The Game is a Foot (Preliat Mantis)

[Blair]

If there was any place to find what you sought, it was likely not a planet like Tatooine. Unless you were a farmer, a pod racer, someone who enjoyed the feel of sand 24/7, or a criminal with ties to the Hutt Cartell there wasn't much else you could do on a dust-ball planet like this. But then some people would've found it the right sort of hiding spot, provided they were trying to hide real good. That was what Yuuta Namari, member of the Red Raven criminal organization, was here for. She was after a bounty on the head of one [member="Preliat Mantis"] who, from what she understood, was a skilled Mando who'd wronged the big heads of her group.

It had taken a lot of time and a lot of throat to slit, or fingers to be cut from the hands and many other forms of touture, but she'd managed to track him down to this planet. She'd arrived ealry in the morning in a stolen, or rather "commendeired" shuttle she'd taken from her last informent. Set informent was currently floating out in space with a slowly delepting air supply tank. When she had Yuuta had docked just outisde of one of the space ports in the hopes of finding her target.

She was dressed in a very fine dress that exposed her to a more desert like quality of the place. She always did like to stay dressed for any and all occasions. When she arrived she acted as her self, or in terms her less violent and mentally unstable self, as she asked around while showing Mantis' face. Enough kind souls had pointed her to a nearby cantina where, as she apporoched, Yuuta was ready to use whatever means necessary to bring him in alive. A few well places tools under her dress would make sure of that.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The Field Marshal, placed in his Beskar'kandar, sat in the corner of the bar. He hated this planet. He hated being here. But he had to be here. Business and all. Needed to secure parts for a new weapon he was working on.


The Mandalorian tapped his crushgaunt adorned hands on the table, glancing around the cantina. He'd head back to the hotel soon, then leave the planet tomorrow after his arrangement was done and the factories would be secured. He never understood the fascination with the planet- the Skywalkers and Revan came here a long time ago, but other than that- it was a boring, uninteresting clump of sand with only large dragons and pissed off Hutts to speak of. Maybe it was the low taxes.


He glanced down at the left hand corner of his helmet's HUD. About two more hours till it be right about the time to go to bed. It'd be dumb to go to bed this early, it'd mess up his sleep schedule, and he preferred to be alert and wide awake as possible for his meeting tomorrow with the weapon consultants to go over the final plans for his new weapon. Slug-throwing bullpup rifle for the Mandalorians. Would come in handy soon.


Then, a girl with a dress walked in.


The Mandalorian glared at her behind his helmet, and leaned his head forward. While she may have had surprises underneath her dress, he had two Westar-34s, a Beskar Tomahawk and Beskad, and a jetpack. And crushgaunts. And his armor. For [member="Yuuta Namari"]'s sake, it'd be smart if she had a plan. He stared at her, and chuckled.

 

[Blair]

A quick scan of the place as everyone in the cantina stopped and looked to see Yuuta enter.. She played is smart and safe and quiet. She only looked about everyone and smiled, showing herself off as more of a common girl looking for a nice time and company to match. She'd spotted [member="Preliat Mantis"] in the corner but pretended not to notice. She needed to play things a little slower than simply rushing up to him.

Instead Yuuta calmy walked over to the bar, everyone starting to go back to thier own business, and ordered herself a drink. One of the best parts of her apperance was how she seemed older than she was. Not that she planned on ordering anything too big. A small enough drink was all she needed for now. She sat at her place for sometime, listening to the band playing and veiwing any and all games that may have been playing on the holoscreens in the cantina. She never looked at Mantis for long. The intent was to make it seem she wasn't after him which, for now, she wasn't. She played the part of just another bar patron.

This effect was added when a few others had come over to her, complimenting her looks at the like. Instead of telling them to go away of the like Yuuta knew and advantage when she saw one. She bega talking with them, making flirtatious jokes with them, and soon ended up having rousing conversation with them. She was used to belding in with these sorts of people, the criminals who liked to keep their business on the down-low in front of others. She was a member of the Ravens after all.

An hour went by before she actually started to show attention towards Mantis. Is started with simple glances here-and-there, before he would actually take time to look at her. At that point she would make far away winks and smirks and the like over to him; trying to keep his attention while still talking among the others who acted as her "fake beards"; more or less.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Preliat, being married, and with child- and to a much older and more respected lady, cared little for the glances and suggestive looks of [member="Yuuta Namari"]. In fact, he didn't care at all. He also didn't want to take off his helmet, because he had been with the Red Ravens for some time, but under a false name. It was only because no one outside the Mandalorians really knew what he looked like, thanks to him keeping his helmet on- all the time.


So when the girl kept looking at him, he decided to do the smart thing. Write to his wife to be, [member="Aditya Mantis"], over the Holonet.


On Tatooine.

Lots of sand. It sucks.

Miss you and the baby.

XOXOXOXXOXOXXOXOXOXO

PS.

Remind me to polish armor for wedding.


All Preliat did while Yuuta flirted, was lean back against the wall. Where was Strider when you wanted him? Come in and have a drink with him and discuss the finer points of warfare and combat.


And women. Mostly the women he placed his filthy mitts on.

 

[Blair]

It was hard to tell, what with the helmet and all, how [member="Preliat Mantis"] was reacting to Yuuta's advances. She could see him writing something, probably to another loved one. Shame. And here she thought she could have him to herself before needing to hand him over. Her mind made assumptions like that which, sometimes, were right. But now enough time was wasted on playing her part. It was time to make a move proper advance.

Taking two drinks in her hand she walked over to where Mantis sat, more saultering her way over, before standing before him with a playful smirk on her face. Her eyes over looked the armored target, taking note of any and all exposures and the like. Her gaze was like a hungry predator trying to find the right spot to make one grand fatal blow before dining in on the rest of the feast.

"Care for a drink, tall dark and armroed?" she asked, offering one to him.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

[member="Yuuta Namari"] looked at him the same way he looked at someone before he killed them. The Field Marshal, well versed in warfare, death, and handing out injuries and wounds like lollipops after doctor's appointments- leaned back and glared at the girl from behind his helmet. Then, the Wolf spoke.


"Get."

Stoic and cold. It wasn't atypical for him not to associate socially with non-Mandalorians, but especially ones as sneaky and as vile looking as this girl in a dress on Tatooine.

 

[Blair]

The way he spoke, so deep and cold yet commanding, it made Yuuta smirk. She recoiled her hand before making her way back to her spot. Clealry the more usual way was not the best way to handle this target. Oh no. This would need more...improvising. She sat there and spoke with her false friends for the rest of the time [member="Preliat Mantis"] was there as well. If he made a move then she would make one exaclty 30 seconds after. The direct approch was not the right apporch it seemed.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

She was watching him. He could feel it. He could sense the danger from her. She however, didn't move for a while. Preliat stayed for a while longer, then decided it'd be time to walk back to the hotel, and check in for the night. He wanted to go to bed soon, but he wasn't exactly tired. In fact, he was wide awake. A sense of danger lurked at the back of his neck. The Field Marshal stood, and walked to the door, exiting the cantina. And slipped to the right of the door. The Ori'ramikad in him, the Super Commando, the best of the best- hand picked by the Mandalore himself to be elite shock troops and operators, told him that the girl was trouble.


If she came out the door, he'd see her before she saw him.


[member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Blair]

He was leaving. Probably on his way back to whatever temporary setting he called home on this planet. Yuuta waited until he was out the door before gulpign down the last of her drink and excusing herself to use the bathroom from the others. However she only used this oppertunity to go out the back door, which she did while pushing past anyone who tried to stop or question her without saying a word. Once she was outside she hurried out the nearest back alley to find where [member="Preliat Mantis"] was. She was keeping to the shadows for now, acting as the silent stalker; something she'd done plenty of before. She wanted to see where he was going. From there she'd figure out how to deal with him. All a matter of playing the waiting game.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Preliat reached up to his helmet, pushing the rangefinder back. His HUD beeped to life after a simple voice activation, and he turned on the 360 degree camera. Being a Super Commando definitely had it's perks. Being a Field Marshal, multiplied those perks by about three.


Preliat was walking to his hotel, no doubt about that. It was easy, considering the people that were out at this time of night, in the cold desert air, decided to scamper off away from him. No one, wanted to mess with a Mandalorian around here. Even less, The Wolf. He was known in the lower dwellings, the more violence the planet saw, the more they knew about The Wolf. He was from a desert planet, Ordo, so the attraction came naturally. But nobody really ever saw his face or knew what he looked like, let alone sounded like. Preliat could take off his armor and go to a cafe and be left alone. Ashin, or Ayden, couldn't have that luxury.


So, Preliat was about two blocks from the hotel now.


[member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Blair]

Yuuta continued to trail [member="Preliat Mantis"] from the shadows. She was trying to get a read on him half the time, examining his armor and any and all possible weapons. Every way he could oppose her in order to take him down, and there were many ways to be sure. But Yuuta was a thinking type. She would asses a situation before charging in, even though you wouldn't think that of someone with her....mentality. So here she was, about to go up against a heavily armed and amored target. This was going to be.....difficult.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Preliat got to his hotel room, a place you'd find anywhere. One door entry. No vent large enough. A large window, however, but Preliat, being the quiet type, shut the blinds. Preliat removed his helmet as soon as he closed the blinds, blinking as he looked around the dingy room. He grimaced and thought of the germs, and went to the back, examining himself in the mirror.


And noticed he looked like crap.


He walked back to the door, shutting it and locking it, and sat down on the bed, turning on the TV and flipping through the Hutt-approved channels.


[member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Blair]

EVentually Yuuta had followed her target to the hotel. She watched as he entered and waited until he was already on his way up to his room. Figuring how to handle this there were a few possibilites. The window? Maybe, but then how would she get up high enough to bust in on him by suprise? The vents? In a hotel like this they likey weren't that big. There was really only the front door or finding a way through the next room into his. The former being more likely that the latter.

She entered the hotel and made it seem as though she knew where she was going. In reality Yuuta was making her way to the servants quaters to find, to her relief, one of the hotel maids about to pack up for the night. The maid had noticed her come in before Yuuta had closed the door behind her and smirked "Excuse me, but do you have a towel I can borrow?"

A few minutes later Yuuta had exited the room, dressed in the maid's outfit with a stack of towels nearby. The maid herself was currenlty stuffed into one of thr trash cans nearby, or what was left of her. As Yuuta mde her way up to his room she looked about, trying to find more ways of adding to the disguise. Thankfully one maid had just exited the hallway she was in with a cleaning cart. Yuuta commendeared it while her back was turned before finally reaching [member="Preliat Mantis"] and his room.

With a little knock on the door she spoke, hidding her voice, and asked "House keeping?"

 

[Preliat Mantis]

"Beat it."


Preliat, meanwhile, was in the middle of the newest issue of WEAPONS AND CHARGES, his favorite weapon magazine. He had no desire for house keeping, especially at this time of night. Plus, he didn't want housekeeping to touch the various guns and bits and bobs he had.


He also didn't want to put his helmet back on.


[member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Blair]

She smirked, knowing it wouldn't be that easy. She knew it was going to take more then that to make him open. She began to knock again, only now she spoke with a foreign accent. She tried keeping a twi'lek dialect to her tone in order to make herself seem foreign. Hopefully it would stick with the illusion of being unable to understand him.

Another rapid knock and she called "House keeping. Clean room." using her accent.

[member="Preliat Mantis"]

 

[Preliat Mantis]

He ignored her, making sure that the door would stay locked.


[member="Yuuta Namari"]

 

[Blair]

No answer this time. Yuuta wondered if he was growing wise or if he was just trying to ignore her for the sake of his own privacy. Apparently this would need a different apporoch. She looked around, trying to find alternative means, before spotting the cleaning tools on the cart she'd stolen. Some of these, as she knew, were flammable. This sparked an idea alright. She brought the cart back far enough and away from earshot of [member="Preliat Mantis"] and his room. Looking throgh everything she figured what was more flammable cleaning liuids over the others before emtpying the all into one large bucket. In her purse were matches which she lit before dropping them in the bucket.

The liquid began to boil before she said "Should've answered the door." then shoving the cart so it would roll all the way to his door where it would inevitablly bust it down in a firey blaze.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The door got slammed by a cart on fire. Which brought Preliat's brown eyes upwards, in annoyance. He walked over to the bedside table, placing the heavy Beskar'kandar helmet over his head. Beskar was tough- but Beskar'kandar was tougher. If Beskar was iron, Beskar'kandar was steel. Beskar was already a dense, heavy, durable metal- but Beskar'kandar was forged in practical hellfire. He grit his teeth and marched towards the door, but then looked through the window. His crushgaunt adorned hands burst through the window, and his armored body followed soon. He removed both of his Westar-34's, staring at [member="Yuuta Namari"].


"You should have picked an easier target."

That's when he opened fire. Both barrels. Exemplary in his aim and capable in his skills, Preliat fired at the maid.


At least, what he suspected was a bounty hunter.

 

[Blair]

Seeing him armed and ready Yuuta exepcted as much. It was the hard way or no way at all at this point, so better than nothing. When he drew his weapons she leapt put of the wall, taking cover behind the corner. Quickly she reached into her purse and drew a small pistol blaster. Peeking out she tried to see where [member="Preliat Mantis"] before firing back at him. She needed to keep preassure on him while trying to figure another plan. At this point it was all improvision.

 

[Preliat Mantis]

The small blaster pistol simply bounced off of the Beskar'kandar shoulderplate that Preliat was wearing, and left a scorch mark and turned his shoulder. He rolled his neck and moved forward, sliding on his armored boots, around the corner where [member="Yuuta Namari"] was. He stood over her, using a technical stand to get up to his feet.


He then went to kick her in the face with his prosthetic leg that his wife had designed to break apart concrete for him. Very quickly- and very precisely, the foot went for her face.