would escape. The rest would come later, when he was left time to really think, if that happened with someone like Sage. Something told him that the man had experience with dealings such as this, though he doubted the chances of this being his second or even third time capturing one of his aliit. The Mandalorians were anything but easy prey, and once captured, didn't last long under the confinement of another. It wasn't in their nature, and the same went for him. Whether that was something Sage was ultimately aware of would show in time, but it was something he doubted.

The sickly sweet demeanor coupled with an air of malice did little to phase him, and still he met Sage's gaze easily, his tone unwavering and otherwise the same as it had been. "It doesn't bear repeating." The fact that Sage apparently thought it would be an easy task to keep him captive was enough to serve some kind of grim amusement, though it didn't show on his face. The thing about bounty hunters and Mandalorians both was that if they had scores to settle, they wouldn't leave it to someone else to do so. The problem would be resolved by their own hand, which typically didn't bode well for the individual responsible.

"I've made a point not to fear laosr like you." Even with the possibility of things going very wrong, he still spoke steadily. In his eyes Sage had proven himself as nothing more than just another typical addict, but in the grand scheme of things it was all he'd been expecting. The question would be whether or not the relatively calm demeanor of the man would continue, or if it was just a beginning facade.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Unlike his brother who would have been hemming and hawing by now, Sage stayed calm, the same playful smile remaining on his face. He rather liked that the man wasn't going to play nice. It made him feel like a kitten in a koi pond. Although he had to admit, his prey was more shark than fish. "Rhen," Sage said in deadpan tone, twisting his smile a bit more. "Your little pet names for me are really cute. But you're not following the rules here." Sage lifted himself up and produced the shock whip he'd been hiding behind his back. He turned it over in his hands, looking at it lovingly, deathstick dangling from the side of his mouth.

"I'm being generous with you Rhen. I could have stuck you with something much more lethal, after all." Sage tsked sardonically. "And not even a simple 'thank you.'" He put his hand on his chest. "I'm truly hurt," he said mockingly.

Then Sage backed up, the shock whip gripped in his hand, his eyes flashing red with malice. He flicked his wrist lightly and the whip uncoiled, the tail curling around his feet. "So here's what you're going to do, Rhen. Forget the niceties. You're going to tell me if and when the Mandos are coming for my brother. And any other information you have concerning these threats that we keep hearing about. Or, well, you know the drill here, brown eyes." He cracked the whip to the side as a demonstration.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

His gaze flicked to the weapon that had been produced for only a brief moment as he calculated the advantages and disadvantages of such a tool. The reach would definitely be a problem, as would the general effects of such a weapon. On the chance that he was able to work things to his advantage and escape, speed would be his greatest and possibly only asset, depending on which other weapons were nearby. This would have been a perfect time for him to have access to a secure, hidden commlink, but as such he wasn't so fortunate. So he would have to make do with the resources at his disposal, which at this point were his wit and words.

Had the situation been any different, he would have had a wry smile in response to Sage's requests about the information he was supposed to give away freely. His loyalties to his vode ran deep, and it would be the last thing he did, betraying them. That was nothing more than wishful thinking on Sage's part, if it could even be called that.

"Things have already been resolved with the personal issues concerning that hut'uun and any of my people. There isn't anything else to say about it." Still he watched Sage calmly, working his bonds nearly imperceptibly, attempting to loosen them by any means possible. Catching the other man off guard would only better his chances, and if there was one thing Rhen was good at, it was strategizing and then employing his tactics in a battle situation. Something this one would have to learn the hard way.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage noticed the way Rhen was eyeing his weapon, and it made his smile even more twisted. It told him that despite their vast differences in strength and training, Sage had the upper hand. Rhen might have been a bigger, stronger man, but Sage was a survivor, and one important thing he had in common with his brother was his ability to be underestimated. Most of his adversaries painted him with the brush of a Nal Hutta junkie, and only when it was too late, did they realize he was a cagey street fighter, honed in the art of hand-to-hand combat from his time as a slave. And not afraid to bat his pretty eyes as someone as he was simultaneously slitting his throat.

The half-Chiss stepped a few paces forward and spoke, slowly and deliberately, punctuating each word with a crack of the whip aimed towards Rhen's chest. "Thought. I. told. you. to. be. nice." Each lick of the whip would carry enough volts of electricity to make each lash intensely painful, but not enough to seriously electrocute the bounty hunter.

Then Sage smiled sweetly again, and let the whip hang loosely at his side. As he talked, he let some of his verbiage slip into Huttese. "Your passive-aggressive commentary is adorable. But you didn't answer my question leeah. Cough up some intel, Rhen. I could do this all night."

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

At first, a grimace and a quiet string of curses in Mando'a were Rhen's only response as the whip made contact, the electricity eliciting a painful stinging shock even through his clothes. Still, his dark eyes slowly found Sage's once more, his breathing beginning to even itself out as a moment of silence passed between them, not filled with tension so much as the general idea that mettle had been tested and found suiting. Now the two were more or less aware of where the other stood, and that only made things into more of a dangerous game. But there were facets of anything that could be worked to one's advantage if they looked hard enough, and that was exactly what he was doing.

From a look at things, Sage was starting to become just a bit overconfident in himself, as he'd stepped closer and not bothered to correct his distance from where the Mandalorian was bound, leaving him within range of a kick provided it was well-placed enough. This was an opportunity that could be seized and rightfully exploited, but not too soon. For the time being he would allow a sense of power to encompass Sage, enough that any thoughts of failure or injury on his part all but left his mind. Only then would he make his move.

It was in that moment he ceased in making any attempts to loosen the cord that bound his wrists, but it wasn't for a lack of want on his part. That was just another part of things, to allow Sage to settle into things. Despite outward appearances, he'd done anything but concede to his current situation. This was only the beginning of what would hopefully be an effective plan.

"Slanar at haran."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

At Rhen's short but sweet response, Sage smirked and played with the tail of the shock whip, threading it through his fingers. "For that you need a soul, my friend," said the Chiss hybrid. "And mine was bought and sold a long time ago on Nal Hutta. Along with my body." He said it plainly, stating a fact, not attempting to garner sympathy. Sage could see a few spots of blood forming on Rhen's shirt where the whip had lashed him. He didn't want to endlessly torture the beautiful man, in fact, there were more fun things he'd much rather be doing with him, but Sage wanted information. And he'd gone all in on this scenario. One thing he'd learned from dealing with drug lords on Nar Shaddaa was to always follow through.

His eyes flashing red, he sought out Rhen's emotions with his Force tendrils. Even though there was a glimmer of fear, the Mando was still cocky and confident as he'd been in the alleyway, but it didn't come as a surprise. The man was a psychopath who traded in death as a profession. He also felt predatory instincts. Rhen was planning a move, so Sage figured perhaps he should move his pawn.

Crossing into his bathroom, Sage rifled around in his medicine cabinet which was a veritable pharmacy, and mixed up a drink for Rhen. Then he returned and stood over Rhen. The man had to be getting thirsty, especially coming down off of the ryll. He inched closer to Rhen and held out the glass, smiling as if to say, "let's make amends."

"Drink of water?"

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

The sudden kindness from Sage didn't serve to relax Rhen in any capacity, and he was just as wary of the man as he had been when they'd first encountered each other in the alleyway, if not more so, after knowing what he was capable of. A healthy, guarded respect for one's adversaries was always necessary, but so was a deal of caution as well. Doubly so when said enemy was someone like Sage, who was capable of switching his demeanor at little more than the drop of a hat. Certainly, he had been curious about the man, and now he was aware of just why he'd been listed as a person of interest in regards to the bounty.

Again the other man stood close to him, almost as if daring him to make a move, and so he remained still. It wouldn't do good to have his every action predicted, and he wasn't about to walk into a trap. As Sage had left the room he'd once more done a cursory scan of the bedroom, not finding much of anything worth noting, his weapons not anywhere in his line of sight. That would only make things more interesting.

It was obvious to him that the water was most likely drugged with another substance, or perhaps a mix of such, and after just shaking off one drug-induced stupor he wasn't about to knowingly subject himself to another. If anything was going to go his way, he needed his wits about him. "I don't see any reason to trust you, shabuir." It seemed like that moniker had stuck. It suited Sage perfectly as it was.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

At Rhen's statement, Sage impulsively threw the drugged drink in his face, letting all of his Zeltron exilir of truth go to waste. "You'll get thirsty eventually," he said with a shrug of one shoulder and a smirk.

The half-Chiss wasn't a fan of gratuitous torture, but by the Maker, the Mando was pushing him. He raised his shock whip with a growl, turned the voltage up with one finger, then cracked it a quite a few more times on Rhen's already wounded chest. Once he stopped, he stood before Rhen appraised the situation with his brown eyes. His assessment: he needed a hit. Sage disappeared into the bathroom and ingested some of the Dredd glittertstim, the sound of the crystals crackling through the apartment. The Dredd glitterstim packed a punch, and Sage had to steady himself on the sink.

Now that his telepathy was synthetically enhanced, he ventured back out, taking a a metal chair and placing it just out of reach of any of Rhen's free limbs. Taking a seat, he gazed at the Mando with an amused smile on his face and concentrated on simply reaching into Rhen's mind to see if he could find any secrets that the bounty hunter was hiding. With glazed eyes, he cast out his psychic lines, fishing for any hint of information regarding his brother and the Red Ravens. If the man were hiding anything, surely the Dredd glitterstim would help it come to light.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

The cool shock of water in his face was one he expected, at least with someone like Sage, so he only blinked it out of his eyes and didn’t make any other move to wipe it away, returning to simply watching the other man. If he had to guess, that was the last of the drugs that were readily available, though he wasn’t about to accept any charity otherwise. Doing so might only prolong things, but he hadn’t been raised to give in so easily.

The sharp cut of the whip into the skin of his chest was beginning to become almost a monotonous thing, and he rode out the waves of pain caused by the increase in electrical voltage, his breathing taking longer to steady than it had before, blood now seeping steadily into the fabric of his shirt from the wounds beneath. Almost immediately after the whipping Sage left the room again, and it was obvious why at the noise of the crack of glitterstim coming from the bathroom. While he was gone Rhen took the opportunity to work at the cord at his wrists, loosening it enough that circulation began to slowly return, though he didn’t have much time to do much else as he wasn’t left alone for long.

Surprisingly enough Sage remained silent, though he could feel the ethereal tendrils of what he assumed to be the Force nosing around in his mind, most likely searching for information that the other man seemed to think he was hiding concerning any plans for war against the Red Ravens. Unfortunately for the one searching for the information, he’d been away from Mandalore for a time, and thus wasn’t privy to any such proposals. All told it was, at least for the purposes Sage was holding him, useless to keep things up, but he didn’t voice any such thoughts just yet, reciprocating the calculating silence and watching the other man carefully for any sign of movement.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Ugh. The Mando had nothing. Sage would have been normally beside himself with anger or irritation, but the glitterstim took care of those pesky feelings. Now he had to figure out what to do with the angry Mandalorian tied to his bed. It wasn't like he could smile and say, "Oops, just kidding!" and unbind him, although the thought of that did make him giggle. Sage sighed and rose from the chair, placing it back where it had been, giving some semblance of order to his messy apartment. Then he crossed to his dresser and poked around the top drawer, all the while talking to Rhen

"Today's your lucky day, Rhen Ordo," said the half-Chiss, filling a brand new syringe with more ryll. "Your ignorance in regards to these Mandalorian threats has just won you an all expense paid trip for one. To your freedom."

The Dredd glitterstim in Sage's system was such a potent strain that it made him too light-headed and giddy, especially after standing up so suddenly after such concentration. It was pure carelessness on Sage's part when he walked over to Rhen and took his eyes off his captive while he prepped the syringe, flicking at it with his finger. Unfortunately Sage didn't realize he was standing dangerously close to the Mandalorian, and perfectly within reach.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

There were benefits and detriments to one's captor being inebriated on any sort of substance. One of the obvious disadvantages was that it left them in a less than reasonable mental state, making any negotiation difficult while also preventing any sort of rational response to the situation at hand. But along with this there were also a fair share of advantages, at the top of the list undoubtedly the fact that any logical train of thought was greatly inhibited and in some cases completely erased it. The others were typical of any substance: slower reaction time, though that was up in the air, and as such a lesser skill in combat than what was typical. With the odds being as in his favor as they were ever going to be, Rhen figured it was time to make his move.

Once more he did a scan of the room, a slight frown turning down the corners of his mouth as he found nothing more usable than distraction weapons. Very well, bare-handed combat it would have to be. It was one of the first arts he'd been taught, and in some scenarios the upfront tactics were preferred to anything at more of a range, such as a blaster. They allowed one to avoid the possibility of any negative repercussions from a blaster shot if they were only concerned about one assailant, and it had the potential to end things quickly, whereas a firefight could drag on for hours at a time. That wasn't in his tastes. Ending things quickly was more his style, as Sage was soon to learn.

Now that he'd managed to loosen the rope, it was only a matter of time before the knots were completely undone, and he let his bonds slowly fall, not wasting any time in reversing their positions, first kicking away the syringe of ryll and then aiming a kick that would knock Sage off of his feet if it connected. At this point he wasn't interested in a prolonged conflict, his only interest being to settle things, if just temporarily, and then leave. If things went that smoothly, he would be surprised.

"Think carefully before you speak, because I'm not of a mind to be merciful, shabuir."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Once the syringe was prepped, Sage grabbed Rhen's arm, but instead of sticking him right away, he first traced his fingers lightly across his skin, teasingly. A slave to his vanity, he couldn't resist toying with the bound man one more time before he sent him off to dreamland. "Rhen, I have to say, I'm going to miss seeing you in this position. Admit it, tiger, you liked it just a little bit didn't you? Now make sure you text me after all this is said and done." He bit his lip and then aimed the syringe for Rhen's bicep.

As Rhen's boot collided with Sage's midsection, he flew backwards, and landed with a thump. What the frell? He thought he'd bound the fibercord tightly enough but perhaps he'd underestimated the man's strength. Sage scrambled to his feet and yanked the electro whip from its holster. He crouched, spreading his legs shoulder-width apart, as he'd done many years ago in Nal Hutta fighting tournaments. It was just like fighting those bigger, stronger slave boys, buoyed by their overconfidence, wasn't it? Sage's eyes betrayed more than a hint of fear as he faced his foe.

"I thought I told you to be nicer to me," he said with a smile, tossing his bangs out of his face with his free hand. With the voltage cranked up to stun, Sage suddenly flicked his wrist, cracking the whip towards Rhen, aiming for his thigh.

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

The surprise on Sage's face didn't last long, and at the crack of the whip Rhen instinctively stepped to the side, the weapon flying harmlessly through the air where he'd once been standing. It seemed that the other man didn't share his views of not dragging things out, but he hadn't expected him to in the first place. Perhaps incapacitating him would be necessary, a fact that wasn't all that of a bad one in his mind, after what had happened. The question would be just how to do so, or at the very least dissuade him from trying anything more, but upon spotting Sage's blaster still in its holster an idea came to mind, one that would work provided he was quick enough and Sage didn't sense anything beforehand.

First there was the matter of getting within the range of the shock whip without getting hit by it in the process, as it hadn't slipped past him that the voltage had been flicked up to stun. The one silver lining was that no more lethal weapons had been drawn yet, and it seemed that Sage wasn't aiming to kill. Or at least, not yet. That meant, for the most part, he wouldn't be either, but that didn't mean that being gentle with things in any capacity was on his retinue.

After another moment of assessing the situation he darted forward, one hand reaching out to immobolize the arm that held the shock whip, the other reaching for the blaster currently holstered at Sage's side. If he succeeded the situation would be moved into a stalemate, one that wouldn't be negotiated out of, if his gut feeling was speaking correctly. This was as close to a matter of life and death as he wanted to get for the day.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Rhen was as quick as a wild Nexu, Sage had to give him that. One moment he was crackling the whip, and then next, Rhen descended upon him, disarming the half-Chiss with his sudden closeness, and roughly grabbing his arm in a vice-like grip. Before Sage could move another muscle, the Mandalorian grabbed his blaster with the other hand. "Kaa kanway, " Sage muttered in Huttese, a measure of defeat in his voice.

Just like the countless times he'd been arrested by authorities, rounded up in drug stings, or roughed up by slave masters, Sage knew when he was outmatched. He simply let his body go limp in the other man's grasp, ready to accept his fate just like he'd done so many times before. Luckily he had enough drugs in his system to numb whatever emotional stress the whole thing would have caused the sober version of himself. Still he couldn't help but provoke Rhen just a little bit more, laughing sardonically, and trying to yank his arm away. "You Mandos sure do have a strange idea of romance, but for you, Rhen, I think I could get with it."

[member="Rhen Ordo"]

 

[Rhen Ordo]

The blaster was of a model Rhen didn't recognize, but he supposed that was more due to it being bought off of the black market and then constantly upgraded through less than legal means until it became an unrecognizable form of its former self. But it would suffice well enough for his intent, which wasn't death in this instance. Still, intimidation remained a valuable tactic, and one that wouldn't serve to be underestimated. So he thumbed the safety off, keeping the weapon leveled at Sage, held relaxed compared to the death grip the other man had had on the weapon when they'd first encountered each other in the alley. It spoke of a deal more formal training, and of a sort of confidence in his own capabilities.

A moment of relatively tense silence passed in which he let the gravity of things sink in, giving Sage a moment to rethink all that had happened, before he finally spoke. "There's a saying that I think you should pay careful attention to. Mando'ad draar digu. A Mandalorian never forgets. That will become something familiar in your life. I might not deal with things right away, or even months for now, but a time will come. It's up to you whether you're aware or not." Unlike most, he didn't speak threats unless he was confident that he could reasonably back them up.

The blaster remained aimed at Sage for seconds more before he flicked the safety back on and kicked that weapon away as well, releasing the other man and stepping back to appraise him one final time, almost as if daring him to make a move.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

As he heard the click of the safety being disengaged, Sage flinched. Then surprisingly, Rhen held his fire. Then Rhen spoke with the calm, confident tone Sage had come to expect from the Mandalorian bounty hunter. Once he was finished, he kicked the weapon away and released Sage. His body language said "peace offering," but his eyes still held a challenge. Sage had no restraint when it came to challenges involving incredibly attractive men.

"Nice speech Rhen," he said, pulling a deathstick from his pocket and lighting it. "Kinda rehearsed sounding though. And that saying. Is that from a Mandalorian fortune cookie?" He giggled and blew pink smoke out of the side of his mouth.

"So, that's it, huh, Rhen? Was it as a good for you as it was for me?" Sage drew closer to the bounty hunter until their bodies were nearly touching. "Do I even get a goodbye kiss?"

[member="Rhen Ordo"]