The Merciful Ones [GR-TJO] (PM First)

[Nei Laa]

[member="Kana Truden"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

Nei bared her teeth at the woman, her fingers drumming a tattoo into her blaster hilts. "You might be lying," she growled. "You might not be Republic, you might not be Jedi. How are we to be certain you aren't lying?"

The comment about the drugs actually being put to good use troubled her slightly, but if they were lying...

"Blue Man, when will we be shooting?"

Good thing Nei didn't like the Republic, either.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to the exchange. Kana was handling this wonderfully, so no need to intervene or show her hand just yet. But a slight bump in the right direction never hurt.

Corvus closed her eyes and. lowering her guard, sensed the emotions that were present. Bypassing the indignation and frustration she felt a lot of anger. Anger and greed. And...what was that? Indecision? That could be useful.

So Corvus pulled the Force close to her and then latched on to that emotion. Slowly and gently she followed it back to its source. Emotions came from needs and the source was always the brain. This was no Jedi Mind Trick, designed to fool the weak-willed. No, Corvus was trying a relatively simple Telepathy technique. She followed the emotion, in her own mind it was like a fish, swimming upstream. Being as aerodynamic as possible, allowing the thoughts and emotions to flow around her. Not risking hurting the sentient brain but gently working her way into a position where a subtle hint or redirection may pay dividends.

'Yes, stealing drugs from the weak and the needy feels wrong. I'm not sure I want to be a part of this. Perhaps I should cut my losses now?'

And as gently as Corvus had entered the alien mind - for she could tell the mind wasn't human - she exited it. No trace of her being there was left. If the mind was that of a lower form, the suggestion would have been enough. But with a person capable of independent thought, it may work, it may not. But the seed of doubt would certainly have grown bigger.

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Nei Laa"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Cryax, his glowing red eyes still staring down the Jedi woman, briefly shook his head, a signal to Nei to hold her fire. The mention of the Jedi Order was a total shock to the Chiss and he hoped that his surprise didn't leak through. The Jedi had been incredibly forgiving when he and his girlfriend were caught slicing into their Holo archives on Tythin, and he had a feeling that Anastasia wouldn't be too pleased with him right now. Plus, the fact that they were stealing from refugees didn't sit well with him. The Ravens generally stole from rich businessmen and other criminal syndicates, not the poor and downtrodden.

Still he kept up his bluff. This was just business, and with Lysle Rigger away in the Fringe, the Ravens secretary was being entrusted to lead these types of operations. Lysle himself would give no quarter in a situation like this. Look the part, be the part. He kept his blaster steady, but beads of sweat began to form on his brow as Cryax's eyes narrowed at the defiant human.

"No dice, darling." He said, through bared teeth. "It seems you aren't following the rules of the game, and I will not repeat them again. Get. On. Your. Knees. Otherwise, these ladies here might have to show you how we deal with rule-breakers."

[member="Kana Truden"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Nei Laa"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus had been planet side on Nar Shaddaa for the last two days. He'd taken it upon himself to watch over the refugee camp there while he was supposed to be taking time off. Kian had given him the week to rest up and prepare for a more intensified stage of training after having trained none stop since he'd come to Ossus. He had been training every day from eight to twelve hours at a time, pushing himself to exhaustion before he ever even thought about quitting. Even then, he asked for more, despite being able to see and feel Kian's concern with him.

It was understandable, but it was what Varus wanted. He didn't want to wait around while the others passed him or or learned something he hadn't, and he'd already past every other Padawan he'd met on Ossus who wasn't already actively serving as advisers or guards for senators and politicians of the Republic. Even then, these few Padawan who he hadn't quite caught up with had been at it for years and were more easily considered Knights, though they didn't bear the title. It still frustrated him, though, that he wasn't as strong as he could be or that he very well knew he would be one day, which was why he pushed so hard. He'd be able to do more for those who needed him if he was just that little bit stronger, smarter or faster, and so his work ethic was boundless. So much so, in fact, that the only way Kian had been able to put Varus off was to take a mission that Varus hadn't been permitted to attend.

He'd found out three days ago, and two days ago he'd arrived on Nar Shaddaa without the permission of Kian himself. He knew it was wrong, but there were people there who needed him. If he was going to be forced to take some time off, he wasn't going to stop working out or training his body and mind. Kian knew that, but with the limited amount of teachings that Kian had afforded him, it limited what Varus was able to practice and study. And so, Varus had made the decision to take his vacation on Nar Shaddaa. A place where he could train in peace and quiet, yet at the same time protect and serve those at the refugee camp until he was relieved by Rebel troops or perhaps some Jedi of the Republic.

-----------------​

Later that day...​

​

The day had been long up until that point, and he was tired of making the rounds at the camp. It had gotten old, and admittedly he was bored, so he had decided to make a detour to Docking Bay umber 45, where he'd landed a few days before. The Docking Bay was quiet, and inside his ship he'd be able to seek solitude where he could wait on the shipment he'd heard was coming from the Republic for the refugee camp, not to mention he could use that time to meditate in peace and out of sight for the time being. He figured a couple of hours meditating and practicing Center of Being could do him some good, as it was a skill that had been passed to him by a striking young woman who was clearly well educated in the Form of Soresu.

Corvus had taught him a lot, but Center of Being might have been the most interesting and powerful skill that he'd picked up so far, and he aimed to use it in the future. It was something that he would Master soon enough, when he'd poured enough time and effort into the skill, honing and sharpening it the way that he'd done with everything else.

Varus slipped into the Docking Bay quietly, his steps unheard and his movements unseen. He'd heard the chatter from outside, and the force had warned him of danger before he'd even arrived. His guise would help conceal his identity for the time being, but if he was found out it wouldn't matter who he was. For now, Varus chose to keep quiet and see what was going on as he moved from crate to crate. When he'd finally reached a strong vantage point, Varus remained glued to one of the shipping crates and let the force flow through his body, unveiling his location to those who could sense the force. He just knew that there had to have been at least one Jedi on that ship escorting those goods, and if someone was trying to rob them, he was going to do something about it.

[member="Nei Laa"]
[member="Kana Truden"]
[member="Corvus Raaf"]
[member="Cryax Bane"]
[member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Kana Truden]

They chose violence. Kana resisted the urge to shake her head. Her steely gaze transitioned between each hoodlum involved. In a sense she couldn’t believe they were doing this. She readied herself mentally for what was going to go down. Kana would lie if she said she wasn’t unsure of what would happen next. The jedi were outmanned. Maybe it was by three petty criminals but it was opposition nonetheless.

“I don’t think so.” Kana straightened her back and withdrew her saber hilt. She didn't turn it on but held it at her side for the 'criminals' to see. “Last warning. Leave or I have no option but to take you down.”

A jedi does not draw her saber unless ready to take a life should she have no other choice. Something Corvus kept telling Kana on repeat. In truth all Kana wanted out of it was the intimidation-and-or-seeing-reason factor.

[ [member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Nei Laa"] ]​

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Kana Truden"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

Nei stopped tapping her fingers on her blasters, instead letting them hang loosely while Cryax and the human continued to talk. She stole a glance at Lisa, who'd yet to talk since the ship arrived, when suddenly--

'Yes, stealing drugs from the weak and the needy feels wrong. I'm not sure I want to be a part of this. Perhaps I should cut my losses now?'


The Nautolan shook her head. Where had that thought come from? She shifted from foot to foot, slightly uncomfortable now. Nei was in it for the money, sure, but what about the people? The ones who needed the medicine? The Red Ravens weren't going to use it; they were going to sell it to people who would pervert the original intent. Do I really want to be a part of this?

The woman withdrew her lightsaber, snapping Nei out of her self-doubts. What am I thinking?! I don't know those people; and I need the money. Lips drawn back in a snarl, the Nautolan issued a soft, defiant hiss as her palms rested on the butts of her pistols, ready to be flicked out at the drop of a hat. Any self-doubts she'd had were masked by her alertness to any incoming attacks.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was aware that the emotion of indecision evaporated in an instant. Well, you win some and you lose some.

Throwing back up the 'durasteel' wall in her mind, she decided the time for a watching brief was over. But to simply appear might make the trigger-happy thugs a little too twitchy. So she thrust her hands in her pockets and whistling, strolled out of her vantage point to face the 'opposition.' Having never actually whistled before, Corvus wasn't sure how tuneful it was - but it definitely made a noise.

As she approached her friend,. she took up a position close enough that they could work in tandem but far enough apart that they represented two targets, not one.

Connecting with her friend's mind lightly she shared the thought. 'Keep an eye on Raven, eh? It's only just been repaired. And please, no blaster holes. If you have to block them, try and send them outside. But don't hit anything explosive. Or valuable. Or sentient.'

'I'll shut up now, shall I?'

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Nei Laa"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

The Chiss didn't seem too bothered when Kana equipped her lightsaber, but when the other Jedi emerged, Cryax's grin faltered slightly. Two Jedi were a bit more formidable. He briefly remembered being Force-held back on Tythin by a man, Oka, he thought the name was. The memory was enough to give him pause. However the wheels were now in motion and there was no stopping them. His red eyes flickered towards the new arrival, a fresh-faced brunette with her hair pulled back.

"Jealous that your friend here was getting all the attention?" he asked with a smirk, still holding the blaster at both of the women, carefully switching targets every now and then. Then he looked at Kana. "She'd be a better friend to you if she'd just stayed on the ship. Now that we have to deal with both of you, all bets are off that we're gonna play nice."

He glanced over at Nei. It looked the Nautolan's trigger finger was getting itchy. Lisa just stood there impassively, her expression unreadable. He really didn't want to open fire, but when Cryax felt trapped, he was known to go postal.

"I'm not going to say it again. Your weapons get dropped or you get dropped. Which one is it going to be, girls?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Nei Laa"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Kana Truden]

“Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” Kana flicked her saber on. A green pillar of light emerged from her hilt and she raised it in a vertical angle. “Going to be real nice to you and give you a last chance. Leave. Now.”

She remembered her anger when under the influence of the Sith Poision. This wasn't even close to how that had been.

“You don’t want to make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I am angry.”

[ [member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Nei Laa"] ]​

​

OOC NOTE: This post was longer but made no sense. Had to shorten it.

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

Varus listened to the exchange for a long time before things went very south. It seemed that the emergence of another Jedi had put the common thieves on edge. From the way they were talking, Varus could tell that they weren't far away from a fight, which worried him greatly. He knew that there were alternatives to fighting, and in the effort of convincing the mystery guests that they should entertain other options, Varus had decided that he was going to make his presence known finally.

Taking the customized, white A280 Blaster Rifle off of his shoulder, Varus swung the gun up into his arm. He then swung out from behind the crate he'd been behind and propped up his weapon against another crate below where he was standing about waist high. He then flicked off the safety switch, leaned over and took aim at [member="Cryax Bane"]'s right leg.

"I'd very carefully consider if this is all worth a few extra credits from black market buyers.", Varus said as his voice was deepened and a bit muffled by the combat mask he had been wearing to conceal his identity.

[member="Kana Truden"] - [member="Corvus Raaf"] - [member="Cryax Bane"] - [member="Lisa Ticon"] - [member="Nei Laa"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

'OK, now it's getting interesting.' Corvus was still in contact with Kana telepathically. She couldn't feel the emotions, she'd put up her barriers - but she could rely on the Force.

So she stood there, hands still in pockets and waited. The last thing she needed was to do anything hasty, or quick, or stupid. So she simply circled her gaze between the three that were opposing them, waiting for the first to make a move. She considered trying to whistle again - but a sideways glance from Kana and she thought better of it.

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Nei Laa"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

Visibly shaken, Cryax blinked his glowing red eyes at the masked arrival. Three Jedi were one too many, kark it. The slicer's brain did a quick risk-analysis on the situation and came up with the assessment that the Ravens were royally screwed. The wild card here was Lisa Ticon, who was still conspicuously quiet and unreadable. He'd seen the woman snap before and it wasn't pretty. Cryax kept his blaster trained on the Jedi women, but perhaps given the odds, however, some diplomacy was in order.

"Look," he shook his head and smiled, trying to muster up as much charm as he could. "The Ravens had no idea you were Jedi. In fact, we thought you were Suns masquerading as a Republic ship. Maybe this is all just a huge misunderstanding." He chuckled nervously. "We want no beef with Jedi, do we Nei?" He looked over at the steely Nautolan mercenary.

Given all the aggressive posturing he'd just done, The Chiss wasn't sure if this one-eighty was going to save enough face for he and the Ravens, or if later he'd be getting a lock in a sock from Lysle Rigger. He supposed he'd find out one way or another.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Nei Laa"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

As soon as the second Jedi stepped out, Nei's blasters leapt into her hands, both trained on an individual. Up til this point Nei hadn't really spoken to their would-be victims, but the one's comment was enough to elicit a snort. "I'm always angry, so you don't scare me. But word of advice: don't make me enraged. Then, I bite."

The sound of someone behind the trio made the Nautolan jump, and her pistols began to dance between the two females and the newcomer as Cryax asked her a question. "I got beef with everyone," she spat.

Unfortunately, it was evident to even her that the three Ravens would not leave with all of their body parts.

Still trying to keep her weapons on everyone, Nei growled, "We want job. Give us new target, and we be your....not-enemies. No job..." Even though the Nautolan wasn't actually in charge, the pheromones she was picking up from the Chiss man led her to believe that he needed a helping hand. Lisa, as always, was unreadable.

Besides.... The doubt from earlier was still there, and quite frankly getting a new target was beginning to hold more appeal for the Nautolan. Hastily, to still give Cryax the appearance of authority, she added, "Sound good, boss?"

 

[Kana Truden]

“Oh another job, huh?” Kana couldn’t help the slightly mocking tone at this point. “Dockworker, bartender, teacher, security guard, bouncer, receptionist, tech support, nerf herder... The list goes on, really.”

She kept a firm grip on her saber, and she would keep on doing it until the nautolan calmed down. She gave the chiss a nod and the staredown kept going.

“I can understand the desperate struggle for credits but even if we were Black Suns would you really be willing to steal supplies that belong to a refugee camp like this?” A shake of her head was sufficient enough. “I am still willing to let you go. I don’t expect you to change or this vendetta against the Suns to end but I expect your organization to think twice before raiding meds from ships. At least from the Republic.”

It was not the right move to make, but Kana had always let people off the hook. She didn't rightly know why herself but she did. Add to that Kana didn't have any idea what the illegal med market looked like. She could understand they were going to sell them, of course, but not why or who would buy it. Maybe she had simply lost touch with reality like that.

[ [member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] | [member="Nei Laa"] ]​

 

[Corvus Raaf]

As Kana kept on talking, Corvus was tempted to find out more about the newcomer - but to divert her attention at this point could prove fatal, so she kept a smile on her face, her hands in her pockets and kept the desire to whistle under control...for now.

Somebody was going to have to make a move - but it wasn't going to be Corvus. So she exercised patience and played the waiting game.

[member="Kana Truden"] | [member="Nei Laa"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Varus Shatterstar"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

With a nod in her direction, Cryax answered his Nautolan friend, "Sounds good to me, Nei." He gestured to the floor, letting the Nautolan know it was alright to let her weapon fall to her side. Out of his peripheral vision he was aware of the masked man, but it seemed that the women were the faces of their order so he addressed them with a smirk. "Call me crazy, but there's no reason the Red Ravens can't be allies with the Jedi. Frell, if you ever need someone to help get you some sensitive data, I'd be happy to lend a hand. I'm one of the best slicers in the galaxy," he bragged. It didn't seem pertinent to mention the Ravens alliance with the Sith at this point so he kept his mouth shut.

From his limited experience with them, he knew the Jedi were peaceful and seemed to be truthful, so as the Chiss listened to Kana, he slowly lowered his weapon. "So you're going to let us walk out of here? Seriously? We're ok with that aren't we, ladies?"

Slinking away with his tail between his legs probably wouldn't sit well with alot of the other Ravens, but Cryax was an unlikely gangster who, as a slicer, usually left the dirty work to others. He wasn't too proud to be transparent about saving his own skin.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Kana Truden"] [member="Nei Laa"] [member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Varus Shatterstar]

The moment was tense, but Varus could sense hesitation in thesearch unwelcome guests now. That's why he relaxed a bit as he reached up and scaled the crate in front of him. As he pulled himself up on the first crate for a better vantage point, Varus still held his blaster rifle securely in one hand, his eyes never leaving the lost of them across the hangar.

He then propped up on the crate, which had been stacked on another, next to him for balance, aiming down the site again, taking his time with his movements as not to startle anyone.

Slowly he turned his rifle to the Nautolan woman who seemed a little itchy and energetic. She'd be a bigger threat than the Chiss, who was already facing a more than formidable Jedi.

As they spoke, Varus kept ready, his weapon hot and his mind sharp.

[member="Kana Truden"]
[member="Corvus Raaf"]
[member="Nei Laa"]
[member="Cryax Bane"]

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Varus Shatterstar"] [member="Cryax Bane"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Kana Truden"]

With a harrumph, Nei lowered her weapons, though she still kept them out. Just in case. As much as she wanted to shoot the Jedi woman in the face for her sarcastic comment, even Nei was smart enough to realize that probably wouldn't be smart.

An itch between her shoulder blades caused her to go on full alert. Whirling around, the Nautolan whipped her blasters up and aimed both of them at the masked man who, lo and behold, had his weapon trained on Nei. Ah-hah!

"They be lying," she growled. "Planning to shoot us. Man comes and puts his weapon down, I put mine down. Swear on my ship. Otherwise, these blasters stay up." And until her conditions were met, Nei would keep hers trained on the masked man, heedless of anyone.

 

[Kana Truden]

delete this somehow. oops.

 

[Kana Truden]

“You will both lower your weapon at the same time.” Kana slowly pointed her saber to the ground as if she was standing down. “Okay?”

Kana turned her head and looked at [member="Varus Shatterstar"] and then [member="Nei Laa"]. A blaster and not a lightsaber, curious choice of weapon but not something she disapproved of. Keeping yourself capable at using more weapons than just the lightsaber was a very important part of any proper skillset, or so she told herself at least.

“There is no need for us to escalate this any further than we have already.”

[ [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Cryax Bane"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"] ]​