Public Thought We Didn’t Notice You?

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

Kes watched cautiously as Matmu circled him, mirroring his movements as if they were dancing. He let out a soft chuckle as the Chiss ripped away at his burning clothes, revealing the burn. It was no serious blow but it proof enough to Kes that Matmu wasn't invincible. Confidence began to worm it's way into his mind, for better or for worse.

He listened as the Chiss spoke, talk of the sins of slavery, talk of what happened to his people under the Sith. It stank righteousness and honour. While Kes wore Beskar'gam in reality he was a disgrace to his people, one to turn to violence and profit over honour and loyalty.

"Oh I remember what the Sith did on Mandalore, grew up with the tales and lived to retake Mandalore." He said with confidence. "How much good that did for us. When the Death Watch fought us until collapse it taught me one thing, the same thing that my predecessors should've learned when they warred with the Sith. The causes of honour and loyalty led to their deaths and instead one should fight for no one but one's self." he continued, twirling his vibromechete. "And myself, well, credits are what motivates me."

To Kes the Chiss were merchandise, like the weapons he bought and sold. They would contribute to Kes' ultimate goal of enriching himself. Thoughts of the slaves quickly turned his head to Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) . The Chiss and his marines had pushed his pirates back and were making a run for the bridge. Pirates against well-drilled marines? Kes' scowled at the thought. "So, distract me to let your friends flank eh? Not bad. I'll deal wi-" He said before his peripheral vision caught the Chiss Knight lunging towards him. It was overconfidence that had wormed into his head.

His eyes widened as he crossed his arms to block the overhead blow and Kes felt as the lightsaber connected with his gauntlets, the force pushed him down onto one knee. The Mandalorian held with all his might but soon his beskar gauntlets began to glow a bright orange as they were superheated. His right gauntlet began to malfunction, first a missile dart fired from it and into the roof, then the concealed blade deployed not at Kes' will. At the same time the skin under the gauntlets began to sear.

He moved his own body to the right, pushing the lightsaber to the left of him, dodging clear of it. His gauntlets were ruined and Kes was determined this Chiss knight would be the one to foot the bill of repairing them. The longer he stayed on the defensive the slimer his chances were, this much the Mandalorian was willing to admit. Kes stepped towards the knight, machete in one hand, blade extended from the other and slashed wildly with both, pressing his attack.

All the while the pirates retreated further back towards the bridge, committed to putting up a dogged defence on the bridge itself the Chiss slaves had been forced on their knees with Mulza and his top enforcers standing behind them and using them as cover. By now the Star was limping closer to the edge of the system where it would make it's attempted hyperspace jump to safety. With all that mind though, it was battered and bruised with a Chiss and Alliance cruiser running it down as well as being shadowed by TIE fighters.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

Kailani pressed himself up against the bulkhead, trying to make himself as tiny as possible. Sergeant Qya nodded at him from the other side and pressed the activator. A brilliant flash of light and the blast door was disintegrated by well placed charges. Four marines stormed into the bridge, lasers flashing at Weequay with a blaster rifle. He was downed quickly. But the other pirates on the bridge wouldn't be so easy. Before them, on their knees, were seven Chiss, hands bound, in raggity clothing.

Kailani entered behind Sergeant Qya, blaster held by his side. It was a standoff. The pirate captain held a blaster to a slave's head, while his grunts had their rifles aimed at Kailani's marines. "Greetings, captain," the commander started. A good first impression. Unless that was already ruined from when the Peacemaker started firing. "Please release the slaves, and we will not harm you."

The man laughed long and hard. Abruptly, his expression hardened. "I would never take the word of Alliance scum like you. Perhaps you would like to cast away your GA uniform and join your people here?"

Kailani sighed. He hadn't really expected it to work. He walked forward a few steps, until he was slightly ahead of all his marines. He put one hand behind his back, and began to signal to the troops. While he conveyed the secret message, he said, "I see. Well, perhaps you will allow us to leave the ship then?"

"Maybe. You wouldn't dare shoot us with our slaves. Hm. Very-"

Kailani clenched his hand into a fist, and blaster bolts pelted the ceiling with great accuracy. Partial darkness descended upon the bridge. And then total darkness, as Sergeant Qya shot the lights outside the bridge, where the lightsaber-guy and the Mando were fighting. Without sparing a millisecond, Kailani rolled back and to the right, and yelled in Cheunh, "Dive!"

There were multiple thuds as the slaves dove away from the pirates. Then, the marines lit up the darkness with a rain of laserfire, cutting down the pirates in swaths. "Let's go! Follow my voice!" the commander yelled, again in the Chiss language, as he raced towards the entrance. He let out a grunt as he bumped into a wall, then he was out of the bridge. Hands out before him, he brushed into the rail, and then felt it go down. "I'm at the stairs!" The glow of the lightsaber would be enough for the former slaves to see now. He ran into the other corridor and past the rest of his boarding squad. Five of the seven slaves were behind him.

No matter. The sergeant would get the rest of the slaves when he came out. Unless they were killed as hostages. For now, he just had to hope the Mando didn't murder the slaves.

Matma Bernu Kes Stag

 

[Matma Bernu]

Matma pivoted as the Mandalorian redirected his weight, just in time to barely block the wild assault by the warrior, with machete in one hand, blade extended from the other. Completely off balance, it was all the Chiss could do to weather the assault.

But as the Mandalorian hacked away, Matma realized he wasn't a swordsman- not by a long shot. A talent in the killing arts, to be sure- the legendary fighting prowess of the Mandalorians was clearly not exaggerated. But Matma, over the past decades, had fought the Ren, the Maw, and the Sith. He knew a swordsman when he was one, and this wasn't it.

'Doesn't mean a machete still can't kill', he thought wryly as he parried another thrust.

Suddenly, there was blasterfire in the bridge, and the hallway was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Seeing a chance to end the fight in the confusion, Matma side-stepped the Mandalorian, conjuring green lightning, and letting loose at his opponent point blank.

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) | Kes Stag | Bella

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

The Mandalorian let out a shout with each swing of his blade, he used no form, lashing out like a wild dog. With each swing coming in faster then the previous, solely focused on the assault and dismissing any need for defending against a riposte. Even though Kes' body had deteriorated since his time in the Mandalorians on account for a spice addiction he was still quite fit and from this he banked on Matmu eventually tiring and once his defence failed he would eventually land a blow.

The blaster fire on the bridge caused the Morellian to flinch, his attention momentarily turning to the catwalk where the lights were blasted out and Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) came flying out, the merchandise trailing him closely behind. Anger began rising as Kes realized he had not only lost out on credits but likely his customer, Mulza who was on the bridge.

"Once I claim that laser sword from your corpse, they're next." he growled before making a move to swing his machete once more. His rage had blinded him and he failed to notice Matmu's side-step. Then came the lightning. The gunrunner had no time to react, he only had time to realize what was about to happen. The lightning connected with Kes fully and through his beskar, sending his body into a spasm.

"RAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed out, dropping to his knees, the machete soon falling out of his hands. The pain was unbearable, his body seared as the lightning swept across him. In one last defiant move he got up onto one knee and straining every muscle in his body, he raised his gauntlet, one last strike at the Chiss. But the Mandalorian's body failed him and fell to the floor, body spasming uncontrollably now. The sound of each tendril of lightning cackling was drowned by Kes' screams.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

As Kailani raced to the air lock, he heard bloodcurdling screams from behind him. But from what he could tell, the voice was modulated, meaning the screamer was wearing a helmet. It seemed the other Chiss had defeated the Mandalorian. The commander didn't stop running, though. There could be other pirates just waking up from a nap. Unlikely, but possible.

"Did the pirates enslave any more?" Kailani asked the Chiss behind him.

"We were only a few of the dozens being held in the ship. But we were blindfolded. We don't know where we were," the leader of the group said. He seemed to be a young man, probably in his early twenties. Such misfortune.

"I see. Continue through this corridor until you reach the airlock. There will be two soldiers waiting for you." Kailani explained.

"Where will you go?" a former slave asked.

"I must find the rest of the slaves. And I believe the other Chiss can find them."

The commander sprinted back towards the lightsaber-guy, and found the Mandalorian smoking on the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks, daring to take a glance at the man to his side. "So...I see you bested this Mando? Anyway, I need you to locate the rest of the slaves. You can handle that?"

Matma Bernu Kes Stag

 

[Matma Bernu]

Matma stood over the twitching, spasming Mandalorian. His hand clenched over the lightsaber. He could end him, right here, right now. He'd made the tough choices before.

He sighed, and deactivated the saber.

...But he had never killed an defenseless combatant, and that wasn't going the change.

"Bind him", he barked to one of Chiss soldiers loitering in the periphery of the fight. "Hand him over to the Alliance. We won't have the space or resources to deal with this one."

He glanced up, and saw the younger Chiss officer coming his way:

The commander sprinted back towards the lightsaber-guy, and found the Mandalorian smoking on the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks, daring to take a glance at the man to his side. "So...I see you bested this Mando? Anyway, I need you to locate the rest of the slaves. You can handle that?"

He nodded, clapping his hand on the Chiss's soldiers. "Aye, brother, I believe we can. And that was some great work on the bridge- I was terrified we'd lose someone", he replied in accented Cheunh.

Turning away, he activated his comm-link. "Hellions, bridge has been secured. Any words on the captives?"

"Aye sir, we've done a sweep of the ship and pacified most of it; we believe they are in the cargo hold. We believe some pirates might be making a last stand there, as well."

"Excellent. We'll start making our way there."

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) | Kes Stag | Bella

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

Smoke slowly raised from Kes, laboured breathing could be heard from his helmet. Slowly and with great effort he propped himself up, his arms shaking as he moved. Inside his own helmet his hud flickered and glitched with most of the electrics in his suit having been fried by the lightning. Kes knew when he was beaten but just because he lost one battle didn't mean he had lost the war. And like hell was he going to rot aboard some Alliance prison barge.

"H-hey... there's no need... for that." he struggled to get out as Matmu suggested he was binded and handed over to Kailini. "I'm sure we... can work out... a deal." he continued, his deep breathes could be heard between each word he spoke. It was obvious that the Star would be overrun, it was only a matter of time, instead Kes would play his hand at the oldest trick in the book, switching sides.

He struggled onto one knee, his left arm still spasming and unresponsive from the lightning. "I was uh... never part of them... Just sell weapons you see?" just talking was exhausting but it was his only choice. "I'm no slaver... let me talk... to the pirates... No more bloodshed." he said before his head dipped as he breathed heavily to catch his breath.

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

The Chiss commander nodded to the other man. "That was nothing. I'm more impressed with your work here. Defeating a Mandalorian is no easy task."

The other leader turned away for a second, probably talking to his other soldiers. Apparently, the rest of the captives were in the cargo bay. Kailani turned to Sergeant Qya, who had his blaster pointed down one hallway, while the rest of the marines covered the other. "Sergeant!" the Chiss called. "We will accompany our allies here to the cargo hold, where the rest of the slaves are. It is utterly important that we capture at least one of the pirates so they can lead us to their base." Suddenly, a voice sounded from below.

"I'm no slaver... let me talk... to the pirates... No more bloodshed."

Kailani looked down at the Mandalorian, who was struggling to get up. "And if they deem that your usefulness to them is over? You're not in shape to fight," the commander said, his voice firm. He was determined to keep the Mandalorian away from the pirates (and certain death) unless the man was extremely confident.

Matma Bernu Kes Stag Bella

 

[Matma Bernu]

Matma sneered as the Mandalorian made his entreaty from the ground. 'Your not a slaver, but a moment ago you didn't seem that bothered keeping the companies of slavers', he thought.

Choosing to keep his thoughts to himself, he motioned for his men to press onwards, with the GA Marines not far behind. The Star bore signs of a battle- scorch marks were everywhere.

Eventually, they reached the cargo hold; muted, frantic chattering could be heard within, interspaced by sobs, and harshly whispered reprimands. The pirates had likely inferred what had happened to their fellows.

Matma glanced at Kailani. "Would you like to do the honors of...negotiating their release?"

The point was to take someone in there alive and, well, they were enslaving Chiss, and Matma didn't quite believe he could make a valiant effort of keeping to that objective, if he had to be honest with himself.

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) | Kes Stag | Bella

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

As Kailani traveled through the corridors, flanked by marines, he took in his surroundings (specifically the walls and ceiling). Finally, when they reached the blast door to the cargo hold, the commander found something promising. Another smaller door across from the cargo hold.

"Would you like to do the honors of...negotiating their release?"

Kailani turned to his fellow Chiss and nodded. "Yes. Rushing in blindly will only get the slaves killed. I believe I have found an alternative to that tactic." He turned to Sergeant Qya and said, "Sergeant, get that smaller door open."

He watched three marines go to work on the door...but Kailani stopped them as soon as they brought out a detonator. Instead of explaining himself using words, he merely pressed the button to the side of the door, and it slid open. "As you see, in their scramble to take up defensive positions, the pirates did not go out of their way to lock everything down."

"I understand, sir!"

Kailani gestured into the room, and the three marines entered, blasters at the ready. Behind them, the commander walked in, and quickly discovered that this was the medbay. Cheap cots were strewn about, and one medical droid stood in the corner, deactivated. But Kailani wasn't focused on that. He was smiling at a ventilation shaft in the ceiling. He half-turned to face out the door, towards Matma. "This is the plan," he stated.

"Sergeant, find your way through the shaft and into the cargo hold, and eliminate the pirates from above. Once that is done, open the door from the inside. Good luck," Kailani said.

The man nodded, and pulled out a grappling device from his many utility pockets. In a second, he was in the ventilation system, crawling towards the cargo hold.

POV: SERGEANT QYA

What an adventure this would be. Qya crawled through the narrow space, holding his blaster out in front of him, breathing hard. Funny that he joined the marines, where most battles took place in cramped corridors, when he had claustrophobia. But then again, that was the reason he'd joined. To get rid of his fears, and eliminate his weaknesses.

It seemed all those boarding actions didn't help. Qya turned to the left, then took a sharp right. He was on a good path. He thought. What direction did he come from again? All his doubts vanished suddenly as he saw light. A vent. He crawled into a powerful wind, blowing towards the vent entrance. Qya crawled over and looked down. He was right over the pirates. Despite his best efforts, his hardened expression cracked, and a smile broke through.

The sergeant opened the vent, and (thankful that the pirates seemed to oil the vent hinges), took aim. There were five pirates in total, all aiming at a dozen or so slaves on the ground, hands behind their heads. Doing his best to slow his breathing, Qya through his scope at a Weequay. He squeezed the trigger. Aimed. Squeezed the trigger. Aimed.

In seconds, the pirates were on the ground with smoking holes through their skulls. Now came the problem of getting down. It was probably a ten meter fall. Nearly fatal. Qya took a deep breath. Joining the marines was all about getting rid of fears, and this was one of them. He jumped.

The millisecond he touched down, he turned his fall into a roll. Pain shot through his legs. But he could stand. Qya limped over to the blast door and opened it.

POV: KAILANI FOSTU

After waiting for a minute or so, the door finally opened to a panting Sergeant Qya. Kailani grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Good job, soldier. Wait here and we'll help you back to the ship when we're done."

He turned to Matma. "Well, it's done. What do you want to do with the former slaves? I guess the GA could take them, but...it isn't really the most inclusive place. I'd say the best place for them would be with you. Maybe they're not all about combat, but it's better than facing the xenophobia on Coruscant."

Kes Stag Matma Bernu

 

[Matma Bernu]

He turned to Matma. "Well, it's done. What do you want to do with the former slaves? I guess the GA could take them, but...it isn't really the most inclusive place. I'd say the best place for them would be with you. Maybe they're not all about combat, but it's better than facing the xenophobia on Coruscant."

For the first time during this whole ordeal, Matma smiled.

"Actually, I know a world that will take them in the GA- new to the GA as a matter of fact. Their senator, Natasi Fortan , is a long time ally, and friend, with a long history of helping refugees. I believe the Renascent Republic will be a great opportunity, a fresh new start for our brothers and sisters."

He hesitated, and stuck out a hand.

"I won't forget what you did here- what you did for our people. Should you need anything- anything at all- I'll give you my comm codes, and I'm never more then three days travel away."

Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) | Kes Stag

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

"Actually, I know a world that will take them in the GA- new to the GA as a matter of fact. Their senator, Natasi Fortan Natasi Fortan , is a long time ally, and friend, with a long history of helping refugees. I believe the Renascent Republic will be a great opportunity, a fresh new start for our brothers and sisters."

Kailani nodded. They would indeed be safer there. And from what he'd seen of Natasi Fortan , she would give the former slaves the best home they could imagine. "Very well. I do believe they will be treated well, and I have no doubt that they will be safe."

And then, Matma extended a hand. Kailani couldn't help but grin as well as he took the man's hand and shook it.

"I won't forget what you did here- what you did for our people. Should you need anything- anything at all- I'll give you my comm codes, and I'm never more then three days travel away."

"The same goes for you, brother. I'm due for a promotion to captain soon, so if you need more firepower, you know who to call. This galaxy is a dangerous place, and you can never have too many allies, as I'm sure you know. Oh, and don't worry about Kes Stag . He will be going to trial and I'm certain he will be thrown in prison. Hopefully for a long time. Farewell, Matma Bernu ," Kailani said, shaking his hand one last time before turning back to go to his shuttle.

And then, maybe he would invite Bella to the cruiser for a cup of caf.

 

[Kes Stag]

Location: Wild Space
Objective: Yarrr Work out a deal
Tags: Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani) Matma Bernu Bella

"Heaven offers nothing that the mercenary soul can desire"​

Aboard the Star of Sriluur

Kes was pushed to his feet by two Alliance marines, having to be half dragged along to the ship. They didn't take his deal, smart, he wouldn't have taken his deal either, they were more than capable of taking out a few pirates. Kes would've just had to make a run for it. Instead now, well, now he'd have to run his mouth for his freedom.

He was dragged towards the boarding pods, near Kailani and Matma as they concluded business and the Morellian stood up to stop the two marines who were dragging him. "Try and convict a weapons smuggler of associating with pirates, so far outside Alliance space?" he allowed himself a weak laugh. "Good luck..."

His attention turned back to Matma and his glare seemed to almost pierce through his helmet. "I'll be back for that laser sword blueskin, you owe me for at least my gauntlets." he said, his tone cold and icy. The two alliance marines moved to drag him away to their boarding craft.

"Haa'taylir gar o'r haran!" he shouted in Mando'a, which could be roughly translated to see you in hell!

 

[Plikh'ala'niu (Khalani)]

​

Kailani followed close behind the marines that were guiding Kes Stag to the shuttle.

"Try and convict a weapons smuggler of associating with pirates, so far outside Alliance space?"

The commander scoffed and said, "Well, looks like we'll have to take your armor and weapons for evidence then. Sergeant Qya! Once we are back on the cruiser, strip this man of his armor and give him a prisoner uniform. Let's see how he does without his pride and joy."

There were two things the Chiss could do. He could jettison the armor and weapons out into space, so the Mando had far less chance of escape. Or, he could bring the weapons and armor along, but risk Kes breaking out of his cell, taking his stuff, and leaving. And maybe kill everyone on the ship while he was at it. But Kailani would take that risk and see to it that Kes would spend most, if not all of his time in his cell, with the laser gate activated.

That scum wouldn't see any other environment until he was put on trial on Coruscant. Or maybe they would drop him off somewhere in the Mid Rim instead. Hyperfuel wasn't cheap these days.

Having said his goodbyes to Matma Bernu , Kailani boarded his shuttle and flew back to the cruiser. Kes would stay heavily guarded all the way until he was put on trial.

On the Peacemaker, Lieutenant Commander Swreepi was waiting for him in the hangar with a dozen other marines. As Kailani went over to greet his first officer, the soldiers escorted Kes to the brig in the ventral part of the ship.

"Commander, how did it go?" Swreepi asked.

"Excellent. We've made strong allies with the owners of the light cruiser, and the Renascent Republic. When you have time, please mark them on the IFF as friendlies. Other than that, we defeated all the pirates with no casualties, and stopped an arms dealer. A pretty successful day if I do say so myself," Kailani reported.

Swreepi nodded. "Acknowledged, sir. Oh...and on the bridge, our scans showed multiple lifeforms in the cargo bay. I don't think those were more pirates, sir."

"You're right. Chiss slaves. But now, they are free, and they will be with the Renascent Republic. I trust them, Lieutenant Commander. They will have a good home."

Swreepi saluted with a grin, then went off into the turbolift to the bridge. Kailani decided to follow Kes to make sure he was locked up right. Sure, he wouldn't be much help if he did decide to break out, but he felt better accompanying him. Meanwhile, he would call Bella who was in her TIE fighter, to see if she wanted to dock and have some caf.