The Things I've Always Been Denied

[Caulder Dune]

CORUSCANT
LEVEL 2112

During Coruscant's early years, this was probably an office building. It was also probably a sky scraper. Now the only thing this building scraped was the ceiling; the floor of Level 2111. Legitimate business was no longer conducted here. The crumbling ruin that once was on Coruscant's service had turned into a hub for criminal activity. This was the primary residence of the Kneecappers (one could imagine how they came by this name), one of hundreds of thousands of gangs plaguing Coruscant's lower levels. They were simple thugs that made a simple living terrorizing the residents of Level 2113, 2112, and 2111. Back when Adekos had acted as custodian of the world, meticulously clearing the lower levels of homeless, drug addicts, and crooks, he would have been purposely seeking them out, ostensibly to destroy them. Now he was only here by mistake.

He was on his way to meet a broker. He was intercepted by Kneecappers. A good half-dozen of them were dead by the time they managed to dog-pile Adekos into submission. Now he was chained up in the back room of the fifth floor of this wretched, filthy building that served as their headquarters. Sharing a jail cell with a Ysalamiri they had somehow acquired, no less. There weren't even guards posted anywhere near him. They were rather confident a lizard and durasteel shackles on his hands and feet would be enough to do the trick. Unfortunately, they were right. They left his mask, clothes, and armor on his person, but nothing else. His commlink and lightsaber were gone, probably kept in whatever passed for a treasure vault around here.

From what he could overhear, they had mistaken him for someone else. Since they then realized he was a Force User of some skill and not some schmuck, their game had changed. There was now an ongoing debate of whether to kill him or ransom him. Many wanted wanted blood for their slain comrades. The rest imagined the One Sith would pay well for the return of one of their own. They failed to realize that the reason he was traveling alone was because he wasn't associated with the One Sith.

Well, he wasn't going to tell them that. He did want to live, after all. Fortunately, someone of a reasonable temperament was going to swing by these parts soon enough. Adekos was confident of that much. If not, well... He could figure something out.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Sith space - not somewhere Ivy would normally put herself purposefully, but for now it was a necessary arrangement. A deal for datachips containing "sensitive material" concerning the Republic was her primary function today. As a transporter, and one that came highly recommended within the sphere of local Mercs, her job was easy.

Get the chips, bring them here, get the payment, get out. Leave the tracking and tapping to the Republic Intelligence people. Not that she knew anything about that.

Fully armored and armed to the teeth--just incase--Ivy arrived to he sound of her boots softly tamping and the claws of her blackstalker clicking after her. His snarls at every single thing that moved her ignored for the most part.

"Hau," the command was short and strong, garnering the beast's attention as she exited a lift and stepped down the hall. She strode past open cell rooms, making an effort not to let her gaze linger too far left or right, and set her sights on the man who appeared to be in charge. His guards ... lackeys, whatever they were, didn't let her get too close.

"Delivery for Istrall Bek," her voice sounded through the speaker of her helm, deadpanned, "he's expecting me."

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

The lieutenant, a Zabrak with a head filled with chipped horns, took a moment to snort a powdery substance off of his index finger before answering Ivy. "Bek is busy." He said, face spasming involuntarily. "You gotta wait."

True to his word, the sounds coming from the door the Zabrak and his compatriots stood in front of would suggest Istrall Bek was indeed busy. Judging from the sound of crashing furniture and indecipherable yelling, Istrall was disciplining at least one person who hadn't done their job correctly. There were also some gunshots, which would suggest either unorthodox intimidation tactics, kneecappings, or summary executions. It was difficult to tell with Coruscanti gangs these days.

He gestured vaguely towards the room where Adekos was chained up. "Just leave whatever it is in the storeroom. That one."

The Zabrak's bloodshot eyes then focused on the Blackstalker. Probably the ugliest thing he had ever seen, aside from Istrall Bek himself.

"And get your dog out of here. No pets."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"That's my partner," Ivy responded flatly, "not a dog."

The blackstalker growled at the zabrak.

"And I've been given very specific orders to deliver this into the hands of Istrall Bek. No exceptions. You care to explain to him why this very important package wasn't given to him just like he asked?"

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

"Your partner? You got poor taste in men, lady." Muttered chortling from among the guards. "And yeah, maybe I do. Maybe I'll tell him some bimbo walked out with his package 'stead of leavin' it like she was supposed to."

The Zabrak, Mercator, looked back at the Blackstalker. Or the dog. Or the partner. Whatever stature it was elevated to by the lady in the tin can.

"Maybe I'll tell 'im I shot her dog, too, 'cause it was liable to crap all over the place."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"Now you're just being rude."

Ivy was fast for old bimbo. Very fast. What amounted to less than a blink of an eye she had unholstered her Vor'cha Stun Stick beneath her traveling cloak and plowed the biting end into the gut of the zabrak, unleashing the weapon's charge directly through what material clothing he wore. Armor didn't stop a Vor'cha, many a foe had found this out the hard way, and he slumped forward with a gasp.

That was about the time all hell broke loose.

A loud, piercing whistle sounded from the speakers of her helm, sending the blackstalker streaking down the hall and into the indicated room where [member="Adekos"] currently hung out.

Ivy, meanwhile, used the zabrak's body as a meat shield for the oncoming barrage of blaster rounds. Leave it to his own men to send him on his final journey.

She tossed a flash grenade into the middle before tossing the body at the next nearest guard.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

A muffled dialogue took place between one of the guards and some mysterious interloper. Adekos was not privy to the details, but judging from the yelling and the gunfire and the flashbang, things had gone violent. Now was the perfect time to enact an escape plan, but he was powerless to do so. The shackles were far too strong for his spindly Umbaran limbs to break on their own. He would need the Force, and that was currently nullified by virtue of the Ysalamiri in the room. It was about twelve feet away, it's nutrient frame placed on top of one of the smaller crates in the room.

Adekos resigned himself to just stare malignantly at the Ysalamiri, wishing there was some way to knock the blighted thing unconscious. An opportunity presented itself when an ear splitting whistle rang out, and the ugliest little dog he had ever seen scampered into the room. Adekos presumed it to belong to one of the criminals. It looked like a pet a criminal would keep. It also looked carnivorous, and thus a perfect free agent to remove the Ysalamiri from play so he could get the hell out of here.

But Adekos had never liked animals, nor they him. Whatever. It was better than nothing.

"Hey, hey boy." Adekos could not ascertain its gender. It was probably a boy. Or neutered. "Kill the lizard." He whistled- affectionately, but not too loudly. "Hey, come on, kill the lizard."

He tried to use his feet to point at the Ysalamiri, but it didn't look as though it was paying attention. "Kill the lizard. Kill it, go on. You'll get a treat. Or something. Kill it."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

The creature already had its sights set on Adekos from the moment it entered the room and, really, whistling to it was probably the worst idea he'd had all night. Salivating, snarling, the blackstalker pricked at attention when he whistled ...and then promptly lunged at him, making a very big effort to chomp down on whatever it could.

Ivy, meanwhile, had her hands full out in the hall. Several stuns from the Vor'cha stick found a handful of the men incapacitated but the big guy had remained out of reach. Ivy shouldered a fresh blaster rifle and backtracked down the hall into the side room where her blackstalker currently accosted the room's occupant.

"Quit playin' around-" she grumbled at the beast, "Hau. LUTZ."

If it had managed to get ahold of Adekos it promptly dropped whatever it had, turned to face the armored Marc and sat obediently.

All that money for the training had been well worth it.

Ivy fiddled with the settings on the rifle, pausing at an insistent snarl from the beast, fished into a satchel strapped to her right thigh and threw the thing a treat.

A sideways glance gave her a good view of Adekos and his current....situation, "Sorry 'bout that. He's just a pup."

Click.

Ivy leaned out the doorway and fired a round of stun bolts down the hall, hitting a man square in the forehead.

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Adekos decided the creature must have been ill-disciplined or stupid, because the moment he whistled to try and get its attention, it attempted to maul him. Attempted being the key word. If it weren't for the bars that made up his little makeshift prison cell, his legs probably would have been torn off by the foul beast. Adekos scowled under his mask, when suddenly an armored figure appeared in the doorway. She said something to the creature, and it stopped attacking the bars on that order. So perhaps it wasn't stupid, just vile and unhelpful. After giving her little monster some kind of treat, she focused her attention on firing sporadically into the hallway. Was she with the gang, attempting to defend the building or was she part of the reason for the whole affair? Whatever the case, it was her dog... Creature. Maybe she was more willing to listen to reason than the rest of the people in this building.

"Shoot the lizard." He implored, figuring he had better odds with someone that understood and spoke basic. "I'll pay you double. Triple. Whatever you want. I don't care, just shoot the bloody thing and get me out of here."

The Ysalamir did not move. Largely because it could not and remained perched on its nutrient cage, which was in turn resting on a crate. Judging from its eyes, it would have liked to be able to move. Loud noises frightened it. If only it knew the mean fellow locked in the cage had just tried to get it mauled to death by a Blackstalker and was now lobbying for someone else to gun it down with blaster fire. Then it really would have had something to be frightened about.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"Ain't in the business of killin' innocent creatures," Ivy replied brusquely as she pulled back in the door and fished through another pocket. What she pulled out was a curious affair that looked remarkably like a holocron and turned it over, holding the thing up to the visor of her helmet to seemingly inspect it a bit closer.

Atusem.

The woman muttered something under her breath about damned wizard things before holding it out to her Blackstalker to sniff and growl at.

"Get a good whiff," she told the creature, "gonna' need it back. Here goes somethin'-" Ivy leaned back out the door and tossed the supposed holocron down the hall just in front of where the last vestiges of the group now made their way.

"ATUSEM!" she called.

Were [member="Adekos"] not currently sitting in a Force-null bubble he would have felt the sudden surge of Force energy in the hall beyond.

"Right...that bought us another two minutes. So," she took to reloading her blaster rifle with a new energy pack, her attention half on Adekos as she worked, helmet panning his direction momentarily, "you were saying..."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

He could only guess as to why this woman was flinging holocrons down hallways and yelling "autism" as loud as she could. What he didn't need to guess about was why she refused to shoot the lizard. Refuse to kill innocent creatures? She had presumably just mowed down dozens of gangsters. Not very innocent people by any stretch, but certainly worth more than a single Ysalamiri by virtue of sapience. A more merciful Adekos would have attested that they had hopes, dreams, families, et cetera. They should be given a second chance. But that Adekos did not exist, and if he did he would have been a sniveling Jedi buried under the collapsed rubble of the Jedi Temple.

Instead now he was an imprisoned Dark Jedi. Held captive by thugs. Begging a strange woman to shoot a reptile. He was very angry with the people here, and would have been happy to see them all dismembered by his lightsaber once he got it back. Wherever in the Corellian hells they had put it...

"Fine, don't shoot it." Adekos hissed, not being in a position to berate her for not just killing the thing. "Hit it over the head. Throw it out the window, or just get me out of this damnable cage and I'll..."

Well, if he said he'd do it himself, she probably wouldn't cut him loose.

Adekos gave an annoyed, defeated huff. "Just let me out. I insist!"

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"Normally I'd be happy to help," she replied, tapping the energy pack into the blaster and locking it in place. The weapon gave a smooth whine as it charged. Ivy set it to stun, on high.

"but considering you're being held captive by a group of criminals guarded by an Ysal' and wearing what I can only assume to be Sith robes, I'm not so keen to be lending a hand. Probably safer to leave you there..." this was all explained rather casually with the Blackstalker turning its head at her.

Rrrrrauf.

"See, even he agrees. One moment-" this time Ivy stepped out into the hall fully, taking aim and railing off several shots down the hall to the group of men that were currently picking themselves up off the floor after being flung back down the hall a good thirty feet by some strange Force explosion.

"S'pose you could be innocent yourself, but that getup isn't working the guilt-free story too well. You got..." Ivy took aim again and fired off another shot, "45 seconds to sell yourself free or I leave you here for when they wake up."

So they weren't dead.

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

These were hardly Sith robes. They had been tailored for him by the Obsidian Order, thus making them Obsidian robes. As far as black robes went, Adekos considered that to be a far more reputable origin story. But he did not have the time to clarify his allegiances to the genre-savvy armored woman. She hardly had room to be passing judgement- showing up like she was to gun down criminals and taking advice from a rabid, ugly dog of some sort. Adekos bit his tongue, and instead of the usual torrent of profanity, insults, and threats he usually kept in stock, out came his barter pieces.

"Three hundred thousand credits."

Oh, he could do better than that.

"A luxury yacht from the Santhe-Sienar Corporation."

That had been intended for his apprentice, [member="Zola"], after she was knighted by the Obsidian Order. Back when she was more appropriately called Jemmila Kyrgen. Before the ceremony could take place, she ran off to Primeval space to become a shaman of the stank eye or something. It was all very disappointing to Adekos, and the ship that sat in his Lucrehulk's hangar was now just reminding him of another failed or mediocre apprentice of his. Still, he could do better.

"All expenses paid trip to some... Vacation world. I don't remember which, but I still have the vouchers."

That had been intended for the Queen of Kuat. The package covered the expenses for two people, but being that she had stopped returning Adekos calls... Well, now it would be better off in the hands of the mysterious armored mercenary and her faithful canine companion.

"Free repairs and maintenance at any registered Arceneau Trade Company station."

That was not necessarily his to give, but he could call Danger and settle the details later. He would pay for it, of course, as he certainly didn't want to presume on his alliance with the galaxy's most prominent trade and shipping empress.

"Does that sound good to you?" He asked, now sounding a bit more bitter and not like he was listing details off a contract. "My wrists are getting sore and I don't think I can keep up groveling for much longer."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Hhuuurrrrrrrrrrr.

Ivy tilted her helmeted head at the Blackstalker that still, despite its disposition, sat awaiting its next command.

"That sound good to you?" she asked the beast.

Rrrrrrrrrrrghgghg.

Two more shots rang down the hall, dropping the last of the men into the heap of bodies that had collected. They had about five minutes, give or take a few for the big guy, to get out before the lot of them started coming-to.

"Suut."

The Blackstalker leapt to its paws, bounded out of the room and down the hall, Ivy watched him go, chuckling and shaking her head. It was good to have a companion again. Stepping back into the room and calmly bent to pick up the case that had started this entire mess, gave the man another glance and stepped back out of the room without another word. He would hear her footsteps echoing down the hall - a steady purposeful stride broken only as she stepped over the prone bodies.

Silence.

Not even the damned dog was growling.

Silence.

Silence.

She totally left him there.

Silence.

A distant sound of more blaster shots.

In the open doorway of the room the Blackstalker reappeared with that holocron device in its mouth, drool freely pooling on the ground at its feet.

Silence.

Distant footsteps growing louder.

The armored woman walked back in sans case and lifted her right hand, engaging a strange energy-based blade that was definitely not a lightsaber but still looked rather lethal. The molten glow surrounded her forearm, looping around just beneath the elbow and the base of her wrist, scoping out over the top of her knuckles where it formed into a long blade. In one clean motion she cleaved the blade clear through the hinges of [member="Adekos"]' cage. The other gloved hand then reached to grab the bars and heaved it open.

Ivy stepped inside to stand before the robed man, helmet facade staring at the mask.

"I'll take the credits and free repairs."

Another swipe saw his tethers cut.

Back out in the hall the Blackstalker began to growl over the device in his mouth, standing at attention.

"We go now. They're waking up."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

She left him again, vanishing momentarily to shoot at more criminals or something. Adekos ground his teeth in the meantime. Eventually she came back, slicing apart the gate and then freeing him of his bonds. Adekos rubbed his wrists. It was good to be free, but he was still under the oppressive bubble of that Ysalamiri. Tempting as it was to fling it out the window, punch it, or strangle the damnable creature, he did not wish to upset the delicate sensibilities of his savior. She urged him to leave, but he only snorted in response.

"You go if you must, but these thieves have something that belongs to me."

He cracked his knuckles, flexing his gauntlet-clad hands. In the absence of his lightsaber, he was going to use something a little less sophisticated. Like his fists. Provided, of course, she did him another favor. Three hundred thousand credits and free repairs for life ought to be worth that much. "Take the lizard with you, please."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Ivy's helmet turned to stare at Adekos in what could have been construed as nonplussed.

She didn't move from the doorway for him to pass through. The broad-shouldered broad outfitted to the teeth in armor and weaponry was most certainly an imposing thing to most people and while she wasn't liable to bet on anything where Magicians were concerned, his particular ilk of magic was currently on vacation in the presence of that particular lizard.

"What's so important that you feel the need to go in there?"

The blackstalker wandered out into the hallway and lifted its leg on an unconscious man.

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

"My lightsaber." Adekos replied. "Perhaps some of my former colleagues are frivolous with theirs, but I have a vested interest in keeping mine."

He leaned to the right in an effort to peek over her shoulder into the hallway beyond. In a thoroughly charming display, the Blackstalker began urinating on an unconscious man. Adekos suppressed a gag and looked back at his rescuer. Under normal circumstances she probably would have just let him get killed in the ensuing gang fight, but since he had promised a great reward... Well, hopefully she would realize that only the powerful Sithlings got to get away with dressing like he did.

Then again, Adekos did get captured...

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Internal conflict was strong with this one.

Helping this man, this Magician, get back his magic wand was about as high a priority for her as it was cleaning up the piss on the floor her darkstalker left behind. Last thing Ivy wanted on her conscience was knowing she'd willingly given back what was likely a very guilty man his weapon of choice and his freedom to continue doing all the things that made him guilty in the first place.

However, Ivy could certainly use the credits. They weren't easy to come by, especially not with that many commas and zeros. Hell, the free repairs was really what did it.

The woman grunted and stepped forward to pick up the container with the magic-nullifying lizard inside.

"You've got five minutes," she quipped at him, "ship's right outside."

Without another word the Merc left with lizard in hand and darkstalker in tow.

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Four minutes and ten seconds later, Adekos emerged from the building. He brushed dust off of his shoulders, and a lightsaber was now clipped to his belt. He was also carrying a small box. It was rather fancily engraved and looked rather old. Perhaps originally intended to carry jewelry, then falling into the hands of these ruffians. Whatever was in it now apparently warranted Adekos snatching it along side his precious, precious lightsaber. Outside, the grizzled mercenary woman was waiting just beside her speeder. Rather dangerous bringing that thing down all these levels. She must have been a wonderful pilot.

"Well, that's all taken care of. You are a saint, truly."

Adekos stared at the seated Blackstalker for a moment, then looked back over to Ivy.

"I assume your friend here will be taking shotgun."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Rrrrrrghghghgh.

The blackstalker growled at Adekos. Ivy pulled open the back seat door and full-arm-pointed for the beast to get in. It obliged, but not before snapping his jowls.

"He gets speeder-sick in the front seat," she said, closing the door after it.

PEW-PEW

Two blaster bolts pinged off the side of the speeder, narrowly missing the Merc by a matter of inches.

"We go," she rounded the front, threw open the driver side door and swung in, "now."

[member="Adekos"] barely managed to get both feet inside before she threw the speeder into drive and split out into traffic, engines snarling in effort.