Private Tough Trade

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

After the prison break on Cerea, Lori did as she was promised. She met up with Eskk Jannik to strike up some kind of trade. The man had taken her lightsaber, one that was precious to her in many ways. And what's worse was that he had corrupted it! Her once sky blue jagged blade with the silver core had now gone red. It was devestating to see...Sure Lori had hardly used the weapon, but that didn't matter! It held a lot of sentimental value. And she wanted it back!

Both Eskk and Lori were wanted by the Eternal Empire and so a neutral place was chosen; Dahgee. She had sent him the co-ordinates to the field upon which she'd be waiting by the Jaster's Sparrow. Lori had chosen that ship, rather than her newest one for a reason.

Sitting by the ramp, she fidgeted with her jet pack Ol' Sparky while she waited for him to arrive. Both Arla and her little droid PG-1 were instructed to stay inside. Right now she wanted to deal with the man on her own. And she felt that she was more than capable in doing so.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk arrived in his Surprise Series Q carrier. It remained in orbit over the field where he was to meet Loreena. Eskk hopped into one of the ETA interceptors aboard the ship and flew it down to the field.

As he descended towards the grass, Eskk began to sing. "He's climbin through your windows, snatchin your people up. Tryin to eat em. So you better hide your kids hide your wife, hide your kids hide your wife."

Finally the ship touched down on the grass near where Loreena was standing. Eskk opened the cockpit and climbed out. "Loreena," he exclaimed upon reaching the ground. "So good of you to keep your promise. Mustafar is such a long ways away. Plus, its a hot and relatively dreadful planet with very little to offer in terms of cuisine. I really didn't want to have to go, so I appreciate you showing up."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori shouldered her jetpack as Eskk Jannik arrived, but didn't put it on. She observed him quietly, offering little more than a smirk as he remarked about Mustafar and the lack of victims for him to prey on.

"I always keep my word. Honourbound by family. And now that I'm not in the middle of a mission, I have time to deal with you. So...what is it that you want from me in trade?"

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Are you in such a hurry to be rid of me," Eskk asked. "Should I be offended? Is there another monster in your life?"

Eskk waited for a moment, "you know some might say this is a pretty place youve chosen to meet. A few might even describe it as romantic. I'm sure that wasnt your intent though. You have a boyfriend or something. So what made you choose this place? I wouldve met you almost anywhere."

"I see you brought the ship i used to be looking for. It's rather impressive. Anyways, I suppose we should get down to business," Eskk pulled two syringes out of a pocket in his robes. "I just need you to bleed a little and the lightsaber is all yours."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori wanted to roll her eyes as Eskk Jannik poked fun at her and tried to assume that she had a crush on him. It was all to rub her the wrong way, she was sure of it.

"Romantic? You'd of met me anywhere? Sounds like you're the one with the crush...." There was no way that she was going to explain the reasons for her choice in the destination. The less that he knew, the better.

Her gaze then fell to the needles that he held in his palm, which made her very uncomfortable. "You want my blood? Why?...What are you up to?"

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Yes, let me just reveal my entire plan to you right now," Eskk said sarcastically. "Does it really matter what I'm up to? You want the lightsaber and two vials of blood is a small price to pay. After a day or two you wont even remember you paid it."

"I'm not just offering your lightsaber," Eskk said, "I'm offering you an out. With your blood, there will be no reason for me to see you again. No reason to pursue you. This is how you get rid of me. One way at least."

"The other way is harder," Eskk said. "So come on. Its just a little blood. You'll make more. It'll all be worth it in the end." Eskk held out the syringes towards Loreena. "Its a good deal and an easy choice."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori doubted very much that she would forget giving Eskk Jannik her blood after a day or two. She was quite certain that she'd find out what he had done with it and wouldn't be happy with the results.

"So giving you my blood will stop you from pursuing me further. So let me guess....you can't have the real me, which has you so distraught, so you're going to use the blood to make a clone to have as your very own?" Lori was partly joking and partly not. She slowly reached out and took the syringes from his hand. "Where's my lightsaber? I need to see it and examine it first."

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Something like that," Eskk replied. "Truth is I need your help, but not your help because you are too weak and wont accept my mentoring. So the only solution is to create a better you." That was the plan in a nutshell. Eskk wanted his own personal Loreena, but he didn't need even a full vial of blood to accomplish that. The second vial would be for research purposes.

Eskk took the lightsaber off of his belt. He let Loreena see him open it and remove the crystal that allowed it to function. "You get the crystal when I get the blood." Eskk then reached up towards his ear and pressed a button, "carrier crew standby for targetting and fire orders."

He let go of the button. "If you try to take it and run you'll regret it." Eskk handed the useless lightsaber hilt to Loreena. Nothing had been done to it. It was the same lightsaber hilt that Eskk had stolen from Loreena all that time ago.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Mentoring? You just want someone to blindly follow you and have to create your own person to do that. But you'll regret it..." If any clone of her even resembled her personality in the slightest, they'd be as stubborn as all heck and a prankster. Not to mention that Lori might have to kill her some day.

Her eyes drew skyward as Eskk Jannik contacted another ship. Obviously one that had initially arrived in. Great. Now she felt almost cornered.

Almost.

Shifting her jetpack on her shoulder, Lori took hold of her lightsaber. She could have just up and left right there. She could have just walked away. She was on Dahgee, afterall, and could just find another crystal to use. Eskk had corrupted hers...

But it called to her. The stupid crystal called to her like some hostage begging for freedom. She felt the pull of it and for the moment, she couldn't take her eyes off it.

"I'm...going to need my copilot to operate the syringes. I don't like needles..." She could end up breaking one inside of her skin if she wasn't able to keep her hands steady. And that would be awful.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

"Thats fine with me," Eskk replied, "but it will be done out here in the open where I can see it. No tricks will be attempted. Besides, I'm always looking forward to meeting new people."

Eskk had caught her glance at the crystal. He didnt attempt to conceal it. She clearly wanted it. So Eskk began to move it through his fingers like a coin.

Eskk wondered who Loreena's co-pilot was. He supposed he would find out soon enough. "Well," Eskk said. "Go on, call your co-pilot out."

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

The ramp was already lowered, so Lori merely had to call up into it. "Arla! You can come down!"

A few seconds later, her copilot emerged, not looking at Lori at all, but at Eskk Jannik with her left hand resting on the butt of her blaster as it hung from the belt on her hip. For all accounts and purposes, Arla looked human. But she was much more than that. "Captain?"

Lori sighed a little. "No arguments, but I need you to get some blood samples from me for...this man here."

"Captain, I don't think tha--"

"I said no arguments."Lori cut her off and held out the syringes. "I'd do it myself, but I can't. You know me and needles. So get it over with....Please."

With an audible huff, Arla snatch the syringes out of Lori's hand. Her eyes never left Eskk as she proceeded with getting both vials filled with blood. Once she was finished, she gave the vials back to Lori before standing back and folding her arms over her chest as she continued to stare down Eskk.

Lori stared at the two glass cylinders of her blood for a few moments, knowing that there was going to be a twin of herself running around the Galaxy soon. But at least it would be something that she could take care of herself if need be.

She clipped her lightsaber hilt to her belt and then held out both of her hands towards the man; one with the syringes and vials, and the other empty for her crystal. "Now we trade."

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk grabbed the vials at the same time that he put the crystal into Loreena's other hand. Once he had the vials of blood he deposited them into one of his robe pockets.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you," Eskk told Loreena. Eskk then turned away from the two women and began walking back towards his ship.

He reached up and pressed the button in his ear again. "I'm on my way back to the ship," he said into his communicator. "Watch them, if they try anything release the entire swarm and open fire."

Eskk also had his attention on the two. Even though he faced away from them, he was sensing them with the force. Eskk didnt trust Loreena anymore than she probably trusted him.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's fingers curled around her crystal as soon as it was in her grasp. She brought her fist to her chest and held it there as she watched Eskk Jannik walk away. "I know what you're going to say, Arla, but just don't...I already know that I'll regret it."

"A clone, Lori. A clone! You know that you'll have to tell Caedyn, right? He'll find out eventually, otherwise."

"I know, Arla. I know! I'll just...do it later. I still have some time."

Arla let out a huff before turning and heading back up into the ship, while Lori resigned herself to the fact that she made a deal with the devil, so to speak. The results of which would be made kniwn soon enough.

At least she got her lightsaber back. Now she just had to work to purify it again. Not that she knew how, but that was what the holonet was for. At least she was on Dahgee, so that if a new crystal was needed, she could find one. Maybe getting a spare wasn't a bad idea either.

 

[Eskk Jannik]

Eskk climbed into his Interceptor and flew back up to his ship. He landed quickly. As the cockpit opened, Eskk force jumped out of the ship. He wasted no time in reaching the bridge.

"Target the area around the enemy ship and open fire with all eight quad laser cannons," Eskk ordered his command crew. He didnt necessarily wanna kill Loreena, but she knew his plan so he had to slow her down at the very least.

As the AG-2G quad laser cannons opened fire on the position where Eskk had met with Loreena, Eskk activated the ship's intercom system. "Now hear this," he commanded. "All bomber pilots to their ships immediately. Your target is the ship parked below. Reduce it to rubble."

Shortly six squadrons worth of Tau Devastators, a total of 48 ships would fly out of Eskk's surprise Series Q carrier. Each one carried four proton bombs which they would drop on and around Loreena's ship until the ship was destroyed and the surrounding area became scorched Earth.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Once Eskk Jannik was gone, Lori turned back to her ship, stepping up the ramp. She hit the button to raise the ramp and a mere second later, alarm bells started sounding off. "Captain! Get up here!"

The sounds of the engines firing up were heard. Lori's heart started pounding in her chest. She pocketed her crystal and ran towards the cockpit ladder and climbed up it. "What's happening?!"

"Incoming enemy fire! And vessels! Chit! Get buckled in!"

Lori barely had time to get in and buckle up her straps before Arla lifted the Sparrow off the ground. She didn't fly it up very high though, and instead took evasive maneuvers around the laser cannon fire. The Jaster's Sparrow shook and trembled each time it struck the shockwave produced as the weapon hit the ground.

Lori let Arla's artificial speed and reflexes get them out of danger. Inside she was chiding herself for what she had done. Leave it up to her to make such a stupid mistake that she'd only be scolded for later. That is if she survived first.

Alarm bells still sounded off as Lori looked to the control panel and spotted multiple ships coming into range. "There's dozens of them! We can't fight them all off on our own!"

"I see that! Hang on!" Arla banked the Sparrow hard to the right before bringing the nose up at a 45 degree angle and pulling the lever for a short hyperspace burst to send them out of the atmosphere and out of orbit.