The Things I've Always Been Denied

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Adekos flung himself into the vehicle and slammed the door behind him. More blaster bolts flew after them, but they largely missed Lasranae's speeder as it made its escape. The Umbaran fiddled around in his seat for a moment attempting to find the safety belt. Once he found it, he pulled it across his chest and clicked it into place. Buckling up for safety was important regardless of the situation. Even if he was a monstrous near-human being with the Eldritch, poorly understood powers of the Dark Side at his disposal, having just hopped into the air speeder of a perfect stranger because she rescued him from Coruscanti thugs.

"Do you usually rescue prisoners or was it the money that incensed you?" He asked, lurching with the vehicle as Ivy navigated to... Wherever.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Ivy's helmet switched in his direction at the query. She didn't answer immediately - largely in part to the fact that they were now being tailed. Two more speeders pulled out into the airways behind them, rattling off blaster fire at their rear and causing her beastly companion to hackle.

"HAU!" she yelled back at it, reaching back to slap at its rump. It immediately whipped its head around and latched its jowls around her armored wrist.

Their speeder dipped sideways as she released the controls to reach around with her other arm and served an electrified jab at its neck.

"SUUT!"

The Blackstalker dropped to the floor with a snarl just as she grabbed up the controls again and twisted them off into a lower skylane.

Ivy swore, gripping her bitten arm in a fist. Blood oozed out from between armor plates, "Prisoners like you? No," the Merc grumbled, "I usually leave the guilty ones to rot. A good many of them are prisoners because of me. I'm the sort of person that's hired to put them there."

"Consider yourself lucky you caught me on a low employment streak."

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Adekos screamed some sort of Umbaran profanity at an unbecoming pitch when the speeder suddenly yanked itself sideways. Weren't there laws against loose pets in the backseat, particularly the kind that were poorly behaved? The dispute between master and pet was resolved when the Blackstalker got jabbed in the neck with the mercenary's signature stun baton. Too little, too late, as the mercenary was already bleeding heavily from her forearm. What rinky-dink armor she must have if it were punctured by some canine-sized beast. Obsidian Armor was made of much firmer stuff, and he'd take note of that.

When the speeder was level again, conversation could resume. "Oh, guilty, am I?" He scoffed. "You think just because I happen to armor myself darkly and wield a crimson lightsaber, I must be guilty of some crime?"

The Umbaran sniffed and then, with no small measure of indignation, added "That's profiling. You ought to be ashamed, truly."

No movements were made to otherwise assist Ivy or deal with the pursuing speeder-bikes. Ostensibly because someone's feelings had been terribly, terribly hurt.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"That's intuitive judgement," Ivy corrected him with a pointed glance that lasted longer than was likely safe considering their current pursuers.

"When you've put as many of your type away as I have you develop a certain affinity for sniffin' em out."

And you reek of all kinds of guilty, she kept this to herself, however.

"You trying to tell me you're innocent?" she contained a snort ... and then promptly swerved into a side lane to avoid incoming blaster fire.

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

"Oh, you can call it whatever sort of judgement you'd like." He retorted, sliding into her as she veered the speeder again. "I believe it was Kaine Zambrano who used his 'intuitive judgement' to sentence the Togorians to genocide. This sort of bigotry is epidemic in this galaxy, I tell you, and you're certainly not helping."

Adekos scooted back to where he belonged, the raggedy safety-belt doing little to keep him in place. This speeder was a flying durasteel safety hazard. The speeder bikes remained in hot pursuit even as they ascended and traffic started to become more of a a thing. Just how far were these people willing to take this? Sooner or later actual law enforcement was going to get involved, then things would get even uglier. Ah well. He was just a passenger.

"Innocent? Don't get me started. I might be paying good money for this rescue, but I'm not about to compare criminal records."

A stray blaster bolt knocked out the side-view mirror on Adekos' side of the speeder, causing him to flinch.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"Intuitive judgement muddled with sorcerers frippery will get you results like that,"

Ivy helped him scoot back into his spot by throwing the speeder down an opposite side street.

"and at that point, it's not intuitive judgement. It's downright insanity. If you got a criminal record to compare - "

She did, however, throw her bitten arm out to keep [member="Adekos"] from going head first through the windshield as she slammed on the breaks and steered the speeder quickly into an off-duty construction zone. Apparently his seatbelt wasn't doing a very good job of keeping him in place to begin with. Pulling around behind a massive sheet of plate metal that would someday become the face of a refurbished building she set the speeder to idle.

"...then you aren't innocent anyway."

Snarling from the back seat.

"Semantics," Ivy interjected before he could retort, "you're out now. What does it matter what I usually would or would not do?"

Her helmet almost seemed to carry a glare for her.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

"Sorcerer's frippery, she says!" Bemoaned Adekos.

There wasn't enough time to get in any more than that. The mercenary woman slammed on the breaks, bracing Adekos by the face to keep him from flying out the windshield. She guided the speeder behind an as-of-yet implemented sheet of metal. Apparently she had found them a construction site to hide within. Their pursuers had been lost, then, he assumed. Wouldn't do much good to stop the vehicle if those crooks had seen where they'd gone.

Once they were out of sight, Adekos was free to pick up where he left off. "I don't actually have a criminal record. Don't be ridiculous. You couldn't pin a single wrongdoing on me if you wanted, so I find it outrageous that you would assume my guilt just because you happen to find my taste in armor disagreeable."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"Disagreeable?"

Ivy audibly snorted this time, unable to keep that particular sentiment to herself.

"...look at you."

She gestured to all of him.

"What purpose does this serve?" Ivy picked at the sleeve of his black cloak, "Or this?" tugged at his cowl, "And this?" she poked at his mask, "At least I can say everything I wear has a purpose. And you? Hiding your face to keep your record unblemished for everything that mask does? You've got to be-"

And then she bodily grabbed the top of his hood and yanked his head down, pulling out her blaster gun with the other hand to pop off several bolts at a thug on a speeder bike that happened to find them. His own bolt pinged off her shoulder and out through her own open window.

"Right," Ivy released her death-grip on his head, "let's get out of here."

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Adekos attempted several times to swat away Ivy's hand as she probed his costume. With every pick, tug, and poke he grew more agitated and a well of insults built up inside of him. Whatever terrible force of outrage was ready to burst from the depths of his soul and out of his mouth was suddenly lost when Ivy, again, grabbed his skull and forced him to double over. Adekos headbutt the bit of seat just before his crotch and muttered incomprehensibly into the ragged fabric. Blaster fire both entered and exited the vehicle. When she finally let go of his head, Adekos shot back upright in his seat, apparently infuriated.

"Just take me to the spaceport." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his helmet. "Before I start to think I was safer back in that cage."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"What did you take?"

The hiss emitting from Ivy's helmet was threatening on a level that even a Hssiss would envy. She had [member="Adekos"] backed against the wall of a side hall, Vor'cha Stun Stick gripped in her good hand, a fresh scorch mark on her back armor plating currently smoking off her right shoulder.

They'd arrived at the starport without further delay and disembarked. Though crawling with civilians and the likes of One Sith Imperials, somehow those criminals had managed to track them down. One of them caught up and stuck Ivy with a stunner, which only resulted in pissing her and the blackstalker off. Luckily the latter had been leashed, which meant instead of having his jugular shreded the thug fled with a broken nose and cracked sternum.

He wouldn't breath right for at least a week.

Ivy passed a dubious glance back out into the crowded atrium, thankful that they hadn't caught the attention of security, before rounding back on the Sith/Sorcerer/Magician.

She'd found him in a store room without a security detail. Any prisoner of major worth would have been under lock and scrutinizing key - they couldn't possibly be after him.

They had to be after something.

Ivy hadn't taken anything besides the lizard, hardly a noteworthy possession for a criminal circle.

That left him and his little five minute jaunt back into their high-priority stores.

"They sure as hell aren't following us to get you back."

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Adekos cast a glance at Ivy's weapon of choice, causing the stun stick abruptly shut off. So uncivilized. "I'd be happy to discuss my parcel when we're in orbit."

Rather than continuing to hold it out in the open where it might be vulnerable to some hasty snatching, Adekos now moved the antique jewelry box behind his back. Like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and hoped to throw off any suspicion by hiding their ill-gotten treat behind their back. Only now it was a grown man holding a little trinket that could potentially cause problems for just about everyone who wasn't on his team.

"Now, can we get a move on? Time is money."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

The stun stick did not shut off because [member="Adekos"]' fancy magician powers were currently sitting dead in the bubble of the Ysalamir strapped to the Mercenary's back. Sure, you could say I never wrote that she brought it with - but this is Ivy we're talking about here. You think she'd leave the helpless thing to die of heat exhaustion in a hot speeder?

You monster.

Regardless, Ivy did not have the stick drawn with the intention of using it on Adekos anyway. It was out and zappy in preparation for the incoming thug that suddenly rounded the corner into the side hall they currently occupied.

Some sort of grey-skinned ugly thing. Ivy couldn't recognize it.

"Give us the box," it gargled at the pair, wavering on the spot as the blackstalker lunged at the end of its leash, spittle flying over every snarl.

Ivy's helmet panned from the beast she braced against and back to the thug's face, "I don't think so, pal."

"Give us the box!" the thug drew a blaster and aimed it at the blackstalker.

"Ok!" Ivy yanked on the leash - alchmized terentatek hide from the breeder. Tough shet, it was. "HAU," the command came as Ivy stepped forward slowly, watching her beast stall, "It's here under my cloak, just let me get it out for you-"

ZZZT.

Smoking and crosseyed, the thug performed a perfect 10 pratfall directly onto his face. Ivy glanced around one last time before holstering the Vor'cha and tossing another treat to her dog.

"Not much farther now," the Merc stepped over their downed adversary and motioned for Adekos to move along.

 

[Caulder Dune]

How [member="Ivy Lasranae"] managed to get a Force-death lizard and a stun stick through customs was totally unknown to Adekos. But, none the less, there they were, and one of the blasted things had already tampered with his magical space powers. O, cruel, cruel fate. That a poor man such as Adekos should become stunted in the presence of what might have been intended as a throwaway object, a paltry detail to explain why he had not escaped on his lonesome! What twisted and ever-malignant entity could dream up such a usage for a Ysalamir as that!?

Adekos was relatively numb to being startled by the random criminal interruptions at this point, and remained silent even after the Coruscanti Quarren crumpled over courtesy of the stun stick. Since his only other weapon would be impaired by the lack of Force mumbo jumbo at his disposal, Adekos stooped over and swiped the thug's blaster pistol. Again, weapons passing through customs. Were all of the security officials on lunch break? Had Coruscant's upper levels descended into total anarchy in his absence? O, cruel, cruel fate!

"I should hope so." Adekos said, stepping over the thug as he moved along at Ivy's request. "Pretty soon the halls will be too cluttered with unconscious scoundrels to walk through properly."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

When one had security clearances like Ivy did for this particular job, it made things a little bit easier.

Not to mention Adekos was not here cleaning up the scoundrels of Coruscant anymore. Efforts all in vain, perhaps? Coruscant wasn't a planet that bred clean and friendly. If nothing else, a cleansing sweep only lasted so long before the deep down dredges of the undercity made its way back up again.

Also don't put a throwaway creature into a thread and tell Ivy to take care of it then expect her to just abandon the thing. Who do you think you're working with here bucko, more Sith? She's taking care of it, ok? Ivy had no clue what she had to do to take care of a creature like an Ysalamir, but you can bet your bottom she'd be up all night researching it. Besides, it'd make a perfect addition to her ship. Keep all you space-magicians from footling about with her things.

Insurance policy.

We're naming it Geico and you don't have any say in the matter.



The Egris.

It sat like a battered predator amidst a sea of foil and flash. All manner of elegant and svelt ships peppered the hangar, their hulls gleaming under incandescent lights. The Egris, hunched and grumpy, glared at them each in turn as if to say - these kids and their toys. Ivy engaged the engines from a slave drive built into one of her gauntlets and motioned [member="Adekos"] to the entry ramp as it descended. Before long the trio et Geico were settled in and the Egris, rumbling with enthusiasm to be once again on the move, lifted out of the hangar bay and smoothly sailed upwards through the sky traffic.

"Where am I taking you?" Ivy questioned after they exited atmo, lifting her hands to unclasp the seal of her helmet and pull it from her head. A gloved hand pushed the short, dark brown locks from her face and it sat slicked back with sweat.

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

There was a slight hesitation in boarding the rickety freighter, but Adekos reasoned that he wouldn't be any better off getting chased around Coruscant by Kneecappers. Not wanting to get lost amid the ill-maintained halls of an antiquated freighter, Adekos followed her closely and strapped himself into a seat the moment an opportunity presented itself. Once they exited the atmosphere, the gritty female mercenary removed her helmet. If Adekos recognized Ivy from a parcel delivery eight years prior, he certainly didn't comment on it. For obvious reasons, Adekos neglected to peel off any pieces of his get-up.

"Balmorra, if you will." He wasn't about to give her directions to someplace he actually lived. "Oldron City Spaceport."

Once he was on Balmorra, he would run another errand. Droid schematics did not steal themselves and Adekos hardly trusted the mission to anyone else. Once that was finished, he would contact someone from his Lucrehulk to come pick him up. Business as usual.

"So do you want a cheque or do you prefer direct deposit? Cash? Precious metals?"

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"Balmorra..."

The world sat chilled in mouth, melting into a mess of long forgotten memories. It left behind an acrid taste - heavy with the metallic flavor of blood and old spite - and not just for the remembrance but for the here and now. One Sith space still but at least they were headed in the right direction for leaving it. The woman's bitten hand flexed, twitching in a curiously inhuman manner, so instead she reached forward with her other hand and set in the plotted course.

"...right. Direct deposit will do just fine. Don't have any need for metals. Far more pressing need for ... repairs..." she flexed her bad hand again, "s'about a 26 hour flight. Make yourself at home, just don't bother the hound."

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

The featureless visor turned to look at the hound. The ill-behaved creature curled up as best it could on an adjacent seat. Somewhere in the back that lizard was likely recovering from the traumas of abduction and adjusting to its new home. He wondered if this mercenary made it a habit to pick up as many small critters as she could and keep them on her ship. Adekos also realized he had no idea who this mysterious womanly adventurer was.

"And what bank do you keep your money with, miss...?"

Adekos was slightly surprised that she hadn't just asked for cash. He imagined that was what most mercenary sorts wanted. The ones heusually employed struck him as they type to keep piles of credit chips under their mattresses, but this one was clearly cut from a different cloth. A "non-lethal no matter what" kind of cloth, apparently.

 

[Hazel Scheler]

"G.U.P."

Galactic United Primary - a fairly typical choice for the vagrant and traveling sorts. Not exactly the money-man's pick in most situations, but a widespread and reliable bank nevertheless. It was the bank of someone who never saw a great deal of fortune in their lives but needed easy and quick access to their funds in all manner of sectors - if that meant it shone a pale light on the Merc she didn't seem to care. She reached into a utility pocket on her hip and fished about, withdrawing a datacard and tossing it on the console before the man.

If he hadn't recognized her yet he just might now - it was the very same business card she'd given him back on his home world several years ago belonging to a-one Hazel Scheler, contact and account info included beneath a smudge of ...blood? No, mechanical oil. Her bad wrist sparked as she pulled it back to her.

"If you'll excuse me, I've got some things to tend to."

Like finding the bottom of a bottle of whiskey.

[member="Adekos"]

 

[Caulder Dune]

[member="Ivy Lasranae"]

Someone wasn't much for sharing names. Verbally, at least. Then again if he had a last name like "Scheler" Adekos would keep it to himself as much as possible.

Truth be told, that same business card was probably still on the coffee table of his house on Umbara. If not there, then probably sandwiched in the middle of some tome also still in the house. Adekos had not had use of the residence since he retired from senatorial duty and was likely renting it out to some university student. It had been, perhaps, ten years since he had seen the business card. And in that time, he had seen many more business cards from many more mercenaries. Mercenaries who were actually willing to shoot things that needed to be shot.

In the face, if need be. Like that lizard.

Though she did look familiar. Probably a trick of the light. He examined the card for a few moments before sliding it into his pocket. Once he got back home, maybe he would pay her. "Try not to bust out any more Sith Lords while you're back there." Adekos offered as she slunk off to take care of her wrist. "Someone might get the wrong idea if you make it a habit."

 

[Hazel Scheler]

Ivy had the faint desire to shove the man into the dep chamber and out into open space.

How long can you hold your breath? she wondered to herself at the thought, Not long enough.



In her room she stripped off her armor, placing it piece by piece on a form in the corner with the care of someone who placed sentimental value on such things. This armor wasn't sentimental - not yet. Not like her old suit that had followed her four hundred years past her last waking moments of her home time. The old armor had seen the blood, sweat and tears of the people she'd most deeply cared for and would never see again.

Despite the fact that this new armor was custom designed, fitted, and made to her every spec by the skilled craftsmen of the KDY, she placed little value in it. If nothing else it was the routine of care from the old set that had carried over. Her way of forcing a mindset that just simply wouldn't come with time. That distant hope that somehow she'd learn to love the stars she slept under again.

Hope's still on fire.

With a heavy sigh she set herself down into a chair at a small desk and pulled out a repair kit for her right arm. Peeling back the fabric of the body suit revealed not flesh but the gleam of metal and wire. Ivy wasn't a mechanic. Hell, she understood how to keep a ship up to par and running but this stuff? Her rudimentary skills at fixing things were likely more troublesome than not but she had a long way to go before she could stop back in at a proper place for repairs. Couldn't just leave the thing to leak hydraulic fluid everywhere.

An hour, a bottle of whiskey, a hot shower, and change of clothes later found Ivy heading back up the hall and into the command deck where the masked menace remained.

She took her seat in the captain's chair once more, checking their heading and HUD stats before turning in her chair to look at the man again.

"So I believe you owe me an explanation about this box you took..."

[member="Adekos"]