Yeah, yeah, got it.

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatooine Air Space.

The metal was still cold, even despite the blistering heat of the planet's sandy surface. Durasteel surfaces and glowing terminals lit up the cockpit before her, a familiar series of controls and switches. The slight humming of her starfighter messaged her with gentle vibrations; vibrations she always failed to notice while in deep space. "Trust me, you don't nee--" but she was interrupted once more by an ear-full of sloppy basic, thrown at her by one of the two rodians which stood as projected by the full body holograms. Their images were, of course, smaller than in life, standing at about five inches each and waving their arms about amidst the blue light. Last scraps of information and aid before she went on world. When she had taken the job, and met her employers face to face, each had exchanged a look to one another. Their lack of confidence in the small girl had been more than obvious when their first credit offers had been spoken. Ridiculously low, though, with the proper persuasion she had almost doubled her profit. "Yessir," she spoke back at the chattered alien. And with that, the hologram flickered out of contact, and faded back into nothingness atop the metal projectors.

Before long, she was met with yet another voice. The invasive, and somehow machine sounding vocals of the local spaceport employees requesting her landing permissions. She gave her information without much issue, and before long she had pulled the Geisha into a large and open building area without a roof so as to allow incoming ships to rest. The ship folded into its landing formation before the cockpit squeezed open with a pressurized 'ssssssss.' Where most would wear a pilot's uniform while aboard the Geonosian styled starfighter, Xenia chose a much more flashy outfit. Scarves and an assortment of other eye catching clothing covered her, as if fashioned for a stylistic Tatooine visit, weapons and equipment unhidden. "Ahhhh... Tatooine..."

She never missed this place.

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Mos Eisley.

It was horrid here. A series of disgruntled faces managed to emit themselves as she passed the less hygienic of the Tatooine residents. The dry air seemed to merely caress and keep the smells locked away right below the nostrils, and beyond that, the heat only weakened her natural resistance to the stenches. Trash and unwashed bodies, a fully clad wave of unpleasant body odors. Her eyes weren't yet peeled for her target as she knew the chances of a random encounter in the streets was near impossible. Beyond that, such an encounter would be a wasted one, as she'd have no resource for a killing in the public areas. No, she'd have to be more thorough. Her eyes met those which passed along her curves with an aggressive threat of a glare, sending those who noticed staggering back into place within their previous direction. "Alright Kailllllll, where're you gunna beeeee," she sang to herself, under her breath as if it were a musical lyric.

She had been given the location of his residence, as well as a list of places he'd likely show up, though nothing else had proven extremely useful. Old records, and of course everything she could find, though nothing had been all that impressive about the target in question, at least by her standards. That was to say, while the price over his head was a rather large one, it wasn't a case likely to strike fear into her heart at any point. An accomplished assassin who had roused the anger of a select few on Rodia with the murder of their previous senator. Sounded pretty normal, though she had figured quickly that her employers knew not as much as they had originally claimed, mostly providing guesses and conjectures instead of facts. It seemed like hours passed before she made it into the thinned out parts of Tatooine's streets, the day fading, and the civilians leaving with the light. Night here was hardly hospitable, she understood. Even so, after the flight she had wanted a stiff drink, and she knew the perfect place for one. Chalmun's Cantina, a cantina often overshadowed by the Mos Eisley Cantina, though just as respectable in its own right. Located on the opposite end of the desolate city, Xenia pushed herself into the bar, flashed the bartender and confident nod of the head, and sat herself at the bar so that she had a full view of the entrance.

"What'll it be little lady?"
"Uhhhh, hold on... I'll haaaaave..."
"Take your time, I'll b--"
"Nahh, I'll have an Ice Blaster."

He looked surprised.
Was she serious?

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Months had passed, and the old Kail Ragnar was steadily becoming someone new. Someone calmer, more resilient.

Stronger.

Staying on Tatooine had been his salvation; traversing the dangerous Jundland Wastes, exploring the culture in cities such as Mos Eisley and Mos Espa, and generally remembering how to be a mercenary with no feeling, no attachment and no hesitation.

He had trained hard, bulking up a little with muscle and hadn’t thought twice about his injuries. The skin graft and scarring was evident on his left jaw, not allowing the stubble to grow where the metal plate had been implanted under the skin. Yes, it hurt, daily, but Kail was doing his best to function above the pain.

Talking. Breathing. Eating. It was hard, but it was a necessary thing to do in order to survive, and he was a survivor. He wasn’t going to let anyone put him down again. He was a mercenary with blood on his hands, and anyone who crossed his paths would find that out for themselves. No more wallowing or feeling sorry for himself – the last time he had felt those emotions, he had nearly been knifed in Mos Eisley and lost his life.

Stupid and carless does not a good mercenary make.

Wearing his usual brown combat boots and trousers, tan shirt that was rolled up at the sleeves and his armoured vest, Kail inhaled the night air slowly in the Mos Eisley spaceport. The stars were twinkling overhead and the faint rumble of starships came and went as dots in the sky coming in and out of the city. Whilst it wasn’t the jewel of the galaxy, Tatooine was his home and Mos Eisley was rich with life; not fake or manufactured or wealthy – just life of all shapes, sizes and dangers, and he embraced it to give himself an understanding of what was out there.

KX-60 over his back and SSX on his thigh, he walked through the dark archway of Chalmun's Cantina. While Chalmun the Wookiee was no longer around, the cantina still held that charm of a place where you could be just who you were and not get any hassle. Rodians, Bith, Toydarians, Twi’leks, Humans – any shape or size were welcome. Except droids. They still didn’t serve their kind in here. BUT you had to be tough and strong to make it through a night here, as if trouble started, you had to hold your own and keep your head down.

With faint music to his ears, rich colours and a spicy smell in the air, Kail nodded and smirked to himself as he took in the atmosphere. Now he didn’t drink like a fool to wipe out memories, he drank one or two ice cool Blue Milks on a good day (spiced alcohol on a bad), and simply watched the creatures that filled the galaxy he was making his way in.

He made his way down the stone steps and over to the bar, sidestepping a Gran who looked a little worse for wear on his feet.

”Blue milk, when you’re set.”

He wasn’t in a rush.



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Mos Eisley;
Chalmun's Cantina.

Her face made a bitter, jerky reverberation in response to the potent flavor of her drink. She had not remembered the drink to be quite as strong as this, and she slid it back onto the counter's space. The bartender had made sure to watch the female's face for signs of cowardice before such a daunting and otherwise manly drink. She winked at the older near-human, he smiled, and they both went on with their nights. It felt like it had been years since she had last been on her own, her life a monstrous split between one life and the other. Even when she was forced to take refuge on planets like this, there was something about the freedom involved which canceled the option of turning down the job. A few customers stole their glances at the young female, and some whispered about joining her at the bar, though their bets and dares ended when another man sat in their place. Just two seats down, with a solid enough clunk, sat her target. At first, she hadn't expected or believed it, and her glance was made of two short double takes. It surely wouldn't bode well to take out a picture for reference for, well, obvious reasons. She had hesitated a second too long before the liquids twisted her face once more, and she let out a miniature moan of joyful disgust.

Blast, he had only asked for blue milk.
That wasn't even alcoholic, what was he doing drinking something like that?

Sucking in a deep breath, she looked over at the man to her right and opened her mouth to say something. Nothing came out, so she smiled instead, her brain working quickly to patch something together. "What, can't handle a real drink," she offered with a generous enough tone, treading carefully between kind, confident, and barely intoxicated. A jeering chant came from behind Xenia, one of the perverse men at the table to her posterior. She made no instant response, nor did she plan on making any at all, but another taunt came. It was from a language she didn't understand, but she could put together the general message. She got it most places, and she had half expected something of the sort to happen in such a cantina. She had become a master of her body, expressing each tone as she wished, and perfecting the sing of her voice as she whispered her invitation to a conversation under the pretense of a friendly, yet mischievous grin. Even so, it was clear she was not of the rabble, without being obnoxiously forthcoming in her wealth. There was a seductive curve to her lips, wavy hair curling and dipping in and out around her shoulders and down her back. Green eyes, like curious felines, scoured the man's physical features. They always looked different in real life from their reference pictures, more than often found listed with the bounty information for hunters.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Deciding that tomorrow would bring a new day of making changes to his life on Tatooine, Kail nodded and dropped a credit on the bar as the tall clear glass of Blue Milk came his way. He watched the various dispensers and jets of steam and bubbling concoctions behind the bar as the human male went about his job in the busy cantina.

Stretching his aching back muscles from the training he’d been doing hours before, carrying rocks around the Wastes, Kail licked his lips gently as he brought the glass to his mouth – only to hear a phrase obviously directed at him by an airhead.

Stopping, he turned his head slightly to see the grinning girl making eyes at him. He quickly flicked his eyes up over her, taking in her pretty face, brown hair (at least it looked darker in the low light of the cantina) and open posture to him.

Every time someone paid interest in a nobody just minding his own business, like Kail, there was trouble just around the corner. Not always, but more often than not. His fingers tapped the glass in his hand and he took a slow, refreshing mouthful, his eyes still on the girl.

The milk was chilled, thick and hit the spot more than most alcohol would do. Kail’s head was clear and he wasn’t going to get sucked into another pretty girl giving him the eye with ulterior motives. Not today.

Turning his head from her, he let his right leg drop from the stool he was on to rest on the floor; the leg with his SSX holstered on. Still, he was relaxed and happy with his own company and simply ignored the clever remark.

You have no idea, sweetheart.

Probably out for a cheap thrill or out to see what she could fleece from someone as ordinary looking as he. Not tonight.



@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatooine.

"Ooooohhhhh, tough guy act."
There was an adorable giggle thereafter.
Adorable, but obviously rolling in confident sarcasm.

She nodded to herself, a genuine looking smile forming on her mouth as she turned to stare back into the bar's interior workings. She was sure of the image Kail was already building of her. Someone here on sleezy business, wanting to get a jerk of fun from the customers cast about the late night cantina. Or perhaps he thought her a thieving criminal of another kind, though it didn't matter. What mattered was that he was feeding her all of the information she needed to know about him. He was cold, removed, detached from what normal men would consider essential pleasures. Even despite her good looking clothing, and clean skin, he so easily cast her aside as trouble. It was something someone would do only when trouble was a constant factor of their lives. This was caution, and caution from the target was dangerous, and certainly made things a bit more difficult; difficult in that she'd have to go about less common procedures here. This bounty was not a brain-fried spacer as she'd experienced to so often be the case here on Tatooine.

"The tough guy... and his blue milk," she joked harmlessly.

A finger traced the bar's surface, not inches away from the more than half full drink she had purchased. In truth, she had no intention of drinking the massive monster herself. At least, not now. Now that the impossible had happened, and her target was delivering himself over to her without so much as suspecting it slightly. Even so, there was something sad about her job when the time came to remove someone almost capable like this. At least, he was capable of denying the man's urge to mate. The same urge which pulsated with chants and taunts from behind her, still. There was no way to claim that she wasn't charming, her faces and eyes glinting with an innocent light. It would certainly be hard to really convince oneself that the female was of bad alignment after enough studying her. Large eyes which took in the world around her like a curious fire. Eating it, and living on it, only to want more and more. Smooth skin, undamaged from her past conflicts, and a miracle at that. When she looked back at the man, studying him without being rude, that fire had already rekindled, a new curiosity burning from within her. He looked as if he had been torn down by life, biding his time with each sip of the blue milk, and thinking of every way to build himself back up.

Tap, tap, tap, her pointer finger clicked against the bar.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With each sip he could feel her eyes on him, and with his scars and skin graft visible to her being on his left, he ignored the fact she was probably gawping at him and trying to piece together what made him tick. Ignoring a woman? Drinking Blue Milk? What man could this be? Could he even BE a man?

Another sly joke came out, but it wasn’t funny or needed.

Sighing to himself and stretching his shoulder blades again under the armoured vest, Kail turned in his stool to face the attractive girl face on beyond the other patrons, too busy talking, drinking and smoking to care – why would they?

He locked eyes for a second and got up, taking his half-full glass and moving away from the bar around the U-shaped layout the a booth against the rear wall, enough space for three patrons but happily vacant for one.

He looked into the small candle encased in a strange green/yellow case on the table and was lost in the dancing flame for a moment before quickly looking up at the bar, and then back down.

Perfect bait – lock eyes and then move. Should she be desperate, or trouble, she’d follow. If she didn’t care, she wouldn’t. Kail wasn’t the most interesting or physically hardened man around Mos Eisley and knew he wasn’t of interest to anyone. A bit of muscle, licences weaponry and scars on his face – there were dozens more like him around here.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt if she paid a little interest in him. He wasn’t out for attachment but maybe she would look good on her back for a night, allowing Kail Ragnar a simple pleasure before the day came where he would cut away the strings to become stronger and the cold-hearted bastard he should have been months ago.

Eyes up, hidden under his hunched posture on the table, he swirled the glass in his hands and counted in his head.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatooine.

"nerf herder..." she said, almost to herself as if in humorous failure.

She doubted the man would have been able to hear, as she had waited until after he'd left. From the moment he made his second, lurching turn, she'd known the outcome of her efforts thus far. White teeth bit down on a full bottom lip, and she grunted with annoyance as she finally pushed away from the bar. A small credit chip fell into place, and she clearly didn't need the change. She had no more intention of being here, anything more would just go to embarrass herself. In truth, she had not expected a man of this callous a nature. Someone to so bluntly turn her down, each and every attempt, as if there was no stress there. As if it were easy. Though, even in her failure of sorts, she had gained valuable information. First, he carried his weaponry with him in plain site. It was likely that he was not hiding anything, and if he was she was already onto him. Blaster weaponry, mounted on his leg. She was willing to bet she had the quicker draw of the two. Nothing about him had expressed itself as elite and agile, especially with all of the wounds about his person.

Either way, her approach would have to polar opposite from what it was. It was rather unfortunate. The ones she couldn't get, those were the ones she ended up actually wanting. It was a nasty cycle of terrible irony. So she left, as if she had been offended, as if she was a normal girl. And her act was convincing as it ever had been, the subtle but clearly visible pout in her lips, as well as the rejected look in her eyes, which hung more towards the floor than anything else. The next time she met that hardened man, the next time they threw eyes on each other, she'd be the one with the confident smirk and the growl of a victory, not he. She had played this angle a few times before, and it had worked well enough each time. The waiting game, blending into the shadows and clutter of Mos Eisley's streets, just close enough to see the comings and goings of the cantina, yet far enough away to remain almost entirely invisible to an eye not explicitly in search. Having already received the man's residential information, she had a more than educated guess of which way he'd be turning upon exiting the cantina. She had placed herself to be behind him when he made that turn.

And when he did finally remove himself from the bar, the streets would be barren. Devoid of life, other than the occasional scuttling critter, charging home with all the speed they could muster, or about to go into their own nightly dealings. She guessed most were well armed enough, and the general lot of those who remained active in the night were dangerous enough not to take lightly. Even so, with her gun already drawn and set to stun, she'd be able to make a clean shot as soon as the man's back was a target. Her thumb made the adjustment to stun, similar to switching the safety feature off, and she rested her wrists to aim. Waiting for her target to show his face here. The bounty had called for him to be dead or alive, either would work, but something in her begged to keep the man alive. For some reason, and perhaps it was nothing more than that small dent in her confidence from earlier. Maybe she did notice it, and maybe she almost enjoyed noticing it. She had gotten used to playing others like cards, it was not every day someone took her by surprise, and then baffled her mind games in their next move. A crooked grin, and a sarcastic bout of self hatred before she settled into her plan once more.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

There she was, plain as the twin suns above them now slinking away, the girl was up, skuling out of the cantina before giving him another obvious eye and a fleeting look to the floor. Kail watched her go and shook his head. This girl was trouble.

He tapped his fingers again, almost a nervous tick but more a habit, before taking the remainder of the drink back to the bar before he finished it's creamy contents and wiping his lips, gently over his jaw, before tapping the humanoid barman to get his attention.

"The girl you served - green eyes, bouncy hair, left you that chip. You know her?"

A shake of the head and mumble was enough of a no. Useless.

Kail tutted to himself and looked away to the archway leading outside. She would be out there waiting for him for another go probably. His jaw began to ache, meaning his brain was working in overdrive thinking about the danger she now presented. She hadn't come to see him, but she had made a point of leaving with his eye on her which signalled that she either wanted to be followed or she was acting as innocent as an Ewok.

Ordering another Blue Milk, Kail looked down at the bar and thought about all possibilities before his drink came and a chip exchanged hands one more time.

- - - - - - - - - -​

At one time in the past few months Kail would have been the last patron to be thrown out, but not now. Night was settling in and Mos Eisley was winding down for another day. The spaceport still buzzed with activity and the swoop racers could be heard on the outskirts, but the businesses were shutting up for the night and patrons were being sent home, or to some seedy club that catered for their tastes.

Kail managed 3 Blue Milks before he decided to leave into cool but warm Tatooine night. A few lights were still on around the city and there were still people around but nothing like it would be in the day. No stalls, markets or traders. Not for another 8 hours.

Stepping up to the street level, Kail pulled his gauntlet tighter on his right arm and stood at the door, looking around casually - looking for the girl. She was here, somewhere. She could see him no doubt, and he couldn't see her. He could feel it. His mercenary training wasn't for nothing, and if he was going to become the survivor he had been, better act now.

Instead of moving right left towards the spaceport and where his swoop was locked up, Kail took a left heading to the outskirts of the city and away from prying eyes. A ship roared overhead as it took off from the city and Kail followed the lights into the atmosphere, turning his head to follow it while looking around for a tail.

He could be sure there was someone, but it was too dark to be sure it was her. A small smile broke as he came to the edge of Mos Eisley where a few sandy huts signalled the end of the city and the start of the endless desert heading back to the Jundland Wastes. Stopping in his tracks, Kail coughed twice, quite hard and dry.

His knee buckled and he pushed up on his hands to stop him falling over, groaning in agony and holding his jaw. Wretching to be sick, he let out a small cry and lurched forward, rolling on his back and convulsing. On the ground, he forced his cheek down onto the metal plate over his muscle causing a bleed, which he slowly let dribble from the side of his mouth. He went quiet, and still.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatooine.

Oh, he was gunna be a real pain about this. As soon as he took the wrong turn, she prepared for the worst. Thus far, he had been extremely effective in dealing with her advances, shoving them back into place at square zero. This time, thing were going to be a bit different. She didn't see much option there. When he had moved just far enough away, she left her cover, more than hidden by the distance which remained. Her movements were near silent, further padded by the sand under foot. Her eyes never left the man's back, though she knew better than to just walk after him. It had only taken one attempt at such an idiotic approach to 'shadowing' someone for her to realize following someone's exact footsteps was ludicrous. Instead, she filtered in between buildings, making guesses about whether or not he'd continue onward, or make a turn, but keeping up wasn't hard enough. Furthermore, this way she was able to slither closer and closer. Though, before she had even come close enough to make her final movement, the man stunned her with another strange action. A roll of her eyes, and she pushed herself back behind cover. She was close, really close, or at least close enough to make a shot. At first it confused her, his choice of location. If there was indeed a bounty on his head, he had just handed himself over on a silver trey.

Without losing caution, Xenia raised her pistol and took the shot. From this range, accuracy was hardly the question. Still, the intent was hardly to kill. Instead of the louder, green blast, her gun emitted a softer blue bolt of energy. It moved just as fast, too swift to avoid without some kind of inhuman speed. The stun bolt, fully capable of ripping the consciousness away from most any fully grown men. One wasn't enough, not for someone as tricky as him. So she pulled the trigger twice more, paused, and three times. Just to be sure. It was obviously reckless, but reckless didn't matter here, this was her life she was risking. The man had weapons of his own, and a combative personality which rivaled that of her own, so she had no choice. He'd probably have some kind of monstrous head ache upon waking, supposing the bolts did in fact deliver her bounty to her in a slumber like sleep. Xenia had been hit with more stun blaster bolts than she could remember, and each bolt was different she found. Some tore through her nerves, and forced the shut down through pain. Others merely eradicated the brain's signals, burned, but didn't hurt too badly. She used the second kind of blaster, her intention was never to be cruel, after all, and situations like these arose more often than she'd like to admit. Some kind of softness towards her target.

OOC: Alright, Xenia took the shot. The next part of the post is entirely based on those shots hitting. Im assuming they would, seeing as he's literally on the ground, and she's an incredible, incredible shot. Anyway, you're obviously more than welcome to justify a dodge or counter of some fashion if you really don't think he'd be hit, but I had a really fun plot idea, which is below. Anyway, it's all up to you, and I'll not take offense at all, I just thought this might be fun.

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatoo Sector.

She did love the sound of those engines. So much larger than her own, personal star fighter. She hummed to herself with almost no volume as she activated light after light, priming the vessel for take off. A human sized droid, of the 3PO make, silver and with female programming hovered just behind her, at the entrance to the cockpit. It remained silent, as it had no immediate reason to speak. Xenia called her Kinky, a name derived from a previous inside joke she had crafted with a girlfriend back home. Unlike most 3PO units, the droid had little civilian use, and was programmed primarily for medical, pilot simulation, and other combat purposes. Programming Xenia had coded herself, so she knew how complex it was. Even so, the complex functions had taken the place of most personality, and as such the droid spoke with a monotone, almost blunt voice, too low to be gentle. The result was a direct, blunt and logical approach to each conversation, where manners never applied with this Kinky.

"Alright, I've got everything ready, can you like"
But the droid needed no more of a prompt.
"Yes, of course. He's awake now."

She slid past Kinky without much thought or concern for personal space. The ship was large enough, with numerous rooms serving various functions. After all, this was a royal Naboo cruiser. But she didn't distract herself with all of the other rooms aboard, and instead moved in a straight line for the back most room. Living quarters, though she had changed things a bit. Well, she had a guest, that was. Fingers slid across the touch screen, activating the door's lock and causing it to slide quickly to the left where it vanished into the wall. There, in the dimly lit room, was her man. Her target, that was. Kinky and the bounty hunter herself had seen to his restraints, all four appendages attached to one end of the bed post. Medal cuffs, and there was little slack, allowing about a foot of movement room for his arms and legs, if that. Most of his clothing remained, though the extra had been removed. A more thorough approach to a pat down, and, for some reason it had just felt a bit more efficient when dealing with the man's dead weight earlier. Shoes, coat, and over layers had all been removed so that the man's pants, and undermost shirt remained, nothing more. There was no room to store a weapon, or lock-picking device. She smiled at the man, whether or not he was looking at her, and leaned against the door frame.

"You're an expensive man, mr. Kail Ragnar."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kail stalked the dark tomb of Korriban, KX-60 raised to his eye and creeping softly across the sandy floor, Tuk’ata in the deep catacombs howling and roaring, his breath slow and steady.

The Sith was behind him, letting him lead in to the well-lit chamber, illuminated by fire on both sides with two huge stone statues at the far end of the room.

Kail paced the chamber, and it was suddenly shaking and trembling – the Sith had disrupted a mystic relic in the centre of the room and Kail couldn’t stop her.

As large chunks of debris and rock began to fall from the roof of the tomb, the statues came to live, lurching forward with heavy, groaning stone steps with faces etched in nightmarish pain.

Kail fired a volley of bolts, but his boots were rooted to the ground – the Sith was holding him there with the Force and his shouts were lost in the collapsing tomb.

The statue pulled back his stone fist, as large as a human head, and launched it directly into Kail’s face -

His eyes blinked open and pulled forward to find his arms and legs shackled. Frowning and turning his head, it was a bed of some sort – soft and rather comfortable, but he didn’t have time to relish his surroundings.

A soft engine could be heard, and as his eyes scanned the room, he met the gaze of a girl he instantly recognised as she dropped another wry punchline at his current predicament.

Dropping his head down to the headboard behind him, Kail shook his hands held above him, tied to the frame.

”I’m sorry you’ve done this, because I truly can’t let you get away with breathing once I’m out of these.”

He chewed his inner cheek, feeling the pain shooting through his face, but swallowed it up in the face of danger. His eyes took her in and wondered just who she worked for.

”Let me guess; you were predictable enough on Tatooine so I take it…bounty hunter? Who’ve I pissed off now.”


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatoo System.

At first, she just laughed. Like, a real, actual laugh. For whatever reason, she had not expected the man's confidence right off the bat. When shot that many times, and you better believe this was not the first time she powered numerous stun bolts into one already pummeled foe, most awoke with a pounding headache and more pressing, primitive needs. But she loved it, being victorious to some degree. Victorious over this man, she had won, even with all of his caution and counter scheming. Now, he lay there helpless and chained, his life resting on her better graces. Though, at this point, it was clear that her preference was to keep him alive.

"You... kill me... well, I suppose you don't understand how... this works," she repositioned herself.
"How's your head, tough guy?"

The smile which became present on her face hung there for a good moment before she pushed it aside. Entering the room, she didn't look the least bit worried. Her trajectory was obvious, a straight line over to the bed. Sitting down on its edge, just barely out of reach of her victim, Xenia dropped a small comlink-like-device on the man's chest with a casual grace. All the while, she spoke, her tone also casual and friendly enough, though obviously relishing in her winnings here. "Predictable," she snorted to start, "careful, you did get caught after all." Placing her hand on the comlink, and tapping the small, red activation button, a hologram sprung to life of the two Rodians she was working for.

"You tell me... who're these guys..."
The casual grin she wore was haughty with accomplishment.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He followed her into the room, not tensing his muscles or fighting his shackles as there was no point. He wasn’t a superhero like the Force warriors or a mighty Mandalorian – he was just Kail, and even though he wasn’t as strong as he wanted, he would be, and this WOULDN’T be his final stand.

”My head? It’s fine. I’ve had worse, and this is nothing compared to it. And drop the act, ok? Take these chains off and let’s see you smirk behind those lips with nothing to hold me back.”

His eyes flicked down to the comlink, watching it as she spoke and moving his head back to see the image that crackled into view. Two Rodian males. Brilliant.

Kail looked up to her. ”What? These two? They’re Rodians. What more do you want?”

The girl was obviously after him, and all he could think about was the Rodia assignment. But, that was pretty clear cut, wasn’t it? It wasn’t his cleanest kill, but he did recall that both Sith and GIA Agents had been on his back on the planet so who knows what was stirred up from busy do-gooders.

Kail shuffled gently, adjusting to the iron braces over his wrists, looking back to the two Rodian men. He shook his head.

”No idea.”


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer RIm;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatoo System.

"Apologies, I'm just basking in my victory," but it was clear she had more to say. "You know, I wasn't even expecting you to come into the bar, I was totally caught off guard, thought you were onto me." And, as he asked, she finally dropped the act she had been carrying thus far. Her face fell into a more relaxed position, and she straightened her back with an inhale. "Anyway, these guys have been, oh, lemme tell you, a royal pain to work with. Something about you, and a Rodian senator, but they're really vague." She paused, looked over the man, and then stretched her back into an arch. The smile, a smile which she now feared would be looked at as part of the previous 'act' formed on her face, now more worried than before.

"You tell me you'll kill me, yet ask to be released, poor communication skills," she admitted with a raised eyebrow.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He smirked at the girl – bounty hunter.

Kail wasn’t about to go giving away details of his jobs, and she’d have enough on him from what the Rodian’s had given her so he didn’t care what she thought about him. He did his job, but it seemed had been careless to hang around…because of her….

He raised his eyebrows and rocked his head from side to side pondering her words.

”If you think tracking mercenaries is easy, think again. Bounty Hunters are ten a credit here in this galaxy so don’t flatter yourself. You got lucky. That’s it. And if you want to make it obvious next time you’re into a target in a bar, keep doing what you….do.”

He stopped slightly and breathed slowly through gritted teeth; his jaw was killing him with all the talking. He hadn’t spoken so much in weeks, and his stress level wasn’t helping either.

Looking away to feign interest in his surroundings, his fists clenched and relaxed for a few seconds as he bore through the pain. Swallowing, he looked back to the girl.

”And I never asked you to release me. I asked you to stop hiding behind false confidence just because I’m restrained. Poor listening skills. Go shove your head in an airlock.”

Kail pushed his head back on the headboard, this time working through the pain.


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatoo System.

She could feel her emotions welling up as they did sometimes. For whatever reason, dealing with this felt trickier than she had expected. Even still, she didn't know what she was doing, rather, she was not even conscious of what she was doing. What she was really doing. Trying to make conversation with the 'enemy.' So to speak. The idea of her permanent rejection, for some reason, jabbed at her. Of course, she had blasted him, taken him from his home planet, and was now bringing him to impending doom on the other side of the sandy world. It was a brief enough trip in total, and they were already more than half of the way there. Her lips pulled tight when Kail interjected with his uninterested opinions of her. He was doing a great job of solidifying his fate, at this point, though she had already made up her mind that he'd live if it were possible. If there was no immediate risk to her own life in order to ensure such an outcome, that was. Her left hand, the one out of sight, clenched and grabbed at the bed's blankets, beyond frustrated at her own failing charisma.

"Oh? You probably think you're my first catch, that it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Listen, I made some amateur moves this round, but," she had to think of the proper way to save herself from this. More importantly, how to word it. "How do you think I got on these guy's radar in the first place?" Grabbing the comlink from the man's chest, and snatching it back into her pockets, she continued. "Those two Rodians, since I'm supposed to believe that you don't know, are politicians from their homeworld. One is stationed in the private sector, we're talking big military guy. That's massive funds being spent to ensure your capture, and that's not something asked of someone without any reputation to speak of. And yes, I was asked, I didn't just... I dont know... see a listing, or something." She gave a parting glance to his face, only able to stand a short eye contact before she looked back in the direction she was sitting.

"And I know about the senator, the, uh, the other Rodian. At least, I know what they know, which isn't a whole heck of a lot. Just that you've done it, or at least you've got their attention for some reason." She motioned to the situation at hand to prove her point, "I read their files myself. In case you're wondering," she started, only to be caught in verbal paralysis for too long, and seemed to drop the thought entirely. "So what, was this guy like a villainnn err' something?" She waved her pointer and middle finger as if to form quotation marks when she the word 'villain,' accentuating it further. "I was hoping you'd give me something actually... tangible."

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Kail didn’t say anything, or actually do anything while she spoke. He just watched her and took note of the shell cracking around her.

Her stumbling over certain words, and her indecision on how to phrase sentences so not to show her amateur standing in the big bad world of bounty hunting. She was trying too hard now to control the situation, and she was failing.

He wasn’t going to give her anything except a final chance.

”I’ve not taken in anything you’ve said because you come across weak and amateur. And trust me, I know weakness when I see it.”

That was true enough.

”You take me in, you leave me to die, you move on with a conscious that I guarantee will haunt you in your sleep.”

Slow, precise words came from his lips to tap into her pretty little head.

”The only way you may possibly get out of this in one piece is taking me back to my home and leaving me where you found me.”

Kail looked at her rigid body language and went for the assault.

”I may even let you experience what it feels like to feel death a whisper away from you, something that will make you a stronger person than you are now.”


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatoo System.

Well, Kail wasn't wrong. That is to say, he was seeing through her act. Burning the feeble web of lives she tried to weave, webs which were normally impenetrable. Though, she was able to see it, and it only made her shrink more. To say she was experienced would be a lie. In combat, she was a threat, without a doubt. But that was a different kind of experience. She had the skill set, it was all there, down to the pretty face and animated, green eyes. Yet her tactics were far from fool proof, and only experience could cure that. Even so, there was no regret swelling anywhere in her mind.

"Oh pleeaaase, you think I'm not capable of carrying a killer's conscious? Is that it?"

She flashed that smile again, amused at what he had continued on to say. "Mhm, yes. Yes, anything I can do to, uh, seek protection from you, in the, in the how many? Four shackles? You can talk about me being weak as long as you want, or think that you still hold soooome kind of upper hand, but it's as simple as this. My droid comes back here and tells me that we're landing. I," and she drew out the sound of 'I' while she drew her blaster, waving it around before planting it against the man's naval, pressing it firmly against his skin. "I just, take a few more shots, I'd shoot you here, in the torso because I'm not cruel, and uh, you'd be out again." She dragged the gun up from the man's gut to just under his rib cage, tapped it once more against him, and re-holstered it. "Then, well, I guess you'd be chained up there. And I doubt they're going to be as weak and pathetic as I am, so," and she trailed off.

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

There she was again, all coat and no knickers. So to speak.

He winced at the cold, hard prod of the blaster, which didn’t scare him; it was just uncomfortable as he fought the instinct to grab it from her. The chains rattled and reminded him he couldn’t.

”Fair enough. I’d rather deal with the sleemo from a Rodian than play kids games with you. I don’t have time to play good cop bad cop with you.”

Kail inclined his head slightly, thinking out loud.

”You talk so tough behind your gun, that’s obvious…but there’s something else inside you that’s scared. I can’t place it, but you’re scared not just of me but also what will happen when you hand me over.”

He smiled a little.

”If you’re going to keep up the bravado, I think we’re done here. The sooner I get to talk to someone more on my level than a little girl, the better. And button your top up. It’s distracting.”


@Xenia Nastassia

 

[Xenia Nastassia]

Outer Rim;
Arkanis Sector;
Tatoo System.

"Ha, there you go again. I dont know what you're talking about, mister. There is no... act, here."

She rolled her large eyes and noticed the action was beginning to feel familiar. That feeling of irritation was welling up in her again, and she was already annoyed by its reoccurring presence. "Seriously, Kail," she said almost as if she was losing faith in her efforts. "I'm sitting here, trying to look for a reason to keep you alive. To want to keep you alive. Anything at all, and you're not giving me one thing." A sigh of an exhale, tapping the man's wrists with a single flick to remind him exactly who was pinned up. "We're done when I decide it's time to walk out of this room--" As if destiny had planned some kind of ironic event, or murphy's law was just befalling her repeatedly on this night. The 3PO droid swung around the corner with a mechanical whirrring, the flat voice announcing that they were finally approaching their destination. Though, when Xenia looked back down, thinking the update over, the droid continued on.

<<Lady Xenia, there are no Rodians at the check point. You might want to come see this.>>

Well, it looked like that moment had come. Of course, of course it would come right when he had dismissed her. As she stood, and the droid turned to jolt back to the cockpit, Xenia turned back around, adjusted, and said "the plot thickens, I'll be back." In an instant, she was gone, in the cockpit with the droid. It had pulled up a recorded conversation, a conversation it had apparently just had abruptly. In the hologram, where she had been told two Rodians would meet her, stood numerous, large men of various near human species. She counted four. The recording ended, and Xenia reset it. "Seriously," she moaned, biting her lip and studying the hologram again. "They're all carrying melee weapons, the big ones at least, vibro you think?" The droid paused the blue illusions, and looked closer. <<These don't look vibro, too primitive, just durasteel weapons probably.>> Xenia nodded her head in the accurate analysis, giving that 'point' to her mechanical partner. It would be harder to manipulate the deal when they had brought so much man power along.

She just got back up, and headed back to Kail's makeshift holding cell. Her tone now was much more to the point. Focused, forced, and stressed. Not worried, or entirely fearful either, just actively problem solving. "Alright, talk to me Kail. Those blasted Rodians brought a whole army with 'em. You still think you're getting out of this alive? Just, easy as that. It's an execution squad for the love of..." her voice trailed off. This was a chance, this was a chance that she'd give him. She hoped he'd take it, really hoped. She didn't want to start begging him.

Begging would hurt him...

[member="Kail Ragnar"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

He ignored her yet again, staring at her but taking no notice of what she said – well, that was a lie, he was taking EVERYTHING in, but didn’t show it. Even coming close to goad him, how he wished he could just reach out and…

The protocol droid spoke, and Kail indicated with his head she better go after his train of thought was broken.

Testing to see if some imaginary force had worked on the shackles, he pulled up with his wrists and feet but got nothing but resistance. Still tight and still sore. He heard muted conversation from the cockpit and leant as far as he could to peer up to them both.

The girl turned and came back, and so Kail returned to his posture on the bed against the headboard, clenching and relaxing his fists every few seconds. When she spoke, desperation was evident in her voice as well as annoyance, but the situation sounded perfect to Kail and just what he had expected; obviously she didn’t know the Rodian kind like he did. It was never going to be as easy as she had probably expected.

”Oh dear, the blasted nasty bad men. What did you want? A kiss and handshake?.”

Shrugging, he tutted gently and smiled at her.

”Time for you to get yourself out of this one, sweetheart. You’re the bounty hunter. I’m the one in shackles, remember. I’ll welcome death, because like I said, I’ve felt it a whisper away from me and I don’t fear it.”

He craned his neck to see the projection up in the cockpit.

”Better think of something fast then, hadn’t you little girl.”


@Xenia Nastassia