Wasted Potential

[Akhilleus]

There was nothing left to live for. Everything Akhilleus cared about was gone, his chance at vengeance, gone. His doting brother, gone. His company, in ruins. There was literally nothing left for him besides the bottle in his hand. Sitting at his desk Akhilleus buried his face into his hands just wanting it all to be over. For him to be able to vanish from the galaxy and to never have to look at it again. Reaching out with a scrawny hand he fumbled around for one of the many bottles that sat on the desk. Finding purchase on one of the smooth exteriors Akhilleus raised the bottle to his lips for nothing to come out. “ARHHH!” He screamed out waving his left hand that summoned a wave of pure telekinetic force that sent the desk flying across the room and into the wall splintering on impact and nearly punching through it.

Flopping back into the seat and examining the bottle Akhilleus saw his reflection, his hair had gone completely gray, his face covered in stubble from days of not shaving, his eyes had heavy bags under them and he look like he’d aged twenty years. “Is this what you wanted?” Akhilleus asked the air around him. “Is this what the force had planned for me?! IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?!” Akhilleus screamed to the ceiling finally wishing that it would all end. That he’d been nothing but a pawn in some far greater game of life, that the force simply used him as a puppet. Why couldn’t he be like Nikias? Why couldn’t he have the friends his brother had? Where were they when he needed them? Out in the galaxy living their lives.

Reaching a hand up to rub at his temple Akhilleus tried to silence the migraine that was working its way through his head. He’d just received news that once again the Board of executives were looking to oust him from control of baktoid. This would be their third attempt, and this time Akhilleus was sure they’d succeed. He could continue to draw on the wealth of Makrosia, but he didn’t wish to. There was no point if he didn’t plan to lead the company. Akhilleus knew he had made many enemies in his time, and that soon the day would come where he’d have to pay. The sad part was he actually looked forward to it. Behind him he heard the pitter patter of rain as it struck the glass, spinning around with the empty bottle still in hand Akhilleus looked out on the city of Skako wondering what he had become.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Zaz stood silently, perched atop on of Skako's more petite building, his foot propped on the edge of the building. As he rested his arm on top of his knee he activated the long range scanner integrated into his HUD. A rapid blink of his eyes enlarged the visual before him. A grizzled man, apparently down on his luck by the look of things, making his way into the belly of Skako.

There was a sour taste in Zaz's mouth, born from the latest contract that he had taken. For years he had preached that the Mandalorians were more than hired thugs, purchasable to the highest bidder. Where was the soldier now? Scrounging credits from any decent contract he could find, as if he was some simple karking hound.

Regardless of his personal code the young Mandalorian knew he needed credits if he was going to survive in the galaxy, and there was only one thing he did well. Kill.

His mission today was a simple one, at least that was what he thought when he read the briefing. A rather large corporation, Baktoid Industries, was paying him a great deal of credits to end the life of their own CEO. Normally such a political thing was beneath Zaz, however the board of directors also promised him shares of the company and all of the droids, weapons, and armor he could ever need. This was something he could not ignore.

"Scanner-off." He mumbled into the mic of his helmet, forcing the zoomed in visual of his target to return to a regular view.

He moved back from the ledge, glancing down at the sniper rifle he had perched alongside him. His eyes fell on the weapon for a hesitant moment before finally he spoke up. "Forget it. If I kill him I'll at least do it like a man." He said, before glancing back to the building's around him. A neaby fir escape provided the perfect route for him to make his way down to the street, with haste he found the ladder in his hands.

"Let's get this over with." He commented, as he descended down onto the streets.

[member="Akhilleus"]

 

[Akhilleus]

Eyes closing slightly Akhilleus rested his hands in his lap simply looking out at the night lights of Skako. When he’d first arrived on the planet taking over the spare Baktoid factory he’d been so full of life, hope, ambitions. He had grand plans for the company but all that was gone. First, he was ousted from the Silver Sanctum, now the Silver Jedi due to his differences in the force. Then he’d been left alone with nowhere to call home but his planet. Akhilleus could return to it, but why would he? He’d failed in doing the one thing he’d promised he would. Someone else had gotten to the Sith first. Sighing Akhilleus found a few tears streaming down his cheeks. “Is it almost over?” He asked the air once again, he’d felt a strange tingling at the back of his neck and quickly dismissed it. Akhilleus’ danger sense was incredibly spotty, even more so when he was as drunk as he currently was.

Looking to the holo-display Akhilleus was shocked to see it was almost midnight, he hadn’t slept a wink in two days and was quite frankly exhausted but couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes. Every time he did he had nightmares, blood, destruction, planets burning. Were these perhaps visions of a future? If so Akhilleus wanted no part of it. Standing the young man stretched his bones and joints popping. The sudden release of tension limbered Akhilleus up just for him to go and flop on the sofa before the holo-display. “Activate” Akhilleus groaned a hand over his eyes as he looked at an older holodrama. ‘From Corellia with love’ One of his favorites.

A hand reaching up Akhilleus focused and from across the room the minifridge in the corner opened and from inside floated a cold bottle of corellian ale that landed in his palm. Looking at the year Akhilleus smiled. “Aw the good stuff.”

[member="Zaz Tal'Verda"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Crossing the street, Zaz glanced up at the room where his target had been staying. The Mandalorian had watched the man for the past few days, taking notes on habits, routine, and mannerisms as much as possible. The man had not slept for at least two days and that was only an advantage for the young mercenary. Tapping on the pad installed into his gauntlet he felt a slight pull from his jetpack before the systems game to life and propelled him up to the next floor. "Prime armament seven..." He muttered, a soft click erupting from his wrist.

His HUD immediately scanned over the room, outlining the one life form in a thin white line. Zaz brought his wrist up, aimed for the middle of the suite.

"Fire."

Zaz's wrist mounted rocket launcher gave a soft, low whine, before the petite projectile shot into the suite. The rocket was not aimed necessarily to kill, just to provide the shock factor and destruction needed to catch the man off balance. As the explosion erupted in the middle of the suite Zaz drew his sidearm, preparing for anything that could possibly emerge from the wreckage.

[member="Akhilleus"]

 

[Akhilleus]

Akhilleus had finally begun dozing off as he let the holodrama play. He’d watched it so many times he could sleep and dream about the holodrama. The bottle of Corellian ale was held loosely in his hand tilted as the Makrosian emitted a loud audible snore and was jerked awake by a sound he knew, one of a jetpack. Those things were the furthest thing from silent and from how close it sounded. Akhilleus glanced up to see a figure in all too familiar armor, the T-shaped visor stared at Akhilleus from the other side of the window and he scowled. He saw the man’s wrist raised and from it came a small missle. If Akhilleus hadn’t been sleep deprived and on his A game he would’ve crushed the missle mid-air.

Raising his left hand Akhilleus called upon the force, he felt it surging through his body, and he let it lose forming a packed bubble of pure energy around himself. The missle impacted the bubble with a solid explosion that threw dust, smoke and all other sorts of debris in the air. The end of the sofa nearest the explosion was blown apart the cotton burning causing the room to smell like someone who didn’t know their way around a kitchen. Scowling Akhilleus stared into the smoke completely nettled. Not at the fact that some punk had deemed themselves worthy of attacking him, not for the sofa that had cost more than a speeder, not even about the fact that he’d been betrayed. No he was pissed over the bottle of Corellian ale that was now spilling on the carpet.

Roaring Akhilleus raised his right hand squeezing it into a solid fist. The sofa, or at least what remained of it responded, bending to his will as it broke apart into three pieces and flung through the smoke at a speed rivaling the missle the bounty hunter had fired.

[member="Zaz Tal'Verda"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

​"Projectile in-" Zaz's HUD attempted to alert him of the incoming pieces of furniture, however they flew too fast for it to be of any true use. He attempted to tilt himself back, shooting away from the apartment. Though he narrowly dodged the first and second of the flying sofa pieces the third impacted the side of his foot, throwing off his flight path.

A karking Force user?! Think this is something they'd want to tell me?! He mused.

Easily corrected, he returned to a steady hover, several yards away from the flaming suite he had just assaulted. "You've been fired, I'm here with your pink slip." He remarked, aiming his blaster pistol at the suite. His blaster bolts exploded from his weapon, racing towards the suite. However, it appeared as if the blaster bolts were deliberately missing the man. Rather than aiming to kill he was merely setting out an array of suppression fire, to minimalize the man's movements.

"Prime armament four." He commanded into his HUD's computer. The computer caused the gauntlet on Zaz's left hand to give a low whine before he held it up towards the suite. "Fire." He ordered, ceasing his assault with his blaster pistol in place of something a bit better. This time a rapid slew of projectiles began to race from his slugthrower mount. "Come on!!!" Zaz yelled, actually feeling a bit better about this contract.

[member="Akhilleus"]

 

[Akhilleus]

“Its about time those stinking Neimodians and Geonosians grew a pair. They finally send someone after me and its some no name bounty hunter! Who do they think I am?!” Akhilleus shouted finding his ego slightly wounded that there weren’t more hunters that he couldn’t go out in a blaze of glory and that they thought he so insignificant that one person could take him out. Growling as the blasterbolts began to strike around him Akhilleus’ eyes darted to his set of Beskar armor on its rack. It wasn’t a viable option, it would take far too long to dawn the armor. Instead his eyes went to the desk he’d flung into the wall earlier. Reaching out with his will Akhilleus seized it bringing the solid Corsian wood. As such what blasterbolts would’ve struck him hit the desk, and when the bounty hunter opened up with the slugthrower the rounds chewed into it, some piercing the desk. Wincing Akhilleus felt a sharp pain in his left arm followed by the sensation of a warm liquid flowing down the limb. He’d been hit. The slugthrower round had been slowed by the desk and hadn’t been able to penetrate his arm but had embedded itself in his left bicep.

Letting the desk drop Akhilleus reached out to seize the bounty hunter in an invisible fist, not his entire body, but just his leg. The thing about a jetpack is that it pushed someone in the opposite direction. So, with a tug in the force Akhilleus would attempt the pull the mercenary into the apartment and fling him into the far wall, so that if the jetpack tried to counteract it he’d most likely lose his leg. “How much are they paying? 20 thousand credits? Fifty? Is it worth your life?!”

[member="Zaz Tal'Verda"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Zaz continued to fire from his wrist mounted slugthrower, watching as the man willed a desk in front of him, protecting him from the projectiles.

Creative karker, I'll give him that. He thought, the loud thumping erupting from his gauntlet falling to a low whistle as the final ration of rounds was expended. Glancing down at the weapon he could not help but suck his teeth.

I knew I should have installed another set, one hundred rounds isn't enough. He mused, however before he could advance his assault he felt the unfamiliar hand of the force, wrapping around his leg. Immediately the pressure in his groin began to build as he felt it slowly being pulled from it's socket. His hand went to the emergency off switch for his jetpack, tapping the button with no hesitation. Freeing himself from the unwelcome tension he also freed himself to be left to the whims of the Force-user's abilities.

His body was forced into the apartment, flung into a wall adjacent from his target. His HUD gave a loud whir as it struggled to keep up with the discombobulated movement his body was forced into. The padding inside of his armor saved him from a concussion when his shoulder and head impacted the wall, yet it only made the Mandalorian more excited for the fight. Crumpling to the ground he cursed to himself before rolling over, bracing his back against the wall.

"Oh shut up." He retorted, aiming his palms at the man, a smile on his face underneath his hood. "Armament two, armament four, activate."

Underneath Zaz's left palm a small tube extended from his gauntlet, letting out a steady hiss for a half a second before a soft click erupted from the tube. The tube let out a healthy flame that roared towards the force-user with deadly intent. Zaz swept the flames over the apartment, hoping to add to the destruction and death-loving zone he had created.

While his right palm erupted hellish flames through out the suite his left fell towards his side, letting out a toxic gas, a nerve neutralizer that would begin to slowly seep into the room.

[member="Akhilleus"]

 

[Akhilleus]

Standing over and staring down at the mercenary, Akhilleus smiled as though he’d won. What he hadn’t expected was the resistance and stubbornness of the mercenary. All Mandalorians, them and their pride will be their downfall! Akhilleus thought as he saw the man raise his arms. Perhaps if he’d gotten more sleep or hadn’t been drinking Akhilleus would’ve been more prepared for the maneuver. He’d forgotten the most important thing about Mandalorians. They came prepared for every occasion. The sheer amount of weapons in their armor made them walking armories. That and their will to never give up made them some of the most lethal combatants in the galaxy… True warriors, Akhilleus respected them in that sense.

Raising his right arm Akhilleus roared as a barrier crafted from his sheer will encased his body. Even through it he still felt the heat as the flames from the mercenary bathed him. The flames wished to claim his body but Akhilleus had no plans of giving up even as all his hard work, or what bit he put into it went up on flames. Eyes narrowing Akhilleus released a roar his hand waving as he’d seize the bounty hunter in yet another grip, this time Akhilleus wasn’t playing nice. He wanted the man to know pain, to know what it was like to feel defeat. Akhilleus would fling him first into the ceiling, and then into the far wall, not only into it but through it. Propelling the man around the room as though he were a missle Akhilleus would drag him all throughout the room, slamming his armored body through furniture and ending with slamming him straight through the desk.

Feeling himself become lightheaded Akhilleus collapsed onto the couch feeling his body unable to move. “Aw… A nerve toxin. You’re good.” He chuckled unable to move as his body rested on the couch. “You know I’ll never give up, I won’t give the company back to those grubs so they can do as they please, not after this.”

Stopping Akhilleus looked at the ceiling feeling as though he was experiencing the best high of his life as he could no longer feel his body. “What is your name?”

[member="Zaz Tal'Verda"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

The flames continued to fly from Zaz's flamethrower until he saw an indication light come over his HUD. The room was filling with the toxin, the flames chewing through the oxygen made it all too easy. As he brought the flames to a halt he noticed that the man was relatively unscathed from the assault, even Zaz who was behind the flames could feel sweat pooling in the back of his neck from the sheer heat.

"You have to be kidding me." He muttered into his mic.

Stepping forward, he drew his blaster pistol, aiming it at the man. "You're a tough cuss, that's for su-." Before his words could be completed he felt his feet fall from underneath him, forcing him to the ground as the unseen hand of the force wrapped around him once more.

As his body flew towards the ceiling he dropped his blaster, yelling as he felt his Beskar'gam come into contact with the ceiling, leaving a sizable dent. "You karking....takisit!" Once again he was willed down into the ground, causing him to let out a slow groan. "Damn it....." He rolled over to reach for his blaster, only to feel as if he was being dragged away from the hope of putting a round through the man's eyes. "Agghhh!" He cried out as he was slammed into the far wall, mirroring the two other impacts he had already.

The ritual continued until finally Zaz was slammed into the side of the very desk that had protected the man during his assault. A long, drawn out, groan erupted from him before, after a considerable pause, he arose from the desk. His HUD had hazed over, forcing him to slap the side of his buy'ce to return it to normal.

Stretching out he heard the man speak to him and he had only one response. "Oh go kark yourself...." Pressing his palms into his back he pushed on his spine, giving it a bit of relief before turning back to his target. He approached him slowly, taking a moment to take his blaster back into his hand.

"Thing is...you're not gonna live to have a say in it. I get a share of that company and access to the arsenal after you're dead. And I'm going to use it to bring the Mandalorians back to glory." He walked over to the man and glared down at him, still angered from the onslaught that just occurred. "I'd say this isn't personal...but I'd be lying." He aimed his blaster pistol for the side of the Force-user's knee, pulling the trigger and sending a bolt straight for the joint.

The crippling was not meant to hurt the man, who probably couldn't feel it, mainly meant to make Zaz feel a bit better.

"My name is Zaz, of Clan Tal'verda." He brought his pistol up an aimed it at his head. "Now this....isn't personal, just business." His finger tightened around the trigger as he prepared to send the son of a hutt to the nether that was the force.

[member="Akhilleus"]

 

[Akhilleus]

“Aw a Mandalorian… How refreshing to hear. I hope you’re not one of those who’s forgotten his warrior ways and spends all his time fighting for others, like a majority of them I’ve run into.” Glancing down at his knee as a hole was blown into it Akhilleus simply groaned. “Was that really necessary? Did that make you feel better? Is that the equivalent of me throwing you around this room?” It was obvious Akhilleus was egging the man on, simply talking, not to by time but out of acceptance. Akhilleus had been waiting for this, he’d met his match and was prepared to accept his fate but not before giving one more middle finger to the galaxy and those that betrayed him.

“You said they’ll give you shares… I’ll give you the entire company, go grab the datapad from what remains in thedesk and bring it here. The Nether will freeze over before I let them have everything back. Not only that, look for the pouch of gems in the middle drawer if it still exists. Take it as payment, and I want you to kill every one of those bastards that hired you to kill me.”

“So Zaz, of Clan Tal’verda what do you say? Those gems are worth a fortune, the company another fortune and you still get to collect on the credits that they paid for my demise. You just have to let me sign the company over to your name and you’ll never have to work for such grimy sons of karks again unless you truly wish to.” Akhilleus may have seemed insane for handing over so much stuff to the man that had been hired to take his life but in truth he had no one else to give it to. Not anyone that could truly benefit from it.

[member="Zaz Tal'Verda"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Zaz listened to the man's words, part of him not believing him while the other part was too focused on the reward that could be gained from such an event. "Wait....So you'll give me Baktoid...all of it?" On the mention of the gems Zaz made his way over the the remnants of the desk, frowning at the structure that had caused him so much grief in such a short amount of time.

The middle drawer had been crushed in between the bent frame of the desk. Zaz stepped back, bringing his blaster pistol up to the edge of the drawer. A loud blast occurred as he shot off the siding to the drawer. In only moments the Mandalorian found the bag the man spoke of, filled with the gems he promised. Tossing the gems around in his hand he arched a brow at the man. "Why help me? Do you have that much hate for them?"

Taking the datapad and bag of gems back to the man he could not help but realize that there was little chance of this being a trick. The man seemed to be on his last legs and just looking to give the galaxy one last karking.....Zaz could respect that.

"So...I leave....kill the people who hired me and you give me the gems and baktoid?" Underneath his buy'ce he could not help but smile, tucking the gems away in a pouch on his utility belt. "You have a contract."

He leaned forward, pulling a small syringe from a similar pouch to the one he stuffed the gems in. "This will give you limited mobility, just in case you want to try something. You're full motor skills will return in a few hours." Injecting him with part of the antidote he tossed the syringe to the side before handing the man the pad. "No funny business." He reinforced.

[member="Akhilleus"]

 

[Raejar]

Dun goofed

 

[Akhilleus]

“It’s not that I have that much hate for them… Well in truth I do. But the other part is that you are a warrior much like me. My people are warriors, so are yours, yours follow the path of ruin. They fight others battles instead of focusing on themselves. That needs to change. Plus, I despise the Sith so there’s another reason why I’m giving this company to you. Use it and never… I mean never bend the knee to a Sith or else I’ll crawl out of the Nether and make you regret ever doing it.”

Continuing to lay on the couch Akhilleus missed his sofa. It had been the far more comfortable piece of furniture, and now it was out there probably embedded into the wall of a building or in the streets below. Watching as Zaz plunged the syringe into him Akhilleus felt the fog around his mind clearing and enough feeling returning to his body that he could move his hands. “Don’t worry, if I had truly wanted to kill you I would’ve. I once ripped a starfighter asunder, tearing apart a humanoid is far easier. I just wanted things to be fun.” From the tone in his voice it was apparent that Akhilleus was not bluffing in this. He had quite literally done both before. “Next time you fight a force user do remember to bring a Ysalamir, yea?”

Taking the datapad and tapping a few times on the screen Akhilleus signed over his shares in the company and his wealth to Zaz. “One more thing, there’s my armor, and all my tools. They’ve been wasted on me. Give them to someone fitting of living up to the fight I gave you, not only that but surpassing me.” Handing the datapad to the bounty hunter Akhilleus smiled. Grabbing the man’s arm which held the blaster in a warriors handshake Akhilleus would raise it to his head looking Zaz in the eyes. “Now be sure that you don’t miss.”

[member="Zaz Tal'Verda"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

The man before Zaz was a curious one to say the least. If nothing else he had earned the Mandalorians respect, as well as his gratitude. His advice on the Ysalamir was received and the helmeted man responded with a curt nod. The man handed the datapad to Zaz, whom glanced it over, verifying the authenticity of the information that was input.

Zaz felt the man grip his arm and his finger tightened around the trigger of his blaster. He turned to face the man, whom had a smile on his face. It was almost a beautifully sad sight to the man, to see a man die on his own terms. A smile crept over Zaz's face, not from a sick enjoyment of taking life, but from a vicarious sensation he got from the force user. "When the Mandalorians Crusade once more and they sing songs of our glory, they will sing songs of you as well. And of how no man could tame you, not even death."

Squeezing back on the trigger Zaz watched as the blaster round rocketed for the man's skull, destroying what remained of the force user's life. As his body went limp Zaz stared at it for a moment, in an almost stoic manner. "In another life I think we could have been friends, maybe even brothers." He said, before holstering his blaster and turning to face the armor and equipment the man had entrusted him with.

He activated the commlink in his helmet, connecting him to PROXY, the droid unit who watched his ship and occasionally helped him with his missions. "PROXY...bring the ship to my coordinates, we have some things to load up." He glanced down at the datapad below him, another smile coming over his face. "And track down our employers for this mission. I have a new contract." Zaz made his way over to the broken window, glancing at the desk that stood in the corner of the room, he stared at it solemnly before grabbing a thermal detonator from his belt. "I hate that desk."

[member="Akhilleus"]