Wearing:
Jedi Jumpsuit (Black)
Armed With:
Nathan's Saberstaff
CQB Gun
Earlier...
Epica was the one place Nathan truly had as a Refuge.
He hadn't had much chance to visit his small safehouse camouflaged into the hills overlooking the Commune Farms. He had left his old shack after Laertia found it, hired a few nightsisters to put up some charms to hide his presence while he was on it until a more long term solution could be applied. He had simply shifted position, anticipating Laertia would assume he would abandon the planet entirely and find a more secure hiding place.
What's more secure than hiding on a planet a normal person would have fled the moment their enemy sniffed them out? The long dead Atris had a point putting a hidden enclave on a planet that had already been hit by the Sith.
All warfare is deception, after all.
Nathan concealed his presence in the Force as he approached the hatchway hidden in a rock face in the dead of night, slipping past the door and traveling down a cramped tunnel.
He stopped when he found the door slightly ajar at the other end, and immediately drew a blaster pistol when he heard pleasant music.
He waited a moment, then swung the door wide open.
Vera Mina
awaited him, wearing a silvery cocktail dress, seated with her legs crossed on a cheap leather sofa, a vodka martini in her hand (Shaken, not stirred). On Nathan's floor were a number of Mandalorian Armor and weapons, some with fresh bloodstains.
"I'm going to assume this is the equivalent of cats bringing dead birds to humans that catch their fancy." Nathan spoke in a dull, disinterested tone, going over to his fridge, grabbing the pitcher of Ice Water and pouring it into a cheap glass of transparent plastic.
"Hello, by the way." he said, taking a sip.
Vera nodded. "A pleasure, as always."
"Where'd you get that stuff?" he asked, expression ever grim.
"Enclave Mandalorians." Vera answered. "Their ship was...
hit..."
"Is this all that's left?"
"They died
messily for the most part." Vera confirmed with an ice cold smirk. "But no. This is all the stuff I found that fits you."
"This sounds an
awful lot like war crime territory, what we're discussing..." he observed, removing a wrapped loaf of very dark bread baked by locals, tore off a piece and started chewing.
"Only if you attack while still wearing the disguise..." Vera replied smoothly. "I double checked Alliance laws on Perfidy just to be certain."
"Will House Li-Ves be making use of such a thing?" Nathan asked.
"Of course." Vera answered. "Nathan, may I ask you something?"
Nathan tore off another piece of bread. "You usually do. Shoot."
"Why are you still a Padawan? With as much as you clearly know... shouldn't you try to reclaim your title as a Knight?"
"I have neither will nor energy to covet titles..." Nathan replied. "And I could never be certain I would deserve it even if I did. Not ever."
"And the fact being declared a Knight be would bring increased scrutiny..." Vera added, amused. "And we both know you don't want
that..."
Another sip of water.
"True." was all he said in reply.
"Be careful abusing the hell out of your dual citizenship status..." Vera warned. "It will only by you
so much cover for your... extracurricular activities..."
"That's why your daughter is picking up the slack. How is she doing?"
"Rapidly adjusting to waking up one of the richest women in the Galaxy."
"Don't let her get spoiled, Vera. That's the
worst thing you could do for her right now. You do
not want a sense of entitlement cropping up. Make sure she understands the value of getting her hands dirty
personally." he advised in a dull voice. Vera wasn't fooled: Nathan, for whatever reason, had an active interest in the character of Vera's newly crafted progeny,
Sera Mina
Vera's head tilted at the prospect.
"I'll keep it in mind. But seriously...you don't mind being a Padawan forever?" she asked
"I've observed their operational structure. These masters, they're
much more comfortable when they so clearly outrank another, to the point the other must automatically show deference." he answered. "Better to stay a Padawan. After all,
surely a Padawan is better kept under one's thumb than a Knight is..."
"Even when said Padawan is in the temple maybe twenty five percent of the time?" Vera's asked.
"It's not like I wouldn't obey a summons. All they have to do is pick up the com link. I'm betting they won't though." he answered, walking over from the primitive kitchen and taking a seat next to the pile of stolen Mandalorian Armor.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because who has time these days for some quiet drone not making the lives of their fellows difficult? Council Meetings are called for rule breakers, mostly. Not fringe apprentice's who aren't even citizens of the Alliance save on the most bare bones level. I'm some local Master's problem, not the Council's, and that's provided the locals remember I'm even a thing. Which they don't, half the time. And when they do, there's a million other fires around them to put out. They're spent from those long before
I am a consideration." he answered.
"That won't last. It
can't last." Vera warned.
Nathan scoffed at this as he sipped more water.
"Of course not. But by the point they finally have time to get around to me...well...it won't matter. Not to me..." he replied. "Because I will have either gotten what I wanted...or I will be dead. Again. They can do whatever the hell they want at that point."
"What will you do if you succeed? At killing the Cult?"
Nathan swirled his water in his glass idly.
"Dunno...retire, I guess. I'm not sure anymore."
"Either way..." he added, and he sincerely believed what he said next was the truth; "I'm no threat to the Jedi Order."
(Cutaway of J Jonah Jameson laughing uncontrollably)
Nathan reached over, picked up a bloody Mandalorian helmet.
"Now, the Order's
enemies..." he trailed, staring at his reflection in the helmet's black visor.
"That is another story
entirely..."
Present...
They had gotten to Ryloth before the others had, but hadn't told the locals. Or their allies.
The invasion had been going on for a while now. Alliance was dug in good, but the whole city was burning.
The pattern worked like this:
Nathan, with a group of Psy-Pires and Soldier Biots, were disguised as members of a clan of Enclave allied Mandalorians, Clan Taras. Whatever atrocity (And he
knew she must have done something truly
evil to obtain so much Mandalorian equipment) Vera had committed to get the armor, she had apparently done it in such a way that other Mandalorians were not aware anyone from the clan had been harmed.
He spoke Mandalorian
expertly, having spent months in a Mandalorian-run prison camp during the Plague, getting
fully acquainted with Mandalorian cruelty and sadism. Learning the language had been essential to escaping and killing them all. He'd even learned to perfectly mimic that Concord Dawn accent.
He could never look at a Mandalorian as an ally in truth. That was what made it so easy to do what he was doing.
Nathan had spent a few hours coaching them on how to walk, how to hold themselves while wearing the armor and speaking the language. He still did most of the talking.
The twenty strong group headed to where the concentration of Mandalorians were thickest. Along the way, he would run into other Mandalorian squads, and deliberately misinform them about where Twi'lek Rebels and Alliance soldiers had been spotted. The ones who went to check the spots pointed out where promptly ambushed and slaughtered by Clan Li-Ves Snipers
They couldn't
personally attack while wearing the armor of course. That would have constituted a War Crime. Violence could only occur
after the disguise had been removed.
Nathan and his squad came up on another squad of Mandalorians, these ones had been dragging fleeing civilians to a wall to be executed. They were killing all men of fighting age who couldn't or wouldn't fight back and in all likelihood, were about to take the children and the women and separate them, if not kill them as well
(Hey! Need some help with all this
cattle?) Nathan asked in perfect Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian in charge of rounding them up looked at the newcomer.
(Clan Taras! How's that grumpy Alor of yours doing?) The actual Mandalorian spoke back in his own language.
(Still Grumpy) Nathan answered casually. (So, you need any help here?)
(What for?)
(One of the locals spit on my armor. Feel like teaching one a lesson, if you don't mind. You're not gonna miss one dying, are you?) Nathan asked.
(Nah. Pick whichever you want. They're all getting executed for resisting us anyway.)
(Not even taking the children?) Nathan asked.
The Mandalorian snorted at the Twi-Leks lined on the wall.
(They were using the children to sneak grenades under our vehicles.)
(
Very enterprising.) Nathan replied in an unusually silken manner that made the real Mandalorian do a head tilt.
The tone in which the response had been delivered...sounded...
off...at least, to a Mandalorian. Like the other speaker was aware of a Joke he wasn't telling anyone else.
It wasn't pleasant to hear, to say the least.
(Whatever. You gonna pick one, or just ask questions?) The actual Mandalorian grumbled as the rest of his squad lined up the dozens they had captured.
(Let me see, mate.) Nathan answered back with an enthusiasm quite unnatural from him.
He approached one of the scared Twi-Leks, grabbed her by the arm and forced her to her knees, drawing his shotgun.
(A shotgun? Isn't that a bit messy for all this?) The actual Mandalorian grumbled.
(What's a matter...not fond of
confetti?) Nathan asked in a nasty tone that sent the real Mandalorians present on edge.
(Not
this close.) The Mandalorian complained.
(I guess you're right. Nothing to soak up the brains, after all.) Nathan replied ruefully. (Not like all this heavy armor...)
The armor Nathan was wearing collapsed in on itself, startling the real Mandalorians present as Nathan reappeared in his NJO Jumpsuit, black as pitch the shot gun aimed at the least protected section of armor in the back, and fired 12 Guage explosive shot shell at him.
The Mandalorian was blasted forward, his back a crater of a wound that was on
fire. Before the other Mandalorians could raise their weapons to try and survive Nathan's treachery, the armor the Psy-Pires and Soldier Biots had disguised themselves with was teleported off of them, revealing the golden catsuits of some of the Biots and the Ninja gear of actual Clan Li-Ves members.
The teleported armor fell on the Mandalorians from above as a distraction, throwing off their aim as the warriors of Clan Li-Ves gunned down the
entire squad.
Nathan quickly went over to check the Twi-Leks, screaming in terror from his surprise.
Nathan reached into his jumpsuit, pulling out his double bladed lightsaber, showing them a blue blade snake out of one end of the hilt. The whole group instantly calmed down.
Nathan hid the saber back in his jumpsuit. He stared at a nearby assault shuttle the enemy had brought.
Nathan freed all of them from their bonds and one of them spit on the Mandalorians.
"Filth! I hope they
kill you all!" she shouted, kicking Mando corpses. Then she turned to Nathan.
"Thank you, Master Jedi. Your cunning has saved us!"
"Don't thank me yet. You're still in a warzone." Nathan replied coldly. He gestured to the Shuttle.
"Come with me if you want to live." Nathan ordered. (Whaddya
mean why, 'cuz you
can't!: 90 XP)
The Lady shook her head. "This is
our world Jedi. Not theirs.
Nathan rolled his eyes.
"Fine but the children with you are
leaving." he grumbled. "Grab the Mandalorian's weapons, all of you who still want to fight!
Hide them!"
The captured victims did so. While they did as he asked, Nathan had the others were putting their disguises back on.
There were remarkably few who had had enough. Nathan was impressed, and directed two newly re disguised Biots to lead the children and the ones who had lost the will to fight to safety. Everyone else was placed in quickly sabotaged restraints and marched by Nathan and the Clan Li-Ves warriors to ambush more Mandalorians...
Tags: VERY OPEN