Private The Unyielding Stone

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

Jade took the address with a nod and was soon on her way.

At Nur Jahan’s firm comment and counter question, she considered.

“Nothing as yet either way. I am interested to see what her goals are and where this will go. She has offered reward for assistance, an offer I have taken.”

She would be certainly seeing to getting that reward once this journey to the merchant was done. The Kar’zun had no great desire to be part of a slave rebellion, except perhaps on the sideline.



As they approached the Sullustan store Jade looked at Nur Jahan.

“You know this merchant? Will they help us out of gratitude…or fear?”

It was important to know the parameters first before going in.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

"I see," Nur Jahan said laconically. They navigated the dense maze that were the streets of Nar Shaddaa. Not far from them, the sound of breaking glass could be heard, then blaster fire. The Mon Calamari paid it no mind. It was just another day in a den of inequity and corruption. "Out of self-interest," she responded. "Libertas helped her keep certain things buried, and gets discounted prices."

Vigra Obel's store lay in a corner of the bazaar. The building was bigger than the first time Nur Jahan had been there. Back then she had been a weak fool, or so she saw it. So desperate to find a home and belong to something that she had allowed herself to be enslaved by a charlatan. But now things were different. Now she was her own woman.

The store was monitored by cameras and two Synthmarines stood guard outside. They bore a resemblance to the Super Battle Droids the Confederates had used centuries ago, but looked meaner and tougher. "State your business," one of them spoke mechanically.
Nur Jahan got an annoying sense of deja vu."We have an appointment with Vigra Obel," she said flatly.
There was a brief pause as one of the droids seemed to contact its master. "You may enter. You will be escorted to the backroom. Do not touch the displays," it said after a moment.

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

Jade too paid no mind to the noises. However, when a Nikto seemed to have seen only Nur Jahan and was edging forward she shifted to loom over him. He beat a hasty retreat.
"I see. Let us hope she does not have any foolish notions."

The two battle droids confronted them and then one escorted them inside. It seemed this was not the sort of shop where one simply browsed casually, which was to be expected if they sold weapons on Nar Shaddaa to Sith Lords.

Jade passed through the store. Racks of weapons, armour and other tech was carefully caged and protected. Cameras looked down from on high.
Finally they would come to the backroom, and Jade would allow Nur Jahan to go first. She knew Vigra Obel after all.
Standing over the Mon Cal she folded her arms and waited to see what would happen next.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

A sharply dressed Sullustan woman in a well-tailored women's business suit awaited them. Unlike the stereotypical Sullustan, she was not dressed like a wench or tinkering with machine parts. She wore a belt made of voidstone. A rather grim piece of art decorated the wall. It had probably been painted by this galaxy's equivalent of Hieronymus Bosch. A rust-coloured HK unit stood in the corner as an obvious bodyguard.

"Ah, Nur Jahan, dearest of my friends," Vigra Obel declared with faux cheerfulness. "I take it Darth has another order? How's your new cult doing?"
The Mon Calamari gave her a cold look. "I'm not part of a cult," she said icily.
"A system of veneration devoted to a particular idea of person, characterised by totalitarian control of information and isolation. That's what my dictionary says. Seems to fit. It's funny how many would-be messiahs always seem to pop up here. Hopefully, she'll last longer than the last one."
"We have business. Stop wasting my time."
"Yes, yes, no one here has time for a civilised chat. Anyway, I assume you want the special merchandise?"

"Yes." Nur Jahan had taken lessons in laconicism. So without further ado she handed over a list.
The Sullustan perused it, her big eyes rising slightly. "Hmm, no nerve gas this time, which is good. Is Darth trying to start a war?"
"Can you deliver?"
"Well, you see, I've heard all about her trying to spread rebellion among the slaves. Not that I object - morally. But whose word is law here? The slavers'? And if they find out that..."
"A thirty percent discount was agreed upon."
"I have to cover myself, just in case things get too hot. Fifteen."
"No."
"Well, good luck finding a new dealer in the short time you have left."
"My Master's overcome worse threats, so have I. The question is, can you survive the Cartels' wrath when they get wind of your...secret dealings? Or the Bando Gora? Do you know what they do to prisoners? Twenty-five."
The Sullustan looked to her bodyguards, then back to the Sith Knight and the big golem. "Done. Give Darthy my regards."

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

Jade watched the whole transaction, you guessed it, impassively. However, underneath that grim expression she was rather amused by the interplay between the two.
"Good, our business is concluded."
The artwork caught her eye. She squinted at it with a frown. "What is this supposed to represent?" There was someone's half body containing other smaller people. There were all manner of strange objects seemingly randomly placed.
Outsider art was always so...obtuse. Kar'zun art was usually geometric, with limited stylisation, and they mostly avoided portraits of themselves. This was not for any religious reasons but because art was usually used as fluff around the edges of important things like decrees, lineage walls and so on.

Still, she would look to see where the equipment was and accepted her role as the pack mule to carry it back to the Sith Lord.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

"Oh, it's part of a triptytch. The Garden of Earthly Delights. Named after its central panel. It tries to depict the breadth of the sentient experience from the life to the Nether. Here we see, well, Chaos." One could make out a frozen river, and rising up from that was a weird shell similar to the upper torso of a man's body, and head. Its arms were formed from hollow tree trunks resting in small boats. Various could be found in this strange entity or were being tormented by bizarre portmanteau creatures.

"Foolish superstition," Nur Jahan muttered.
"Tut-tut, it's considered a classic. "Interestingly, Bosh painted it during the Golden Age, when people were dreaming of a thousand years of peace and happiness. Sadly he didn't get much appreciation at the time. Committed suicide. It's a common theory he was haunted by visions of what was to come."

"Then he could've done something useful running instead. As it is, he ran. I have payment. You have the weapons?"
"Ah, yes, of course. It's being brought out of storage momentarily. Just a minute."

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

Jade stared at the work. Tilting her head to the side one way and then the other as if that would give her the necessary perspective to understand it.
"I think...this person was very disturbed." she finally commented. "I have talked with those who were drawn into the Draz'azvaka and it did not look like this to any of them."
That word in Kar'vak was one which was commonly taken to be the Kar'zun word for Netherworld or hell, but it was more than that. It was any great, hollow void, be it the openess of interstellar space, the deep sea (which they did not like) or indeed the afterlife.
"Still, at least his torment ended at last before he saw the true horrors. Prophecy is a dangerous thing."

A large droid appeared with a crate in its hands and put it down. Jade put aside her musings and opened it, examining each weapon to make sure they weren't being given the '50 crates of weapons, but 40 are filled with rocks' trick. They were all legitimate it seemed, slightly outdated blaster rifles and pistols and some grenades. All of them were knock off brands rather than licensed and registered products but they looked new and usable.

"These appear correct. Nur Jahan, you concur?" she rumbled. She figured that she'd have to carry the case, but this didn't worry her overly.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

"It is the way of prophecy only to be understood when it is happened and it is too late to change it," the Sullustan said with a shrug. Who knew an arms dealer could be this poetic? Alas, Nur Jahan did not seemed to appreciate the art or fancy idioms. Instead she busied herself examining the crate of weapons before nodding curtly. "Yes," she said laconically and passed over a stack of credit chips. "It is satisfactory."

Vigra Obel counted the money, looking just a bit sour about it being less than she'd have liked. Still, she'd managed to negotiate the discount down a bit. "Well, pleasure doing business with you as usual. Good hunting. And no offence meant, but I'd be happy if you stayed away from my shop for a bit. Certain folks here really don't like you."
"Don't cross us," Nur Jahan replied flatly and departed the store, escorted out by the droids.

As the pair made their way through the dense urban maze of Nar Shaddaa, it soon become obvious that they were being watched. Among a crowd, the Mon Calamari spied a girl who looked at them and spoke into a commlink. Nur Jahan ducked into an alleyway, signalling to Jade to follow. She waited for a moment, then suddenly grabbed a pursuer and slammed him into a wall.

The human ganger looked frightened when her scarlet lightsabre ignited and she held it at his throat. "Who sent you?" she asked coldly.
"I...uh..."
"Who. Sent. You."
"Now, now, surely there is no need for violence. Do spare the poor lad. It is most difficult to find good hired help these days," a refined, cultured voice spoke.
"I doubt you value his life. Show yourself," the Sith Knight hissed. It was then that she noticed the bright red spot on her chest.
A Bith stepped out of the shadows. For no discernible reason, he wore a tweed suit. Two Houk thugs accompanied him. Several more seemed to have taken up position in the shadows. "As you have no doubt noticed, I have taken precautions of my own. "Fortunately, I have no desire for wanton violence."

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

Jade pondered the arms dealer's words a moment. "But there are few true prophets. Many people make predictions, most do not come true. It is in retrospect that people deem them visionary."
However, she was soon pulled away as Nur Jahan was eager to leave. Jade followed with the crate, handling the bulky item like it was a paperweight.

Soon though Nur Jahan's keen senses spied that they were being followed. She hustled in, and watched as the scene went down. A Bith in a tweed suit and a gang of Houks were around them.

Jade sighed and put down the crate, producing her long blade from her back and taking a guard stance.
"I do not wish for wanton violence either, however I strongly suggest you do not impede us, lest both our desires be broken."
In the quiet alley her voice rumbled like a distant engine. Usually a stern word and menacing pose was able to defuse many a situation.

"What is it you wish. We have business to attend to elsewhere."

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

"He wants to buy us," Nur Jahan said pointedly.
The very well-dressed Bith tut-tutted. "That, my dear, is a crude way of putting it. I merely wish to stimulate the free flow of services that will result in you accepting a contractual status in my employer's respectable business enterprise. You are being played false. Your employer is a brigand, a charlatan and a terrorist. To follow her path is one of folly. But the benevolent Hutt Republic always has need of motivated myrmidons."
"You are a parasite."
"Young lady, there is no need for slurs. I urge you to follow your own best interests, which, by sheer happenstance, happen to align with those of the esteemed gentlemen my consortium represents."

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas
Jade glanced impassively from one to the other. She probably would have got on with a certain cyborg with how annoyed she got with people yapping when they should be acting.
To her it was clear that betraying a Sith Lord and her Apprentice was a stupid move, not least because Jade had just given a lecture about fidelity.
She started to mentally measure the distance to the closest two Houk.

"I thank you for the offer, but I am not interested. We have business to attend to, stand aside."
She then casually went to walk forward as though everything was normal. She knew they would stop her, but that was part of the plan. It was a simple plan admittedly, but it tended to work well.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

Gangsters moved to intercept the Kar'zun, but they were not the only ones waiting in the wings. "That is unfortunate. I gave you the opportunity of aiding us unwillingly. But..."
Nur Jahan was no more inclined than a certain cyborg to listen to villainous monologues, even though she was a villain herself, albeit a laconic one. So she reached out with her powers to to give the Bith a telekinetic tuh.

Presumably she intended to use him as a shield. However, then something curious happened. From afar the well-dressed Bith had felt and looked life-like. But now the figure started to flicker and the image of the Bith dissipated, revealing a simple protocol droid. Two blaster bolts struck the faux Bith, a third lanced the Mon Calamari in the shoulder. Nur Jahan let out a cry of pain and anger. And then the shadows wrapped around her like a cloak and she vanished from sight.

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

The Houk in front of Jade, seeing that violence was required, tried to take a step back and bring up their blaster. They then discovered the key thing about Kar'zun that many didn't know. yes, the folk of stone were slow moving, ponderous even, but then they wanted to they could move and strike like an avalanche. Their brutal strength combined with weapons training and surprise allowed them to act with sudden and devastating violence.

Jade brought the sword out of its sheath and down in a double handed cut so quickly her hands seem to blur. Enchanted and glimmering with an inner light the blade cut through the Houk's patchwork armour like butter and then down into the flesh at its neck. So devastating was the blow that she very nearly hacked the brute diagonally in half.

There was another thing which Kar'zun could do which was unexpected. Usually their deep base tone voices were low, rarely raised. However, they could let out a truly monstrous roar when provoked. So now Jade did so, very much contrasting with Nur Jahan's stealthy approach.
With a bellow she fell upon the second Houk. Desperately he raised his blaster, firing wildly, shattering the wall but also hitting Jade in the side. Too little, too late.
The blade arced across in a bloody horizontal arc, passing clean through a hand outstretched to stop it, then carving through their abdomen. Jade stepped forward and brought down a massive foot. There was a crunch, and then silence.

There were no more enemies close by just yet so Jade briefly glanced at her injury. It was minor, the armour absorbing most of it, but it would require attention later. Instead she drew out a flechette launcher and held it ready in one hand.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

The Kar'zun exile slammed into the thugs like an avalanche. They had presumably not expected that. Two Houk thugs were down. Yet more foes remained. Having seen the fate that befell their comrades, they avoided open engagement though.

Instead the Kar'zun would come under heavy blaster fire from above, for a couple thugs had taken up position in one of the buildings overlooking the alley. A big golem was quite distinctive and an obvious target. Moreover, their elevated location gave them a good vantage point. And so the alley quickly turned into a shooting gallery, as gunmen fired repeatedly at Jade.

Doubtless her armour would help, as would a Kar'zun's natural durability, but even that could not last forever. The shooters had, however, lost track of the Mon Calamari Sith. She had, after all, literally vanished from sight and then a golem had beaten up two of their comrades. Surely she had just fled. They did not notice a shape climbing up the wall.

At least until one of sharpshooters suddenly flew through the air and hit the ground hard. The second shooter reacted quickly, turned and fired with his rifle. The last thing he heard was the snap-hiss of a lightsabre that proceeded to slice through his through his blaster before piercing his throat.

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas
This was the greatest downfall of the Kar'zun. They were capable of devastating onslaughts, but afterwards their sheer size and lack of agility would leave them open. It was a factor the Eldorai had exploited in their wars through long experience, and it was what the gangsters started to realise now.
Jade rushed to take cover, but even when she did she was pinned down, hit by several blaster bolts. Smoke rose off her fused armour and glowed red where it burned off chunks of her rocky hide.

An angry Kar'zun was not something to dismiss lightly however. Jade rammed the bladeinto the pavement, embedding it like a mythological sword in the stone.
Then she hauled up her shotgun and blasted upwards across the alley. A pained scream and cursing indicated she'd caused a non-fatal wound.

Then suddenly Nur Jahan was among them, her red lightsabre dealing with the enemy so neatly diverted by Jade.
She raised her launcher again, but saw Nur Jahan dealing with a shooter with her blade. She lowered the weapon and scanned for more enemies.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

The shooting had stopped. With the last thug dead, Nur Jahan leapt out of the open window. The Force slowed her descent and she landed gracefully upon the street. The Mon Calamari's eyes took in the scenery ahead of them, searching for more enemies.

But the only sentients she saw moving around were the vultures. Beggars and street urchins dressed in dirty rags emerged from the shadows. While giving the two armed warriors a wide berth and casting wary glances at them, they began to methodically strip the corpses of anything that was valuable. Even the broken protocol droid would be salvaged. It was just another day on the Smuggler's Moon. Nur Jahan glanced at the Kar'zun. "The Hutts are on our trail. We must move quickly and inform Lord Libertas."

 

[Arv'zorak]

Jade growled something as she examined the damage to herself. As with the battle with the Eldorai it would take a little while to recover. However, she was good to go.
"Yes, let us depart." One of the scavengers had sneaked forward and tried to pry the sword out. Jade turned and ripped the blade clear, sending the young Bothan yelping and fleeing from her. Without another word she sheathed and holstered her weapons and hauled the box away.

Soon enough they were approaching the rebel slave building again, now noticeably quieter now the more timid ones had departed.

Seeing the Sith Lord she put the case down at her feet. "The Hutts attacked us after trying to recruit us. They failed on both counts," she said grimly. "I forsee them attempting to intervene again, and soon."

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

By the time the pair arrived at the rebel slave building, the slaves who wanted to seek out a better, more peaceful future on their own terms had departed. Instead some of Libertas' soldiers had arrived and were unloading gear.

They were easily distinguished from the slaves by their more professional, military bearing and the fact that they were dressed in a manner akin to Stormtroopers. The slaves seemed wary of them, but accepted the weapons they passed around and listened to their instructons on how to use them. None of the troopers were human. Curiously, there were also a few crappy B-1 droids.

"Oh, did they? As amusing as it is predictable," Libertas remarked, after hearing the report.
"We can't hold this location against a determined assault," Nur Jahan stated frankly.
"No, we cannot. A strategic relocation is most advisable."

"You mean withdraw. Run," Kriera cut in. The mere thought got her hackles up. "We agreed to follow because you offered us a chance to strike back."
"Intelligently. The key word being strike back, not stage a futile positional defence. They know we're lacking in numbers and firepower and that'll make them overconfident. You do have a few bikes, yes?"
"Yes."
"And the sewer network running beneath the base is quite spacious, correct?"
Understanding dawned on the Weequay's features. "You want to trick the bastards."
"If you check out the supplies brought from my ship, you'll find some dummies. And thanks to our arms dealer friend," at that she glanced towards Jade and Nur Jahan, "we have explosives."

 

[Arv'zorak]

Darth Libertas

Jade observed the conversation in silence. She approved that the Sith was thinking more tactically. These slaves and rebels couldn't fight straight up, but ambush, skirmish and raid was their strengths.
There was one key issue though.
"The dummies may work to convince them visually, but it will not fool their technology. Might I suggest the use of some heat emitters on the dummies to simulate bodyheat and also some basic automation to have them move now and then."

She glanced at the old B-1 droids. "And perhaps some of them or other droids to be on patrol to add to the illusion. They need to be lured inside."

She was not sure if she was going to participate herself yet. However some advice never went astray.
"If you have some auto-turrets, place them hidden outside but deploy them only after the explosion, when the survivors are dazed. They will be easy prey as their comrades mill about."

It sounded like she had experience with this.

 

[Darth Libertas]

Arv'zorak

Sith were generally stereotyped as not being snearky or smart. This was a strange label, since Darth Sidious had managed to infiltrate the highest echelons of power and boss the Jedi Council around with them none the wiser until it was too late. Granted, the typical Sith of the present era was...quite dim, to put it mildly.
Libertas was no Sidious, but she had common sense. She gave the Kar'zun a curt nod, having thought along similar lines. "Can the dummies move about on their own power?" she asked a very martial looking Twi'lek officer from the ironically named Freedom Guard. Her name was Koanai Pann.

"Yes, lord. Just don't expect to shoot at anything. Won't even hit the broad side of a barn. The bots can use the bikes to draw the enemy in. Should send some probe droids out to keep an eye on things."
"Agreed," Libertas glanced at the Weequay. "You understand? Surprise and subterfuge will be your strength."
"Yes, got it. Bastards will be in for a surprise," she laughed hollowly. "ll get my people ready. We know where best to place the bombs."
"I would join the patrol," Nur Jahan, who had remained silent till then, spoke up. "They know my face and that I have the Force. I can alert you, then lose any pursuers."
"Granted," Libertas' yellow organic and red cybernetic eye turned to Jade. "I believe we have our arrangement to discuss, yes?"